Patrick, I'm posting my environment (on the offchance it might help you read my mind). It's still very rough. ----- %% environment file EnvironmentISOLayout.tex \startenvironment EnvironmentISOLayout \autoloadmapfilestrue %% pagelayout lucida-brightISOLayout (double page) \usetypescript [serif] [hanging] [thanh] \setupencoding [default=texnansi] \setupbodyfont [cmr,14.4pt] \setupalign [hanging] \def\GoldenRatio{1.61803} \setbox0\hbox{\dorecurse{26}{\character\recurselevel}} \setuplayout [width=2.5\wd0, header=\lineheight, footer=\lineheight, height=\GoldenRatio\makeupwidth, headerdistance=\dimexpr( (\makeupheight - 35\lineheight - \headerheight - \footerheight) /2), footerdistance=\headerdistance, backspace=\dimexpr(\makeupwidth/7), topspace=\dimexpr(\makeupwidth/7)] %% global stuff \setupcolors[state=start] \setuppagenumbering[alternative=doublesided, option=doublesided, location={header,marginedge}] \setupbackgrounds [header][text] % header line spans just the text block [frame=on,topframe=off,leftframe=off,rightframe=off] %% chapter head layout \setuplist [section] [style=boldslanted, align=right, interaction=all, symbol=1, width=1em, pagenumber=no, before=, after=] \definetext[chapter][footer][pagenumber] % page on which chapters begin \setuphead [chapter] [page=, header=empty, % suppress header at start of chapter footer=chapter, % footer at start of chapter numberstyle=ChapterTitleNumberFont, textstyle=ChapterTitleTextFont alternative=command, command=\ContentsHead, prefix=+, before={\page\ifodd\realpageno\else\page[empty]\fi\page[right]}, after={\blank[2*big]}] \definefont [ChapterTitleTextFont][Serif at 24.9pt] \definefont [ChapterTitleNumberFont][SerifBold at 40pt] \def\ContentsHead#1#2% {\setupframed [frame=off]% \framed [width=\hsize,offset=overlay] {\placesidebyside {\doifmodeelse{*sectionnumber} {\framed [width=.6\hsize,offset=1em,strut=no,align=right, background=screen] {\vi In this chapter: \blank \placelist [section][criterium=chapter]}} {\framed [width=.6\hsize]{}}} % dummy {\framed [width=.4\hsize,strut=no,align=left] %% Typeset Chapter Number {\hbox{\vbox to 24.9pt{% height ChapterTitleTextFont \vss #1}}} \vfilll} }% %% Typeset Chapter Title \llap{\lower24.9pt\hbox{#2\hskip0.5em}}} %% sectionblocks \startsectionblockenvironment[frontpart] \setupheadertexts [{\getmarking[chapter][first]}] [] % an optional second arg let you specify what specific mark you want [] % \getmarking[section][first last previous both all] [{\getmarking[chapter][first]}] \setuppagenumbering [conversion=romannumerals] \stopsectionblockenvironment \startsectionblockenvironment[bodypart] \setupheadertexts [Chapter {\getmarking[chapternumber][first]}. {\getmarking[chapter][first]}] [] [] [{\getmarking[section][first]}] \setuppagenumber [number=1] \stopsectionblockenvironment \setuphead [section] [number=no, style=\tfa] \setuphead [subsection] [style=bold] \setuphead [subsubsection] [style=italic] %% paragraph layout \setupwhitespace [medium] \setupindenting [medium] %% pretty printing \definetype [typeXML] [option=XML,palet=graypretty,style=\ix] \definetype [typeJV] [option=JV,palet=graypretty,style=\ix] \setuptyping [XML] [palet=graypretty,style=\ix] \setuptyping [typing] [palet=graypretty, style=\ix] %% urls \setupurl [style=smalltype] % Bug in ConTeXt \unprotect \def\preparethenumber#1#2#3% {\??id#1} \number \result {\doifelsevaluenothing{#1\c!scheider} {\let\numberseparator\empty \let#3#2} {\edef\numberseparator{\getvalue{#1\c!scheider}}% \edef#3{\@EA\separatednumber\@EA{#2}}}} % hm, etex \protect \definesymbol[MySep][--] \defineenumeration [example] [location=serried, text=Example, before=\blank, after=\blank, way=bychapter, style=italic, separator={\symbol[MySep]}] \setupcaptions [style=italic, separator={\symbol[MySep]}, align=right] % visual debuggers \showframe \version[temporary] \stopenvironment %%% Local Variables: %%% mode:context %%% End: ----- You can run it with a fairly simple test file ----- \environment EnvironmentISOLayout \starttext \startbodymatter \chapter {test} \section {test} \dorecurse{10}{\input tufte } \section {test} \dorecurse{12}{\input tufte } \chapter {test} \section {test} \dorecurse{10}{\input tufte } \stopbodymatter \stoptext ----- If you compile this, you'll notice that on the very first page I have a header, I don't want the header, I want a footer with the page number.