A comprehensive Typst template for creating official United States Air Force memorandums that comply with AFH 33-337 “The Tongue and Quill” formatting standards.

Features

• Automatic formatting compliance with AFH 33-337 standards
• Hierarchical paragraph numbering (1., a., (1), (a)) with proper indentation
• Smart page break handling for backmatter sections with continuation formatting
• Professional typography with Times New Roman font and proper spacing
• Complete letterhead automation including DoD seal placement and scaling
• Flexible content management for various memo types
• Proper signature block positioning and closing elements
• Intelligent space management prevents orphaned headers and improper splits

Quick Start

Installation

1. Install Typst.

2. Initialize template from Typst Universe

typst init @preview/tonguetoquill-usaf-memo:0.0.1

Local Development

For working with the library files, you can clone this repository directly. See build.sh for example commands to build the template files. For local development, install the package locally.

Fonts

usaf-template.typ and ussf-template.typ use Copperplate CC for the letterhead which is an open-source clone of Copperhead Gothic Bold. If you cloned the repository, Typst can recursively discover template/assets/fonts/CopperplateCC-Bold.otf like so:

typst compile --root . --font-path . template/usaf-template.typ pdfs/usaf-template.pdf

If you are using the Typst web app or local Typst Universe package, you can download the .otf file and upload it to the root folder in your project.

Basic Usage

Import the core functions for creating memorandums:

#import "@preview/tonguetoquill-usaf-memo:0.0.1": official-memorandum, indorsement, SET_LEVEL

See template/usaf-template.typ for a complete example of creating a memorandum with official-memorandum().

official-memorandum Parameters

Core Parameters

• letterhead-title (string): Primary organization title (default: "DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE")
• letterhead-caption (string): Sub-organization name (default: "AIR FORCE EDUCATION COMMAND")
• letterhead-seal (string): Image for letterhead seal (default: "image(template/assets/dod_seal.png)")
• memo-for (string | array): Recipient designation(s) (default: ("ORG/SYMBOL",)). Can be:
  • Single recipient: "ORG/SYMBOL"
  • Multiple recipients: ("ORG1/SYMBOL", "ORG2/SYMBOL")
  • Grid layout: (("ORG1", "ORG2"), ("ORG3", "ORG4"))
• from-block (array): Sender information (default: ("ORG/SYMBOL", "Organization", "Street Address", "City ST 80841-2024"))
• subject (string): Memorandum subject line (default: "Format for the Official Memorandum")
• signature-block (array): Signature lines (default: ("FIRST M. LAST, Rank, USAF", "AFIT Masters Student, Carnegie Mellon University", "Organization (if not on letterhead)"))
• references (array): Reference documents (default: none)
• attachments (array): Attachment descriptions (default: none)
• cc (array): Courtesy copy recipients (default: none)
• distribution (array): Distribution list (default: none)
• indorsements (array): Indorsement objects (default: none)
• body (content): Main memorandum content (required, no default)

Style Parameters

• letterhead-font (string): Letterhead font (default: "Arial")
• body-font (string): Body font - must be Times New Roman (default: "Times New Roman")
• paragraph-block-indent (boolean): Enable block indentation (default: false)
• leading-backmatter-pagebreak (boolean): Force page break before backmatter (default: false)

Indorsement Parameters

The indorsement() function creates indorsement objects that can be passed to the indorsements parameter of official-memorandum(). Indorsements follow AFH 33-337 formatting standards for memorandum endorsements.

Core Parameters

• office-symbol (string): Sending organization symbol (default: "ORG/SYMBOL")
• memo-for (string): Recipient organization symbol (default: "ORG/SYMBOL")
• signature-block (array): Array of signature lines (default: ("FIRST M. LAST, Rank, USAF", "Duty Title", "Organization (if not on letterhead)"))
• body (content): Indorsement body content (required, no default)

Optional Parameters

• attachments (array): Array of attachment descriptions (default: none)
• cc (array): Array of courtesy copy recipients (default: none)
• leading-pagebreak (boolean): Whether to force page break before indorsement (default: false)
• separate-page (boolean): Whether to use separate-page indorsement format per AFH 33-337 (default: false)

Separate-Page Format Parameters

When separate-page is true, these parameters control the separate-page indorsement format:

• original-office (string): Original memo’s office symbol (default: none)
• original-date (string): Original memo’s date (default: none)
• original-subject (string): Original memo’s subject (default: none)

Complete Examples

For comprehensive examples with all parameters, see:

• Guide: template/content-guide.typ - Comprehensive guide showing all parameters and features with new paragraph level system
• Standard Air Force memo: template/usaf-template.typ - Shows proper formatting with references, attachments, cc, distribution, and indorsements
• Space Force memo: template/ussf-template.typ - Space Force memorandum variant with proper formatting
• Custom organization memo: template/starkindustries.typ - Demonstrates custom letterhead and extensive use of all optional parameters

Paragraph Numbering

The template provides automatic hierarchical paragraph numbering following AFH 33-337 standards using a level-based system:

Level-Based Paragraph System

Use #SET_LEVEL(level) to set the current paragraph level, then write content directly:

Your base paragraph content here.

Another base paragraph.

#SET_LEVEL(1)  // First-level subparagraphs: a., b., c., etc.

Your first subparagraph content.

Another first-level subparagraph.

#SET_LEVEL(2)  // Second-level subparagraphs: (1), (2), (3), etc.

Your second-level subparagraph content.

#SET_LEVEL(0)  // Return to base level

Paragraph Hierarchy

• Level 0 (Base paragraphs): 1., 2., 3., etc.
• Level 1 (First-level subparagraphs): a., b., c., etc.
• Level 2 (Second-level subparagraphs): (1), (2), (3), etc.
• Level 3 (Third-level subparagraphs): (a), (b), ©, etc.
• Level 4+ (Additional levels): Underlined numbering for complex structures

Key Features

• Automatic numbering with proper hierarchical indentation
• Smart spacing management between paragraphs and sections
• Level persistence - once set, the level remains active until changed
• Flexible structure - supports up to five levels of nested paragraphs
• AFH 33-337 compliance - follows official formatting standards

Sentence Spacing

The project includes GitHub Copilot prompts in .github/prompts/ to help with sentence spacing formatting:

• double-space-sentence.prompt.md: Converts single spaces after sentences to double spaces (~ ) within memo content
• single-space-sentence.prompt.md: Converts double spaces back to single spaces within memo content

These prompts help ensure consistent spacing formatting in your memorandums according to your organization’s preferred style.

Smart Page Break Handling

The template automatically manages page breaks for closing sections according to AFH 33-337 standards:

• Attachments: “Do not divide attachment listings between two pages”
• Distribution: “Do not divide distribution lists between two pages”
• CC sections: Consistent handling with other sections

How It Works

1. Content measurement: Calculates if section fits on current page
2. Automatic continuation: Shows “(listed on next page)” when needed
3. Clean breaks: Moves entire sections to avoid orphaned headers
4. Compliant formatting: Follows exact AFH 33-337 continuation requirements

Document Structure

The template automatically handles:

1. Page setup: US Letter size with 1-inch margins
2. Typography: 12pt Times New Roman font with proper line spacing
3. Header elements: DoD seal (scaled to 1in × 2in), letterhead, and date positioning
4. Body formatting: Justified text with proper paragraph spacing and numbering
5. Signature block: Positioned 4.5 inches from left edge
6. Backmatter elements: Attachments, cc, and distribution lists with smart page breaks
7. Page numbering: Starts on page 2, positioned 0.5" from top, flush right
8. Continuation handling: Proper “(listed on next page)” formatting for long sections

Examples

The template/ directory contains sample memorandums demonstrating various use cases:

• usaf-template.typ: Standard Air Force memorandum template
• ussf-template.typ: Space Force memorandum variant
• starkindustries.typ: Pepper notifies Tony about regulatory issues for Iron Man suits.
• content-guide.typ: Comprehensive guide for using the official-memorandum template with new paragraph level system

Compilation

When compiling templates that reference files from the root directory (such as the main library file lib.typ), you must use the --root . flag to tell Typst to treat the current directory as the root for resolving file imports.

Requirements

• Typst: Version 0.13.0 or higher (enforced by template)
• Assets: The template/assets/dod_seal.png file must be accessible for the DoD seal
• Fonts: Times New Roman font (required for AFH 33-337 compliance)
• Compliance: All memorandums are automatically validated against AFH 33-337 standards

Compliance Features

The template enforces strict AFH 33-337 compliance through:

• Automatic validation of required parameters and formatting with comprehensive error messages
• Font enforcement - only Times New Roman allowed for body text per regulations
• Version checking - requires Typst 0.13.0+ for proper functionality and modern features
• Parameter validation - ensures all mandatory elements are present before compilation
• Signature block validation - enforces proper format requirements per AFH 33-337
• Enhanced spacing constants - implements precise spacing requirements for professional formatting
• Improved backmatter handling - renamed from “closing” for better terminology alignment

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests to the GitHub repository.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

External assets used in this project:

• template/assets/dod_seal.png is public domain.
• template/assets/starkindustries_seal.png is public domain.
• template/assets/fonts/Copperplate-Heavy.otf is SIL Open Font License pulled from here

Author

Created by Nibs