One possible alternative to LaTeX approach is XSL:FO approach .Using lisp to create the XML (http://www.cliki.net/XML).

Take a look at http://www.w3.org/standards/xml/publishing

"XSL-FO, the Formatting Objects part of XSL, is an XML markup language for describing page layout and formatting."

Cheers,

Alexandre Rademaker http://web.me.com/arademaker/