Dear cell, Here is a table that works in pdfetex mode, but not Plain mode (I hope it survives transmission!). Again, the problem appears to be non-fatal, but very irritating: ===================== \bgroup \tfx\setupinterlinespace %\switchtobodyfont[10pt] \placetable [here][tab:cognition]{The three types of cognition.} \starttable[|l|l|l|l|] \HL \VL \emph{mode of} \VL \emph{locus of} \VL \emph{objects of} \VL \emph{ontological} \VL\FR \VL \emph{cognition} \VL \emph{cognition} \VL \emph{cognition} \VL \emph{rank of} \VL\NR \VL \VL \VL \VL \emph{objects of} \VL\NR \VL \VL \VL \VL \emph{cognition} \VL\LR \HL \VL knowledge \VL bosom \VL forms or \VL the universal \VL\FR \VL \VL \VL images \VL soul \VL\LR \HL \VL certainty \VL heart \VL meanings/ \VL the universal \VL\FR \VL \VL \VL intelligibles \VL nous \VL\LR \HL \VL cognizance \VL heart-flux \VL light of \VL existence \emph{qua} \VL\FR \VL \VL \VL cognizance \VL negatively \VL\NR \VL \VL \VL \VL conditioned \VL\LR \HL \stoptable \egroup ===================== and the error: ===================== ! Illegal parameter number in definition of \convertedargument. <to be read again> \tabskip <argument> ##\tabskip \LeftTabskip & \hfil \startglobalTABLEcolor \vrule \!t... \convertargument ...ng \def \convertedargument {#1 }\dodoglobal \edef #2{\con... \getTABLEnofcolumns ...nvertargument #1\to \ascii \@EA \doglobal \@EA \count... \!ttDoHalign ...LEnofcolumns {\the \!taPreamble }} \halign \the \!taTableSpre... \restartTABLE ...pareTABLEsplitting \restartTABLE \TABLEhead l.10 \starttable[|l|l|l|l|] ? ===================== Idris