A2PS

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: April 2023
Index Return to Main Contents
 

NAME

a2ps - format files for printing on a PostScript printer  

SYNOPSIS

a2ps [,OPTION/]... [,FILE/]...  

DESCRIPTION

Convert FILE(s) or standard input to PostScript. By default, the output is sent to the default printer. An output file may be specified with -o.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. Long options marked with * require a yes/no argument, corresponding short options stand for `yes'.  

Tasks:

--version
display version
--help
display this help
--guess
report guessed types of FILES
--which
report the full path of library files named FILES
--glob
report the full path of library files matching FILES
--list=,defaults/
display default settings and parameters
--list=,TOPIC/
detailed list on TOPIC (delegations, encodings, features, variables, media, ppd, printers, prologues, style-sheets, user-options)

After having performed the task, exit successfully. Detailed lists may provide additional help on specific features.  

Global:

-q, --quiet, --silent
be really quiet
-v, --verbose[=,LEVEL/]
set verbosity on, or to LEVEL
-=, --user-option=,OPTION/
use the user defined shortcut OPTION
--debug
enable debugging features
-D, --define=,KEY[/:VALUE]
unset variable KEY or set to VALUE
 

Sheets:

-M, --medium=,NAME/
use output medium NAME
-r, --landscape
print in landscape mode
-R, --portrait
print in portrait mode
--columns=,NUM/
number of columns per sheet
--rows=,NUM/
number of rows per sheet
--major=,DIRECTION/
first fill (DIRECTION=) rows, or columns
-1, -2, ..., -9
predefined font sizes and layouts for 1.. 9 virtuals
-A, --file-align=,MODE/
align separate files according to MODE (fill, rank page, sheet, or a number)
-j, --borders*
print borders around columns
--margin[=,NUM/]
define an interior margin of size NUM

The options -1.. -9 affect several primitive parameters to set up predefined layouts with 80 columns. Therefore the order matters: `-R -f40 -2' is equivalent to `-2'. To modify the layout, use `-2Rf40', or compose primitive options (`--columns', `--font-size' etc.).  

Virtual pages:

--line-numbers=,NUM/
precede each NUM lines with its line number
-C
alias for --line-numbers=,5/
-f, --font-size=,SIZE/
use font SIZE (float) for the body text
-L, --lines-per-page=,NUM/
scale the font to print NUM lines per virtual
-l, --chars-per-line=,NUM/
scale the font to print NUM columns per virtual
-m, --catman
process FILE as a man page (same as -L66)
-T, --tabsize=,NUM/
set tabulator size to NUM
--non-printable-format=,FMT/ specify how non-printable chars are printed
 

Headings:

-B, --no-header
no page headers at all
-b, --header[=,TEXT/]
set page header
-u, --underlay[=,TEXT/]
print TEXT under every page
--center-title[=,TEXT/]
set page title to TITLE
--left-title[=,TEXT/]
set left and right page title to TEXT
--right-title[=,TEXT/]
--left-footer[=,TEXT/]
set sheet footers to TEXT
--footer[=,TEXT/]
--right-footer[=,TEXT/]

The TEXTs may use special escapes.  

Input:

-a, --pages[=,RANGE/]
select the pages to print
-c, --truncate-lines*
cut long lines
-i, --interpret*
interpret tab, bs and ff chars
--end-of-line=,TYPE/
specify the eol char (TYPE: r, n, nr, rn, any)
-X, --encoding=,NAME/
use input encoding NAME
-t, --title=,NAME/
set the name of the job
--stdin=,NAME/
set the name of the input file stdin
--print-anyway*
force binary printing
-Z, --delegate*
delegate files to another application
--toc[=,TEXT/]
generate a table of content

When delegations are enabled, a2ps may use other applications to handle the processing of files that should not be printed as raw information, e.g., HTML PostScript, PDF etc.  

Pretty-printing:

-E, --pretty-print[=,LANG/]
enable pretty-printing (set style to LANG)
--highlight-level=,LEVEL/
set pretty printing highlight LEVEL LEVEL can be none, normal or heavy
-g
alias for --highlight-level=,heavy/
--strip-level=,NUM/
level of comments stripping
 

Output:

-o, --output=,FILE/
leave output to file FILE. If FILE is `-', leave output to stdout.
--version-control=,WORD/
override the usual version control
--suffix=,SUFFIX/
override the usual backup suffix
-P, --printer=,NAME/
send output to printer NAME
-d
send output to the default printer (this is the default behavior)
 

PostScript:

--prologue=,FILE/
include FILE.pro as PostScript prologue
--ppd[=,KEY/]
automatic PPD selection or set to KEY
-n, --copies=,NUM/
print NUM copies of each page
-s, --sides=,MODE/
set the duplex MODE (`1' or `simplex', `2' or `duplex', `tumble')
-S, --setpagedevice=,K[/:V]
pass a page device definition to output
--statusdict=,K[/:[:]V]
pass a statusdict definition to the output
-k, --page-prefeed
enable page prefeed
-K, --no-page-prefeed
disable page prefeed

By default a2ps is tuned to do what you want to, so trust it. To pretty print the content of the `src' directory and a table of content, and send the result to the printer `lw',

$ a2ps -P lw --toc src/*

To process the files `sample.ps' and `sample.html' and display the result,

$ a2ps -P display sample.ps sample.html

To process a mailbox in 4 up,

$ a2ps -=mail -4 mailbox

To print as a booklet on the default printer, which is Duplex capable,

$ a2ps -=book paper.dvi.gz -d

News, updates and documentation: visit http://www.gnu.org/software/a2ps/.  

AUTHOR

Written by Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana.  

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to <bug-a2ps@gnu.org>.  

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 1988-1993 Miguel Santana
Copyright © 1995-2000 Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana
Copyright © 2007- Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana and Masayuki Hatta
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  

SEE ALSO

a2ps(1), card(1), fixps(1), pdiff(1), psset(1), texi2dvi4a2ps(1).

The full documentation for a2ps is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and a2ps programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info a2ps

should give you access to the complete manual.


 

Index

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
Tasks:
Global:
Sheets:
Virtual pages:
Headings:
Input:
Pretty-printing:
Output:
PostScript:
AUTHOR
REPORTING BUGS
COPYRIGHT
SEE ALSO

This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 18:29:49 GMT, April 26, 2024