Manpages

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

--guess

report guessed types of FILES

--which

report the full path of library files named 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

-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

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

--left-footer[=TEXT]

set sheet footers to 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

--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

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

FILES

a2ps reads several files before the command line options. In order, they are:

See the info manual for more information, including a description of the configuration file format.

AUTHOR

Written by Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana, and Reuben Thomas.

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to: bug-a2ps [AT] gnu.org
GNU a2ps home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/a2ps/>;
General help using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>;

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>;.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO

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