Learn the UNIX/Linux command line
Home Man Pages
A2PS(1) FSF A2PS(1)
NAME
a2ps - format files for printing on a PostScript printer
SYNOPSIS
a2ps [OPTION]... [FILE]...
DESCRIPTION
Convert FILE(s) or standard input to PostScript.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options
too. Long options marked with * require a yes/no argument, corre-
sponding 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, vari-
ables, 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 pre-
defined 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 han-
dle the processing of files that should not be printed as raw informa-
tion, 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
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', 'tum-
ble')
-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 con-
tent, 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.inf.enst.fr/~demaille/a2ps/.
AUTHOR
Written by Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to .
COPYRIGHT
Copyright (C) 1988-1993 Miguel Santana
Copyright (C) 1995-2000 Akim Demaille, Miguel Santana
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There
is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICU-
LAR 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.
GNU a2ps 4.13 February 2005 A2PS(1)
UNIX/Linux commands referenced on this page: