.TH prps "" "" Command
.PC "Prepare files for PostScript-compatible printer"
\fBprps [\fIoptions\^\fB] [\fIfile ... \fB\^]\fR
.PP
.HS
.SH Options:
.IC \fI\-ptsize\fR
Use \fIptsize\fR as the point size (default, 10)
.IC \fB\-b\fR
Suppress the box around the page text
.IC \fB\-f\fIfont\fR
Use the given font name (default, Courier)
.IC \fB\-F\fIX\fR
Use font X, which must be [ABHNPST]
.IC \fB\-F\fIsfx\fR
Use \fIsfx\fR as suffix for font X, which must be \fB[RBI]\fR.
Default suffixes are "" (R), \fB\-Bold\fR (B), \fB\-Oblique\fR (I)
.IC \fB\-h\fR
Suppress the header line
.IC \fB\-l\fR
Landscape mode (default, portrait)
.IC \fB\-l2\fR
Landscape mode, two pages per output page
.IC \fB\-n\fIhead\fR
Use \fIhead\fR in header line
.IC \fB\-p\fIN\fR
Print \fIN\fR lines of text per output page
.IC \fB\-t\fIN\fR
Set tab stops to every \fIN\fR characters (default, 8)
.IC \fB+\fIN\fR
Skip first \fIN\fR output pages
.HE
.II PostScript
.B prps
reads each
.IR file ,
breaks it into pages, writes a header at the top of each page, then
writes the paginated text onto the standard output.
If no
.I file
is given,
.B prps
reads the standard input.
.PP
Unike the related command
.BR pr ,
.B prps
writes its output in the PostScript language, suitable for printing
on a PostScript printer such as an Apple LaserWriter
or a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet with a PostScript cartridge.
The PostScript output program generates
a sequence of standard 8.5\(mu11-inch pages,
each containing a header line
(file name, current time and date, and page number)
and a box that encloses the text of
.IR file .
The default output typeface is ten-point Courier.
.PP
.B prps
recognizes the following options:
.IP \fB\-b\fR
Suppress the box around the page text.
If the box is present, PostScript clips text
that would extend beyond its right border.
.IP \fB\-h\fR
Suppress the header line.
.IP \fB\-i\fIn\fR
Indent the left margin by an additional
.I n
characters.
.IP \fB\-l\fR
Generate ``landscape''-format output.
.B prps
normally generates output pages in ``portrait''
format (upright 8.5\(mu11 inches).
The \fB\-l\fR option
generates output pages in landscape format (11 by 8.5) instead.
This option is useful for files with long lines; by default, it prints
46 lines per page.
.IP \fB\-l2\fR
Generate landscape-format output pages that each contain
two side-by-side ``pages'' of text.
This format is useful
for saving paper, especially when used with a small size of type.
As it prints in a small size of type, it prints 66 lines per page.
.IP \fB\-n\fIname\fR
Use
.I name
in place of the file name in the header line.
.IP \fB\-t\fIN\fR
Set tab stops at every
.I N
characters.
The default tab setting is eight.
.IP \fI\-ptsize\fR
Change the size of type to
.I ptsize
points.
By default,
.B prps
sets its output in ten-point type.
This yields 64 lines per normal output page,
46 lines in landscape format, and 52 lines per half page in \fB\-l2\fR format.
(Note that a ``point'' is one twelfth of a pica, which in turn is one sixth
of an inch; thus, there are 72 points in an inch.)
By specifying the
.I ptsize
on its command line, you can tell
.B prps
to use a different size of type.
For example,
.B \-8
tells
.B prps
to use eight-point type.
.IP \fB\-p\fIN\fR
Print
.I N
lines of text on each output page (or half page).
Note that the point size determines how many lines fit
on a page, and lines per page determine point size.
If you specify both,
.B prps
will use the given values unless the lines do not fit at the given point size.
.IP \fB+\fIN\fR
Skip the first
.I N
output pages.
.SH "Setting Fonts"
.B prps
recognizes the standard
.B nroff
font specification sequences and translates them into PostScript
font specifications.
The default font is Courier.
Because the naming conventions for PostScipt fonts are anything but uniform,
.B prps
appends a suffix to the fontname to designate
a Roman, boldface and italic font variety.
The default suffix is `\ ' for Roman, ``\-Bold'' for bold and ``\-Oblique''
for italic.
These give the standard PostScript
names for the Courier family, ``Courier'', ``Courier-Bold'',
and ``Courier-Oblique''.
.PP
Option \fB\-f\fIfontname\fR specifies an alternative
.I fontname.
Option \fB\-Fs\fIXsuffix\fR
specifies an alternative font suffix,
where
.I X
is one of the three characters 
.B RBI
(for \fBR\fRoman, \fBB\fRold or \fBI\fRtalic) and
.I suffix
is the desired suffix.
For example, the option
.DM
	\-fTimes \-FsR\-Roman \-FsI-Italic
.DE
.PP
generates the usual PostScript font names for the Times family,
namely ``Times-Roman'', ``Times-Bold'', and ``Times-Italic''.
.PP
To spare you some of this grief, a few fonts have built-in abbreviations.
Option \fB\-F\fIX\fR, where
.I X
is one of the characters
.B ABHNPST,
specifies a PostScript fontname as follows:
.DS
	\fB\-FA\fR	AvantGarde
	\fB\-FB\fR	Bookman
	\fB\-FH\fR	Helvetica
	\fB\-FN\fR	Helvetica-Narrow
	\fB\-FP\fR	Palatino
	\fB\-FS\fR	New Century Schoolbook
	\fB\-FT\fR	Times
.DE
.PP
These options also set each suffix appropriately for the desired font.
However, font naming conventions may differ on various PostScript devices;
examine the
.B prps
output and your device documentation if problems occur.
.SH Examples
.B prps
is especially useful as a way of printing the output of
.BR nroff ,
including manual pages.
For example,
.DM
	man prps | prps | hpr -B
.DE
.PP
or
.DM
	man prps | prps -l2 | hpr -B
.DE
.PP
prints this Lexicon article
in, respectively, portrait mode or two-page landscape mode.
It looks nicer if you center the output with an indent:
.DM
	man prps | prps -i8 | hpr -B
.DE
.PP
or
.DM
	man prps | prps -l2 -i4 | hpr -B
.DE
.SH "See Also"
.Xr "commands," commands
.Xr "hp," hp
.Xr "hpr," hpr
.Xr "lp," lp
.Xr "pr," pr
.Xr "nroff," nroff
.Xr "printer" printer
.SH Notes
When you installed \*(CO onto your system, the installation program asked
you whether your printer used the PostScript language.
For information on how to install a PostScript printer onto your system,
see the Lexicon entries for
.B lp
and
.BR printer .
