Chapter 22. Printing

After spending the last couple of chapters manipulating text, it’s time to put that text on paper. In this chapter, we’ll look at the command-line tools that are used to print files and control printer operation. We won’t be looking at how to configure printing, as that varies from distribution to distribution and is usually set up automatically during installation. Note that we will need a working printer configuration to perform the exercises in this chapter.

We will discuss the following commands:

  • pr—Convert text files for printing.

  • lpr—Print files.

  • lp—Print files (System V).

  • a2ps—Format files for printing on a PostScript printer.

  • lpstat—Show printer status information.

  • lpq—Show printer queue status.

  • lprm—Cancel print jobs.

  • cancel ...

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