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<H1 CLASS="title">Command-Line Printing and Options</H1>

<P>CUPS provides both the System V (<A
HREF="man-lp.html">lp(1)</A>) and Berkeley (<A
HREF="man-lpr.html">lpr(1)</A>) printing commands for printing
files. In addition, it supported a large number of standard and
printer-specific options that allow you to control how and where
files are printed.</P>


<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="BASICS">Printing Files</A></H2>

<P>CUPS understands many different types of files directly,
including text, PostScript, PDF, and image files. This allows you
to print from inside your applications or at the command-line,
whichever is most convenient! Type either of the following
commands to print a file to the default (or only) printer on the
system:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp filename
lpr filename
</PRE>

<H3><A NAME="PRINTER">Choosing a Printer</A></H3>

<P>Many systems will have more than one printer available to the
user. These printers can be attached to the local system via a
parallel, serial, or USB port, or available over the network. Use
the <A HREF="man-lpstat.html">lpstat(1)</A> command to see a list
of available printers:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpstat -p -d
</PRE>

<P>The <CODE>-p</CODE> option specifies that you want to see a
list of printers, and the <CODE>-d</CODE> option reports the
current default printer or class.</P>

<P>Use the <CODE>-d</CODE> option with the <B>lp</B> command to
print to a specific printer:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -d printer filename
</PRE>

<P>or the <CODE>-P</CODE> option with the <B>lpr</B> command:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpr -P printer filename
</PRE>

<H3><A NAME="DEFAULT">Setting the Default Printer</A></H3>

<P>If you normally use a particular printer, you can tell CUPS to
use it by default using the <A
HREF="man-lpoptions.html">lpoptions(1)</A> command:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpoptions -d printer
</PRE>

<H3><A NAME="PIPE">Printing the Output of a Program</A></H3>

<P>Both the <B>lp</B> and <B>lpr</B> commands support printing
from the standard input:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
program | lp
program | lp -d printer
program | lpr
program | lpr -P printer
</PRE>

<P>If the program does not provide any output, then nothing will
be queued for printing.</P>

<H3><A NAME="WITHOPTIONS">Specifying Printer Options</A></H3>

<P>For many types of files, the default printer options may be
sufficient for your needs. However, there may be times when you
need to change the options for a particular file you are
printing.</P>

<P>The <B>lp</B> and <B>lpr</B> commands allow you to pass
printer options using the <CODE>-o</CODE> option:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o landscape -o fit-to-page -o media=A4 filename.jpg
lpr -o landscape -o fit-to-page -o media=A4 filename.jpg
</PRE>

<P>The available printer options vary depending on the printer.
The standard options are described in the "<A
HREF="#OPTIONS">Standard Printing Options</A>" section
below. Printer-specific options are also available and can be
listed using the <B>lpoptions</B> command:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpoptions -p printer -l
</PRE>

<H3><A NAME="INSTANCES">Creating Saved Options</A></H3>

<P>Saved options are supported in CUPS through <em>printer
instances</em>. Printer instances are, as their name implies, copies
of a printer that have certain options associated with them. Use the
<B>lpoptions</B> command to create a printer instance:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpoptions -p printer/instance -o name=value ...
</PRE>

<P>The <CODE>-p printer/instance</CODE> option provides the name of
the instance, which is always the printer name, a slash, and the
instance name which can contain any printable characters except
space and slash. The remaining options are then associated with the
instance instead of the main queue. For example, the following
command creates a duplex instance of the LaserJet queue:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpoptions -p LaserJet/duplex -o sides=two-sided-long-edge
</PRE>

<P>Instances <em>do not</em> inherit lpoptions from the main
queue.</P>

<H3><A NAME="COPIES">Printing Multiple Copies</A></H3>

<P>Both the <B>lp</B> and <B>lpr</B> commands have options for
printing more than one copy of a file:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -n <EM>num-copies</EM> filename
lpr -#<EM>num-copies</EM> filename
</PRE>

<P>Copies are normally <EM>not</EM> collated for you. Use the
<CODE>-o Collate=True</CODE> option to get collated copies:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -n <EM>num-copies</EM> -o Collate=True filename
lpr -#<EM>num-copies</EM> -o Collate=True filename
</PRE>


<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="CANCEL">Canceling a Print Job</A></H2>

<P>The <A HREF="man-cancel.html">cancel(1)</A> and <A
HREF="man-lprm.html">lprm(1)</A> commands cancel a print job:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
cancel <EM>job-id</EM>
lprm <EM>job-id</EM>
</PRE>

<P>The <EM>job-id</EM> is the number that was reported to you by
the <B>lp</B> command. You can also get the job ID using the <A
HREF="man-lpq.html">lpq(1)</A> or <A
HREF="man-lpstat.html">lpstat</A> commands:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpq
lpstat
</PRE>


<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="LPMOVE">Moving a Print Job</A></H2>

<P>The <A HREF="man-lpmove.html">lpmove(8)</A> command moves a print
job to a new printer or class:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpmove <EM>job-id</EM> <i>destination</i>
</PRE>

<P>The <EM>job-id</EM> is the number that was reported to you by
the <B>lp</B> or <B>lpstat</B> commands. <i>Destination</i> is the
name of a printer or class that you want to actually print the job.

<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Note:</B>

<P>The <B>lpmove</B> command is located in the system command
directory (typically <VAR>/usr/sbin</VAR> or <VAR>/usr/local/sbin</VAR>),
and so may not be in your command path. Specify the full path to the
command if you get a "command not found" error, for example:

<PRE CLASS="command">
/usr/sbin/lpmove foo-123 bar
</PRE>

</BLOCKQUOTE>


<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="OPTIONS">Standard Printing Options</A></H2>

<P>The following options apply when printing all types of
files.</P>

<H3><A NAME="MEDIA">Selecting the Media Size, Type, and Source</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o media=xyz</CODE> option sets the media size,
type, and/or source:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o media=Letter filename
lp -o media=Letter,MultiPurpose filename
lpr -o media=Letter,Transparency filename
lpr -o media=Letter,MultiPurpose,Transparency filename
</PRE>

<P>The available media sizes, types, and sources depend on the
printer, but most support the following options (case is not
significant):</P>

<UL>

	<LI><CODE>Letter</CODE> - US Letter (8.5x11 inches, or 216x279mm)

	<LI><CODE>Legal</CODE> - US Legal (8.5x14 inches, or 216x356mm)

	<LI><CODE>A4</CODE> - ISO A4 (8.27x11.69 inches, or 210x297mm)

	<LI><CODE>COM10</CODE> - US #10 Envelope (9.5x4.125 inches, or
	241x105mm)

	<LI><CODE>DL</CODE> - ISO DL Envelope (8.66x4.33 inches, or 220x110mm)

	<LI><CODE>Transparency</CODE> - Transparency media type or source

	<LI><CODE>Upper</CODE> - Upper paper tray

	<LI><CODE>Lower</CODE> - Lower paper tray

	<LI><CODE>MultiPurpose</CODE> - Multi-purpose paper tray

	<LI><CODE>LargeCapacity</CODE> - Large capacity paper tray

</UL>

<P>The actual options supported are defined in the printer's PPD
file in the <CODE>PageSize</CODE>, <CODE>InputSlot</CODE>, and
<CODE>MediaType</CODE> options. You can list them using the
<B>lpoptions(1)</B> command:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpoptions -p printer -l
</PRE>

<P>When <CODE>Custom</CODE> is listed for the <CODE>PageSize</CODE> option, you can specify custom media sizes using one of the following forms:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o media=Custom.<EM>WIDTH</EM>x<EM>LENGTH</EM> filename
lp -o media=Custom.<EM>WIDTH</EM>x<EM>LENGTH</EM>in filename
lp -o media=Custom.<EM>WIDTH</EM>x<EM>LENGTH</EM>cm filename
lp -o media=Custom.<EM>WIDTH</EM>x<EM>LENGTH</EM>mm filename
</PRE>

<P>where "WIDTH" and "LENGTH" are the width and length of the media in points, inches, centimeters, or millimeters, respectively.</P>


<H3><A NAME="ORIENTATION">Setting the Orientation</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o landscape</CODE> option will rotate the page 90
degrees to print in landscape orientation:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o landscape filename
lpr -o landscape filename
</PRE>

<P>The <CODE>-o orientation-requested=N</CODE> option rotates the
page depending on the value of N:</P>

<UL>

	<LI><CODE>-o orientation-requested=3</CODE> - portrait
	orientation (no rotation)</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o orientation-requested=4</CODE> - landscape
	orientation (90 degrees)</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o orientation-requested=5</CODE> - reverse
	landscape or seascape orientation (270 degrees)</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o orientation-requested=6</CODE> - reverse
	portrait or upside-down orientation (180 degrees)</LI>

</UL>


<H3><A NAME="SIDES">Printing On Both Sides of the Paper</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o sides=two-sided-short-edge</CODE> and <CODE>-o
sides=two-sided-long-edge</CODE> options will enable two-sided
printing on the printer if the printer supports it. The <CODE>-o
sides=two-sided-short-edge</CODE> option is suitable for
landscape pages, while the <CODE>-o
sides=two-sided-long-edge</CODE> option is suitable for portrait
pages:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o sides=two-sided-short-edge filename
lp -o sides=two-sided-long-edge filename
lpr -o sides=two-sided-long-edge filename
</PRE>

<P>The default is to print single-sided:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o sides=one-sided filename
lpr -o sides=one-sided filename
</PRE>


<H3><A NAME="JOBSHEETS">Selecting the Banner Page(s)</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o job-sheets=start,end</CODE> option sets the banner
page(s) to use for a job:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o job-sheets=none filename
lp -o job-sheets=standard filename
lpr -o job-sheets=classified,classified filename
</PRE>

<P>If only one banner file is specified, it will be printed
before the files in the job. If a second banner file is
specified, it is printed after the files in the job.</P>

<P>The available banner pages depend on the local system
configuration; CUPS includes the following banner files:</P>

<UL>

	<LI><CODE>none</CODE> - Do not produce a banner page.

	<LI><CODE>classified</CODE> - A banner page with a "classified"
	label at the top and bottom.

	<LI><CODE>confidential</CODE> - A banner page with a
	"confidential" label at the top and bottom.

	<LI><CODE>secret</CODE> - A banner page with a "secret" label
	at the top and bottom.

	<LI><CODE>standard</CODE> - A banner page with no label at the
	top and bottom.

	<LI><CODE>topsecret</CODE> - A banner page with a "top secret"
	label at the top and bottom.

	<LI><CODE>unclassified</CODE> - A banner page with an
	"unclassified" label at the top and bottom.

</UL>


<H3><A NAME="JOBHOLDUNTIL">Holding Jobs for Later Printing</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o job-hold-until=when</CODE> option tells CUPS to
delay printing until the "when" time, which can be one of the
following:</P>

<UL>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=indefinite</CODE>; print only
	after released by the user or an administrator</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=day-time</CODE>; print from
	6am to 6pm local time</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=night</CODE>; print from
	6pm to 6am local time</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=second-shift</CODE>; print from
	4pm to 12am local time</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=third-shift</CODE>; print from
	12am to 8am local time</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=weekend</CODE>; print on Saturday
	or Sunday</LI>

	<LI><CODE>-o job-hold-until=HH:MM</CODE>; print at the specified
	UTC time</LI>

</UL>

<H3><A NAME="RELEASEJOB">Releasing Held Jobs</A></H3>

<P>Aside from the web interface, you can use the <B>lp</B> command
to release a held job:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -i <em>job-id</em> -H resume
</PRE>

<P>where "job-id" is the job ID reported by the <B>lpstat</B>
command.</P>


<H3><A NAME="JOBPRIORITY">Setting the Job Priority</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o job-priority=NNN</CODE> option tells CUPS to
assign a priority to your job from 1 (lowest) to 100 (highest),
which influences where the job appears in the print queue. Higher
priority jobs are printed before lower priority jobs, however
submitting a new job with a high priority will not interrupt an
already printing job.</P>


<H3><A NAME="OUTPUTORDER">Specifying the Output Order</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o outputorder=normal</CODE> and <CODE>-o outputorder=reverse</CODE> options specify the order of the pages. Normal order prints page 1 first, page 2 second, and so forth. Reverse order prints page 1 last.</P>


<H3><A NAME="PAGERANGES">Selecting a Range of Pages</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o page-ranges=pages</CODE> option selects a range
of pages for printing:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o page-ranges=1 filename
lp -o page-ranges=1-4 filename
lp -o page-ranges=1-4,7,9-12 filename
lpr -o page-ranges=1-4,7,9-12 filename
</PRE>

<P>As shown above, the <CODE>pages</CODE> value can be a single page, a
range of pages, or a collection of page numbers and ranges separated by
commas. The pages will always be printed in ascending order, regardless
of the order of the pages in the <CODE>page-ranges</CODE> option.

<P>The default is to print all pages.

<blockquote><b>Note:</b>

<p>The page numbers used by <code>page-ranges</code> refer to the output
pages and not the document's page numbers. Options like <code>number-up</code>
can make the output page numbering not match the document page numbers.</p>

</blockquote>


<H3><A NAME="PAGESET">Selecting Even or Odd Pages</A></H3>

<P>Use the <CODE>-o page-set=set</CODE> option to select the even or odd pages:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o page-set=odd filename
lp -o page-set=even filename
lpr -o page-set=even filename
</PRE>

<P>The default is to print all pages.

<H3><A NAME="NUMBERUP">N-Up Printing</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o number-up=value</CODE> option selects N-Up
printing. N-Up printing places multiple document pages on a
single printed page. CUPS supports 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 16-Up
formats; the default format is 1-Up:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o number-up=1 filename
lp -o number-up=2 filename
lp -o number-up=4 filename
lpr -o number-up=16 filename
</PRE>

<P>The <CODE>-o page-border=value</CODE> option chooses the
border to draw around each page:</P>

<UL>
	<LI><CODE>-o page-border=double</CODE>; draw two hairline borders around each page</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o page-border=double-thick</CODE>; draw two 1pt borders around each page</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o page-border=none</CODE>; do not draw a border (default)</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o page-border=single</CODE>; draw one hairline border around each page</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o page-border=single-thick</CODE>; draw one 1pt border around each page</LI>
</UL>

<P>The <CODE>-o number-up-layout=value</CODE> option chooses the
layout of the pages on each output page:</P>

<UL>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=btlr</CODE>; Bottom to top, left to right</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=btrl</CODE>; Bottom to top, right to left</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=lrbt</CODE>; Left to right, bottom to top</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=lrtb</CODE>; Left to right, top to bottom (default)</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=rlbt</CODE>; Right to left, bottom to top</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=rltb</CODE>; Right to left, top to bottom</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=tblr</CODE>; Top to bottom, left to right</LI>
	<LI><CODE>-o number-up-layout=tbrl</CODE>; Top to bottom, right to left</LI>
</UL>

<H3><A NAME="FIT_TO_PAGE">Scaling to Fit</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o fit-to-page</CODE> option specifies that the document
should be scaled to fit on the page:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o fit-to-page filename
lpr -o fit-to-page filename
</PRE>

<P>The default is to use the size specified in the file.</P>

<BLOCKQUOTE><B>Note:</B>

<P>This feature depends upon an accurate size in
the print file. If no size is given in the file, the page may be
scaled incorrectly!

</BLOCKQUOTE>

<H3><A NAME="OUTPUTORDER">Printing in Reverse Order</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o outputorder=reverse</CODE> option will print the
pages in reverse order:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o outputorder=reverse filename
lpr -o outputorder=reverse filename
</PRE>

<P>Similarly, the <CODE>-o outputorder=normal</CODE> option will
print starting with page 1:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o outputorder=normal filename
lpr -o outputorder=normal filename
</PRE>

<P>The default is <CODE>-o outputorder=normal</CODE> for
printers that print face down and <CODE>-o outputorder=reverse</CODE>
for printers that print face up.

<H3><A NAME="MIRROR">Printing Mirrored Pages</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o mirror</CODE> option flips each page along the
vertical axis to produce a mirrored image:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o mirror filename
lpr -o mirror filename
</PRE>

<P>This is typically used when printing on T-shirt transfer
media or sometimes on transparencies.</P>

<H3><A NAME="RAW">Raw or Unfiltered Output</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o raw</CODE> option allows you to send files
directly to a printer without filtering. This is sometimes
required when printing from applications that provide their own
"printer drivers" for your printer:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o raw filename
lpr -o raw filename
</PRE>

<P>The <CODE>-l</CODE> option can also be used with the
<B>lpr</B> command to send files directly to a printer:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lpr -l filename
</PRE>


<H2 CLASS="title"><A NAME="TEXTOPTIONS">Text Options</A></H2>

<P>CUPS supports several options that are only used when printing
plain text files. These options have absolutely no effect on
PostScript, PDF, HP-GL/2, or image files.</P>

<H3><A NAME="CPI">Setting the Number of Characters Per Inch</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o cpi=value</CODE> option sets the number of
characters per inch:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o cpi=10 filename
lp -o cpi=12 filename
lpr -o cpi=17 filename
</PRE>

<P>The default characters per inch is 10.</P>

<H3><A NAME="LPI">Setting the Number of Lines Per Inch</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o lpi=value</CODE> option sets the number of lines
per inch:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o lpi=6 filename
lpr -o lpi=8 filename
</PRE>

<P>The default lines per inch is 6.</P>

<H3><A NAME="MARGINS">Setting the Page Margins</A></H3>

<P>Normally the page margins are set to the hard limits of the
printer. Use the <CODE>-o page-left=value</CODE>, <CODE>-o
page-right=value</CODE>, <CODE>-o page-top=value</CODE>, and
<CODE>-o page-bottom=value</CODE> options to adjust the page
margins:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o page-left=<EM>value</EM> filename
lp -o page-right=<EM>value</EM> filename
lp -o page-top=<EM>value</EM> filename
lp -o page-bottom=<EM>value</EM> filename
lpr -o page-left=<EM>value</EM> -o page-right=<EM>value</EM> -o page-top=<EM>value</EM> -o page-bottom=<EM>value</EM> filename
</PRE>

<P>The <CODE>value</CODE> argument is the margin in points; each
point is 1/72 inch or 0.35mm.</P>

<H3><A NAME="PRETTYPRINT">Pretty Printing</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o prettyprint</CODE> option puts a header at the
top of each page with the page number, job title (usually the
filename), and the date. Also, C and C++ keywords are
highlighted, and comment lines are italicized:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o prettyprint filename
lpr -o prettyprint filename
</PRE>

<H3><A NAME="WRAP">Turning Off Text Wrapping</A></H3>

<P>The <CODE>-o nowrap</CODE> option disables wrapping of long lines:</P>

<PRE CLASS="command">
lp -o nowrap filename
lpr -o nowrap filename
</PRE>


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