Under Linux / UNIX you use lp command to print files from command prompt. lp is quite useful when GUI is not installed on Linux box to print files. The lp command is simply a front end command that calls the lpr command with appropriate options. Its main use is to allow the running of precompiled binary programs and scripts that assume that the lp command is the official printing command.
Changing papa size is very easy under GUI environment. But how do you change paper size under command prompt?
By default lp print to A4 paper size. However sometime you need to print to different paper size from command prompt such as A3 or A5. To print to A3 size, enter:
$ lp -o media=A3 /path/to/file
Where,
- -o media=size : Sets the page size to size. Most printers support at least the size names “a4”, “letter”, and “legal”.
Other useful examples
Print a double-sided legal document to a printer called “hpljf2”:
$ lp -d hpljf2 -o media=legal -o sides=two-sided-long-edge /path/to/file
Print an image across 4 pages using a printer called “epd2”:
$ lp -d epd2 -o scaling=200 filename
Print a text file with 12 characters per inch, 8 lines per inch, and a 1 inch left margin to a printer called “lpodc2”:
$ lp -d lpodc2 -o cpi=12 -o lpi=8 -o page-left=72 ~/info.txt
To know more about lp option, enter:
$ man lp
Please note that you need to configure print using CUPS configuration file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf or web based tool located at http://localhost:631/
(Fig 01: My CUPS Configuration, showing HP PhotoSmart Printer )
