PR(1)

📦
version 9.12 · 28 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 PR(1) — the "make ur text cute for printing" page 💖

hey bestie!! welcome to pr, a lil User Commands icon in the GNU coreutils fam. it's giving "typesetting but make it low effort." let's get into it 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

pr — convert text files for printing 🖨️✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

pr [OPTION]... [FILE]...

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Paginate or columnate</purl> FILE(s) for printing. basically: chop ur text into pages, or squish it into columns, so it looks cute on paper. no cap.

If there's no FILE, or FILE is literally just -, it reads from standard input. so go ahead, pipe it, she'll handle it 💅

🎀 Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. (translation: if a long option needs a value, the short one needs it too. not optional. periodt.)

👑 OPTIONS 👑

  • +FIRST_PAGE[:LAST_PAGE], --pages=FIRST_PAGE[:LAST_PAGE] — begin [stop] printing with page FIRST_[LAST_]PAGE. so u can start at FIRST_PAGE, or start there AND dip out at LAST_PAGE. yes the brackets are doing the "optional" thing, she's flexible 💁♀️
  • -COLS, --columns=COLS — output COLS columns and print columns down, unless -a is used. also it balances the number of lines in the columns on each page. aesthetic AND fair. we love a balanced queen 🌈
  • -a, --across — print columns across rather than down. bestie this is meant to be used together with -COLS, don't run it solo, she gets lonely 😭
  • -c, --show-control-chars — use hat notation (^G) and octal backslash notation. so the invisible chaos gremlin characters become visible 🎀
  • -d, --double-space — double space the output. breathing room. self care 💖
  • -D, --date-format=FORMAT — use FORMAT for the header date. customize ur lil timestamp, main character energy fr fr
  • -e[CHAR[WIDTH]], --expand-tabs[=CHAR[WIDTH]] — expand input CHARs (TABs) to tab WIDTH (8). default width is 8, iconic ✨
  • -F, -f, --form-feed — use form feeds instead of newlines to separate pages (by a 3-line page header with -F or a 5-line header and trailer without -F). yes -F and -f are both here, they're twins, they're a package deal 👯
  • -h, --header=HEADER — use a centered HEADER instead of the filename in the page header. -h "" prints a blank line. don't use -h"" — like genuinely, don't, that's a trap 💀
  • -i[CHAR[WIDTH]], --output-tabs[=CHAR[WIDTH]] — replace spaces with CHARs (TABs) to tab WIDTH (8). the reverse of -e, she's giving "put the tabs back" 🦋
  • -J, --join-lines — merge full lines, turns off -W line truncation, no column alignment, --sep-string[=STRING] sets separators. a whole vibe shift for the separators ngl
  • -l, --length=PAGE_LENGTH — set the page length to PAGE_LENGTH (66) lines (default number of lines of text 56, and with -F 63). implies -t if PAGE_LENGTH <= 10 👀
  • -m, --merge — print all files in parallel, one in each column, truncate lines, but join lines of full length with -J. multiprocessing but make it paper 🫶
  • -n[SEP[DIGITS]], --number-lines[=SEP[DIGITS]] — number lines, use DIGITS (5) digits, then SEP (TAB), default counting starts with 1st line of input file. cute lil line numbers, so organized ✨
  • -N, --first-line-number=NUMBER — start counting with NUMBER at the 1st line of first page printed (see +FIRST_PAGE). so u can lie about where u started, no judgement 😌
  • -o, --indent=MARGIN — offset each line with MARGIN (zero) spaces, does not affect -w or -W, and MARGIN will be added to PAGE_WIDTH. she's got boundaries (literally) 💅
  • -r, --no-file-warnings — omit warning when a file cannot be opened. sometimes u just don't wanna know 🙈
  • -s[CHAR], --separator[=CHAR] — separate columns by a single character. default for CHAR is the <TAB> character without -w and 'no char' with -w. -s[CHAR] turns off line truncation of all 3 column options (-COLS|-a -COLS|-m) except -w is set. read that twice bestie, it's a whole condition tree 🌳
  • -S[STRING], --sep-string[=STRING] — separate columns by STRING. without -S: default separator <TAB> with -J and <space> otherwise (same as -S" "), no effect on column options. so many separator options, pick ur fighter ⚔️
  • -t, --omit-header — omit page headers and trailers; implied if PAGE_LENGTH <= 10. she's lowkey automatic 🎀
  • -T, --omit-pagination — omit page headers and trailers, eliminate any pagination by form feeds set in input files. bye bye structure 🦋
  • -v, --show-nonprinting — use octal backslash notation. the sneaky nonprinting chars get exposed, no cap 🔥
  • -w, --width=PAGE_WIDTH — set page width to PAGE_WIDTH (72) characters for multiple text-column output only, -s[char] turns off (72). only kicks in for the multi-column situation, she's specific 💜
  • -W, --page-width=PAGE_WIDTH — set page width to PAGE_WIDTH (72) characters always, truncate lines, except -J option is set, no interference with -S or -s. the bossy sibling of -w, she always shows up 👑
  • --help — display this help and exit. ur lil emergency exit 🚪
  • --version — output version information and exit. receipts, always 🧾

🎀 AUTHOR 🎀

Written by Pete TerMaat and Roland Huebner. absolute legends, we stan 💖

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

found something broken? don't suffer in silence bestie, tell the devs:

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.

🚨 There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. fr fr, zero warranty, don't come for her 🚨

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

and that's the whole page, bestie!! this lil manual is straight outta GNU coreutils 9.12, dated September 2026 — yeah she's from the future, she's built different 💅✨ go forth and paginate 🫶🎀

📦 where this page comes from