On 22 Dec 2002 17:28:03 +0100 Alexandr Malusek wrote:

Experiment with

lpr -o landscape file

Ok the above worked great for printing a file in landscape mode from the command line.

where file is a text file, a PostScript file, ... GUI applications can be configured to use kprinter instead of lpr. In kprinter, you can select a landscape printer queue, specify the landscape option, ...

Can you explain or point to a help file that describes how to do this. I would think this would be best for printing using KDE gui apps? or maybe I'm wrong? <snip>

It's not that easy. CUPS filters can format and print text files in landscape mode but they can't reformat e.g. A4 portrait PostScript pages. They can rotate them but that's not what you want.

In theory, applications generating PostScript could get the landscape option somewhere but in practice they don't do it. You have to configure them individually.

The problem is how do I learn how to configure each app? This seems very frustrating. I just tried to print in landscape mode from Open Office just now and no luck there either. In order for me to print documents in landscape mode in all my editors or word processors is it going to require me to go to the command line in order to print the file? This will be very disappointing if that's the case. I hope I am wrong. Thanks for any other help you could provide. -- Rick

Rick Reumann writes:

...

GUI applications can be configured to use kprinter instead of lpr. In kprinter, you can select a landscape printer queue, specify the landscape option, ...

Can you explain or point to a help file that describes how to do this. I would think this would be best for printing using KDE gui apps?

Most KDE applications use the kprinter's interface or provide an equivalent. Printer-settings dialog windows of older X applications often contain the field "printer command". Here, you can specify "lpr -P lp_landscape" (where lp_landscape is a printer queue which prints in the landscape mode) or "kprinter".

The problem is how do I learn how to configure each app?

There is no general way but I don't think it's difficult for KDE or Gnome applications (compared to e.g. emacs where some background knowledge is required).

I just tried to print in landscape mode from Open Office just now and no luck there either.

Describe how you did it so that people can reproduce the problem.

In order for me to print documents in landscape mode in all my editors or word processors is it going to require me to go to the command line in order to print the file?

No. Anyway, your request is unusual. -- Alexandr.Malusek@imv.liu.se