# pr

_Peios / Using Peios / Peiosutils / Transforming text_

> Paginate and columnate text for printing.

`pr` prepares text for printing on paper. It breaks a file into **pages**, puts a header and a trailer on each, and can arrange the text into columns.

```
pr [options] [file...]
```

```
$ pr report.txt
```

Run plainly, `pr` divides the input into 66-line pages, each beginning with a five-line header — the date, the file name, and a page number — and ending with a trailing margin. With no file, it reads standard input.

## Columns

`pr` can lay text out in several columns per page.

| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| `-COLUMN` | Produce `COLUMN` columns per page (e.g. `-3` for three). Text fills down the first column, then the next. |
| `-a`, `--across` | Fill the columns *across* — line 1 in column 1, line 2 in column 2, and so on — rather than down. |
| `-m`, `--merge` | Print several files side by side, one per column. |
| `-w`, `--width=WIDTH` | Set the page width, for multi-column output. |

## The header and the page

| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| `-h`, `--header=TEXT` | Use `TEXT` in the header instead of the file name. |
| `-t`, `--omit-header` | Print neither the header nor the trailer. |
| `-T`, `--omit-pagination` | Drop the header, the trailer, and all pagination — just the text. |
| `-l`, `--length=LINES` | Set the page length to `LINES` instead of 66. |
| `-o`, `--indent=N` | Indent every line by `N` spaces. |
| `-D`, `--date-format=FORMAT` | Format the header's date with `FORMAT`. |
| `-F`, `-f`, `--form-feed` | Separate pages with a form-feed character rather than blank lines. |

## Selecting and numbering

| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| `--pages=FIRST[:LAST]` | Print only pages `FIRST` through `LAST`. |
| `-n`, `--number-lines[=SEP[WIDTH]]` | Number every line. |
| `-N`, `--first-line-number=N` | Begin line numbering at `N`. |
| `-d`, `--double-space` | Double-space the output. |

## Other options

| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| `-s`, `--separator-char[=CHAR]` | Separate columns with a single `CHAR` (default tab) rather than padding with spaces. |
| `-S`, `--sep-string[=STRING]` | Separate columns with `STRING`. |
| `-e`, `--expand-tabs[=CHAR[WIDTH]]` | Expand input tabs to spaces. |
| `-J`, `--join-lines` | Merge full lines, turning off width truncation. |
| `-r`, `--no-file-warnings` | Do not warn when a file cannot be opened. |

## Exit status

| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `0` | Success. |
| `1` | A file could not be read, or an option was invalid. |

Related content:

- [fmt](/peios/using-peios/peiosutils/transforming-text/fmt.md)
- [Viewing and joining text](/peios/using-peios/peiosutils/viewing-and-joining-text/overview.md)