dvips: Configuration file commands
3.4.2 Configuration file commands
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Most of the configuration file commands are similar to corresponding
command line options, but there are a few exceptions. When they are the
same, we omit the description here.
As with command line options, many may be turned off by suffixing the
letter with a zero ('0').
Within a configuration file, empty lines, and lines starting with a
space, asterisk, equal sign, percent sign, or pound sign are ignored.
There is no provision for continuation lines.
'@ NAME HSIZE VSIZE'
Define paper sizes. ⇒Config file paper sizes.
'a*'
Memory conservation. Same as '-a', ⇒Option details.
'b #COPIES'
Multiple copies. Same as '-b', ⇒Option details.
'bitmapfontenc OPTION'
Turns bitmap font encoding to 'off', 'on' (no warnings for missing
bitmap font encodings), or 'strict' (with warnings for missing
bitmap font encodings).
'c FILENAME'
Include FILENAME as an additional configuration file, read
immediately.
'D DPI'
Output resolution. Same as '-D', ⇒Option details.
'e NUM'
Max drift. Same as '-e', ⇒Option details.
'E COMMAND'
Executes the command listed with 'system'(3); can be used to get
the current date into a header file for inclusion, for instance.
Possibly dangerous; this may be disabled, in which case a warning
will be printed if the option is used (and warnings are not
suppressed).
'f*'
'F'
Run as a filter. Same as '-f', ⇒Option details.
'G*'
Shift low-numbered characters; obsolete. Same as '-G', ⇒
Option details.
'h HEADER'
Prepend HEADER to output. Same as 'h-', ⇒Option details.
'H PATH'
Use PATH to search for PostScript header files. The environment
variable 'DVIPSHEADERS' overrides this.
'i N'
Make multiple output files. Same as '-i -S N', ⇒Option
details.
'j*'
Partially download Type 1 fonts. Same as '-j', ⇒Option
details.
'K*'
Remove comments from included PostScript files. Same as '-K',
⇒Option details.
'L*'
If zero, the first paper size specified is effective, else the
last. Same as '-L', ⇒Option details.
'm NUM'
Declare NUM as the memory available for fonts and strings in the
printer. The compile-time default is 180000, but this is typically
overridden by 'config.ps' or other configuration files. This value
must be accurate if memory conservation and document splitting is
to work correctly. To determine this value, send the following
file to the printer:
%! Hey, we're PostScript
/Times-Roman findfont 30 scalefont setfont 144 432 moveto
vmstatus exch sub 40 string cvs show pop showpage
The number printed by this file is the total memory free; it is
usually best to tell Dvips that the printer has slightly less
memory, because many programs download permanent macros that can
reduce the memory in the printer. Some systems or printers can
dynamically increase the memory available to a PostScript
interpreter, in which case this file might return a ridiculously
low number; for example, the NeXT computer and Ghostscript. In
these cases, a value of, say, 10 million is likely fine.
To go all out: If NUM is zero or negative, Dvips sets the available
memory to a very large number (the maximum integer value in C), the
idea being that output is not to a printer and thus no splitting of
the output is desirable. The Dvips config file 'config.maxmem' is
provided to do this conveniently, namely with 'dvips -Pmaxmem'.
'M MODE'
Metafont mode. Same as '-mode', ⇒Option details.
'N*'
Disable structured comments. Beware: This also turns off
displaying page numbers or changing to specific pagenumbers in
PostScript viewers. Same as '-N', ⇒Option details.
'o NAME'
Send output to NAME. Same as '-o', ⇒Option details. In the
file 'config.foo', a setting like this is probably appropriate:
o |lpr -Pfoo
The MS-DOS version will emulate spooling to 'lpr' by printing to
the local printer device 'PRN' if it doesn't find an executable
program by that name in the current directory or along the 'PATH'.
'O XOFF,YOFF'
Origin offset. Same as '-O', ⇒Option details.
'p [+]NAME'
Examine NAME for PostScript font aliases. Default is
'psfonts.map'. This option allows you to specify different
resident fonts that different printers may have. If NAME starts
with a '+' character, then the rest of the name (after any leading
spaces) is used as an additional map file; thus, it is possible to
have local map files pointed to by local configuration files that
append to the global map file. This can be used for font families.
'P PATH'
Use PATH to search for bitmap PK font files is PATH. The
'PKFONTS', 'TEXPKS', 'GLYPHFONTS', and 'TEXFONTS' environment
variables override this. ⇒(kpathsea)Supported file formats.
'q*'
'Q'
Run quietly. Same as '-q', ⇒Option details.
'r*'
Page reversal. Same as '-r', ⇒Option details.
'R NUM1 NUM2 ...'
Define the list of default resolutions for PK fonts. If a font
size actually used in a document is not available and cannot be
created, Dvips will scale the font found at the closest of these
resolutions to the requested size, using PostScript scaling. The
resulting output may be ugly, and thus a warning is issued. To
turn this last-resort scaling off, use a line with just the 'R' and
no numbers.
The given numbers must be sorted in increasing order; any number
smaller than the preceding one is ignored. This is because it is
better to scale a font up than down; scaling down can obliterate
small features in the character shape.
The environment and config file values 'DVIPSSIZES' or 'TEXSIZES'
override this configuration file setting.
If no 'R' settings or environment variables are specified, a list
compiled in during installation is used. This default list is
defined by the Makefile variable 'default_texsizes', defined in the
file 'make/paths.make'.
's*'
Output global save/restore. Same as '-s', ⇒Option details.
'S PATH'
Use PATH to search for special illustrations (Encapsulated
PostScript files or psfiles). The 'TEXPICTS' and then 'TEXINPUTS'
environment variables override this.
'T PATH'
Use PATH to search for TFM files. The 'TFMFONTS' and then
'TEXFONTS' environment variables overrides this. This path is used
for resident fonts and fonts that can't otherwise be found.
'U*'
Work around bug in Xerox 4045 printer. Same as '-U', ⇒Option
details.
'V PATH'
Use PATH to search for virtual font files. This may be
device-dependent if you use virtual fonts to simulate actual fonts
on different devices.
'W [STRING]'
If STRING is supplied, write it to standard error after reading all
the configuration files; with no STRING, cancel any previous 'W'
message. This is useful in the default configuration file to
remind users to specify a printer, for instance, or to notify users
about special characteristics of a particular printer.
'X NUM'
Horizontal resolution. Same as '-X' (⇒Option details).
'Y NUM'
Vertical resolution. Same as '-Y' (⇒Option details).
'Z*'
Compress bitmap fonts. Same as '-Z' (⇒Option details).
'z*'
Disables execution of system commands, like '-R' (⇒Option
details). If '-R' is specified on the command line, that takes
precedence.
Info Catalog
dvips: Configuration file searching
dvips: Config files