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Date:      Tue, 12 Jun 2001 16:34:28 +0200
From:      Jim Segrave <jes@nl.demon.net>
To:        questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Paper version of the handbook
Message-ID:  <20010612163428.Q60463@jes.noc.nl.demon.net>
In-Reply-To: <bulk.79966.20010612052733@hub.freebsd.org>; from "questions-digest" on Tue 12 Jun 2001 (05:27 -0700)
References:  <bulk.79966.20010612052733@hub.freebsd.org>

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> 
> Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 02:41:55 -0600 (CST)
> From: Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org>
> Subject: Re: Paper version of the handbook
> 
> Odhiambo Washington <wash@iconnect.co.ke> types:
> > * Mike Meyer <mwm@mired.org> [20010130 06:57]: writing on the subject 'Re: Paper version of the handbook'
> > 
> > Mike> Which is why I just bought a duplexer for my printer. Not that I want
> > Mike> to print the handbook, but so blasted much software and hardware is
> > Mike> coming with documentation as PDF on CD-ROM that I want printed copies
> > Mike> of. Thousands of pages over the last year.
> > You just mentioned something new to me and I was wondering if you could
> > enlighten me on what this 'duplexer' does for a printer - how is it used?
> 
> A printer that has "duplex" capabilities can print on both sides of
> the paper. The "duplexer" proper is extra paper-handling mechanism
> that will take a page just printed on, turn it over, and send it back
> through the print mechanism to get the next page printed on the back
> side. High-dollar business printers are liable to have that capability
> built in; mid-level office printers - like my LaserJet 5m - have an
> optional external module that does this. It sits in one of the paper
> exit paths to turn the paper around. It's kind of cute watching the
> page pop up in the back and then go back down for the second pass.
> 
> Obviously, you use a duplexer to make two-sided printouts. This cuts
> down on paper use - sufficiently so that when I was at DEC's WSE
> group, we configured all the printers to duplex by default - and means
> those thick documents I mentioned go into much binders of half the
> width. You enable duplexing by settings on the front panel - duplex on
> or off, and if on, whether you flip along the long edge, like a book,
> or short edge, like a clipboard - or in software. CUPS has options in
> the printer config for laserjets for this. Enscript has an option to
> do this. ApplixWords (part of Applixware Office) will print duplex
> once you've told it that a particular print queue is a printer with a
> duplexer.
> 
> Personally, I'm going to set it on the front panel to duplex by
> default, and then override it from the software for those cases where
> I have to have single-sided copy.

For those who don't have it, pstops does a wonderful job of creating
double sided printouts. Given a ps document, you do:

$ pstops 2:-1 file.name | lpr

This prints all the even numbered pages in reverse order, so the last
sheet printed will be the back side of the first sheet when the double
sided printing is completed.

Then take all the sheets out, exactly in the order they came out of
the printer. The last sheet printed will be the first sheet to get
printed on the other side.

Insert the printed pages as appropriate in the paper feed
of the printer (for example, mine wants them inserted with the printed
side facing away from me and with the pages upside down).

$ pstops 2:0 file.name | lpr

It will print the odd numbered pages, in forward order. When it
completes, you should have a double sided copy all in the correct
order.

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