PR

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: February 2026
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NAME

pr - convert text files for printing  

SYNOPSIS

pr [,OPTION/]... [,FILE/]...  

DESCRIPTION

Paginate or columnate FILE(s) for printing.

With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-pages'+FIRST_PAGE[:LAST_PAGE], --pages=,FIRST_PAGE[:LAST_PAGE]X'tty: link'/

begin [stop] printing with page FIRST_[LAST_]PAGE

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-COLS'-COLS, --columns=,COLSX'tty: link'/

output COLS columns and print columns down, unless -a is used. Balance number of lines in the columns on each page

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-a'-a, --acrossX'tty: link'

print columns across rather than down, used together with -COLUMN

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-c'-c, --show-control-charsX'tty: link'

use hat notation (^G) and octal backslash notation

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-d'-d, --double-spaceX'tty: link'

double space the output

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-D'-D, --date-format=,FORMATX'tty: link'/

use FORMAT for the header date

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-e'-e[CHAR[WIDTH]], --expand-tabs[=,CHAR[WIDTH]]X'tty: link'/

expand input CHARs (TABs) to tab WIDTH (8)

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-F'-F, -f, --form-feedX'tty: link'

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)

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-h'-h, --header=,HEADERX'tty: link'/

use a centered HEADER instead of filename in page header, -h "" prints a blank line, don't use -h""

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-i'-i[CHAR[WIDTH]], --output-tabs[=,CHAR[WIDTH]]X'tty: link'/

replace spaces with CHARs (TABs) to tab WIDTH (8)

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-J'-J, --join-linesX'tty: link'

merge full lines, turns off -W line truncation, no column alignment, --sep-string[=,STRING/] sets separators

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-l'-l, --length=,PAGE_LENGTHX'tty: link'/

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

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-m'-m, --mergeX'tty: link'

print all files in parallel, one in each column, truncate lines, but join lines of full length with -J

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-n'-n[SEP[DIGITS]], --number-lines[=,SEP[DIGITS]]X'tty: link'/

number lines, use DIGITS (5) digits, then SEP (TAB), default counting starts with 1st line of input file

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-N'-N, --first-line-number=,NUMBERX'tty: link'/

start counting with NUMBER at 1st line of first page printed (see +FIRST_PAGE)

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-o'-o, --indent=,MARGINX'tty: link'/

offset each line with MARGIN (zero) spaces, do not affect -w or -W, MARGIN will be added to PAGE_WIDTH

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-r'-r, --no-file-warningsX'tty: link'

omit warning when a file cannot be opened

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-s'-s[CHAR], --separator[=,CHAR]X'tty: link'/

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 (-COLUMN|-a -COLUMN|-m) except -w is set

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-S'-S[STRING], --sep-string[=,STRING]X'tty: link'/

separate columns by STRING, without -S: Default separator <TAB> with -J and <space> otherwise (same as -S" "), no effect on column options

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-t'-t, --omit-headerX'tty: link'

omit page headers and trailers; implied if PAGE_LENGTH <= 10

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-T'-T, --omit-paginationX'tty: link'

omit page headers and trailers, eliminate any pagination by form feeds set in input files

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-v'-v, --show-nonprintingX'tty: link'

use octal backslash notation

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-w'-w, --width=,PAGE_WIDTHX'tty: link'/

set page width to PAGE_WIDTH (72) characters for multiple text-column output only, -s[,char/] turns off (72)

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/coreutils.html#p-W'-W, --page-width=,PAGE_WIDTHX'tty: link'/

set page width to PAGE_WIDTH (72) characters always, truncate lines, except -J option is set, no interference with -S or -s

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/pr#p-help'--helpX'tty: link'

display this help and exit

X'tty: link https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/pr#p-version'--versionX'tty: link'

output version information and exit

 

AUTHOR

Written by Pete TerMaat and Roland Huebner.  

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to: bug-coreutils@gnu.org

Report Gentoo bugs to: https://bugs.gentoo.org/
GNU coreutils home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
General help using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>
Report any translation bugs to <https://translationproject.org/team/>  

SEE ALSO

Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/pr>
or available locally via: info aq(coreutils) pr invocationaq

Packaged by Gentoo (9.10 (p0))
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.

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Index

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

AUTHOR

REPORTING BUGS

SEE ALSO