Re: basic question about printing

[Michael Heerdegen]

gfp <gfp@posteo.at> writes:

> Sorry, I sent this email with my old email address,
> may be therefore I didn't get an answer.

I found your question a bit hard to read.  You email address was not
such much a problem.

> I have now 3 variables in my init.el concerning printing.
>
> a
> setq lpr-switches
>
> b
> M-x ps-print-buffer
>
> c
> printing with paps
>
> 1.
> Is it right that it takes the first one, if I print in using the menu
> bar and it disregards the others?

This one is hard to understand.  More or less "yes" I guess.  But you
can also ps-print using the menu.  Never used paps.

> 2.
> How to change the variables in that way,
> that it prints with more space on the left and right side?

With ps-printing `ps-left-margin' and `ps-right-margin' and

> and with smaller letters, because now they are too big?

`ps-font-size'?  Have a look at the user options defined in
"ps-print.el".


> 4.  because I am a newcomer in Emacs, what can I do, so that if using
> the printing button on the menu bar gives me more options.

There exists a package "printing.el" for this purpose which is nowadays
included in Emacs.  I don't use it, but I know it provides a convenient
interface that can be used from the menu.

Note that a very convenient thing for newcomers is "htmlize.el": This
lets you convert buffer contents to a html representation that looks
nice most of the time and print that using a browser printing dialog or
whatever.  This has the advantage that you can start with zero
configuration.

ps printing also works conveniently but may require a bit more setup in
Emacs.  You are on the way here.  Personally, as a start, I would then
just print the ps file using a ps viewer instead of printing directly
from Emacs.  Printing dialogs have lots of useful features built-in.


Michael.