Getting flipped pages with `psnup' on duplex printers

"..Everything is....FLIPPING AROUND!!" -- Zippy quotation (`M-x yow' in Emacs)

Using psnup to get two pages per page

You can print a postscript file on two pages per sheet with the following command:

  psnup -2 file.ps | lpr

The problem

Some duplex printers (or their software drivers) have an annoying habit of flipping the second side of each sheet of paper, turning the page by 180 degrees.

The solution

The command `pstops' that comes with the package PSUtils can "fix" the postscript file to correct for the printer. Run the following command either over the `psnup'-ed file or combine into the `psnup' pipeline:

  pstops -pletter '2:0,1U(1w,1h)'

Reading the `pstops' syntax

The `pstops' command above reads the pages in sets of 2 ("2:"), using the first page as-is ("0"), flipping upside down the second page ("1U") and then correcting the origin from the upside down operation by shifting the page 1-width and 1-height ("(1w,1h)") on the second page.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements to Hanno Klemm's note posted on his personal web page.

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