View source for Printing A4 documents

Many other countries (especially those using the metric system) use
A4-sized paper (210 x 297 mm) instead of regular 8.5 x 11 inch paper.
While it is possible to get our printers to print on A4-sized paper,
availability of such paper is limited (the Math Department does not keep
any on hand; ''do not'' use special paper for photo printing on inkjet
printers, as it may damage the printers).

Although A4 is close enough to letter size that it's usually good enough
to send the file to the printer and accept a printout with unsymmetrical
margins, at times some parts of the printout may fall off the bottom of
the page.  Therefore, it may be necessary to take additional steps.

This page describes some methods for printing various file types on regular
letter-sized paper.

=TeX ''dvi'' Files=

With ''dvi'' files you can run '''dvips''' in such a way that the text
is centered on the page (but not shrunk to fit).  This can be done by the
following command:
 dvips -P744 -O 3mm,-9mm file.dvi
(Of course, you will want to change the printer name and the file name.)

=PDF Files=

Adobe Reader<sup>TM</sup> ('''acroread''') is capable of printing A4
documents to
letter size, by shrinking the image to fit the smaller page height.
To do this (assuming you have a ''pdf'' file), run Adobe Reader:
 acroread file.pdf

When the file is showing up, type Control-P to pop up a print window.
In the area marked "Page Handling" there is a selection for "Page Scaling."
Make sure it is set for "Shrink to printable area."

==Earnings Statements (Pay Stubs)==

For some reason, earnings statements (pay stubs) are provided as pdf files
with the A4 paper size.  These can be printed using '''acroread''' as above,
but for a little nicer result (less shrinkage) it is better to save it to
a file and use the command
 pdftops payadvice.pdf - | lpr

=PostScript Files ('''.ps''')=

PostScript files with A4 page size can be printed by first converting them
to ''pdf'' format, and then printing the file using the procedure
outlined above.

To convert PostScript files to pdf format, use '''ps2pdf''':
 ps2pdf file.ps file.pdf
You can then follow the above directions for printing '''file.pdf''' using
Acrobat Reader.

An alternative method, not guaranteed, is to put the following invocation
near the beginning of the file:
 8 -25 translate
or, in the case of '''dvips''' output:
 /bop-hook{8 -25 translate} bind def

=Other File Types=

Other file types can only be printed by converting them to one of the file
types mentioned above.  The method for doing that (if possible) depends
on the file type.