Pdf

CSV file converted to PDF, with variable column widths and footers Printing a CSV file as a nicely formatted table is easy if you import it first into a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc. I found it surprisingly hard using common Unix utilities. Toolchains like Latex are overkill, designed for complex publishing. My typical use cases are simple. I want to dump selected fields exported from an application like my Kanboard task list on a single sheet of paper, without over-running the margins.

Sometimes you want to print a text file and apply some fancy formatting – say, a header with page numbering, or printing two-pages per sheet to conserve paper. You have several options under Linux: Open the file in a word processor and apply the formatting before printing. Change the printer drivers applied to the file when it prints. This requires tinkering with .PPD or filter files on the CUPS printer server.