Academic Computing Services
QUICK STUDY #27
March 2001

Printing Mailing Labels From RCS UNIX Systems

There is a PostScript printer in the VCC dedicated to printing labels from RCS. A program, based on LATEX, enables you to prepare and print a file onto 30 labels per page. Each label has a maximum of 5 lines if you use the default 11-point type size. The cost is 25 cents per page, and output is placed in the VCC output racks. In the instructions below, issue all commands at a UNIX prompt (either at an RCS workstation or via a remote connection) unless otherwise noted.


Preparing the input file

Using a text editor, prepare a file containing your data, such as a list of names and addresses. Each line of a label must be on a new line, and each new label must be separated by a blank line from the previous one. For example:

\begin{alltt} Name one address line address line Name two address line address line \end{alltt}

You may include a comment at the end of any line by starting the comment with a percent sign (%). (An entire line may be a comment if the % is in column one.) If you want a blank line in a label, type $\backslash$blankline as the entry for that line. Be sure not to leave any blank lines at the end of the file.

IMPORTANT: Certain characters having special meaning to LATEX. Therefore, if you wish to include any of the characters &, #, % or $ in your file, you must enter them as $\backslash$&, $\backslash$#, $\backslash$% or $\backslash$$.

If you wish, you can prepare the file on your own PC and upload it to RCS. If you use a word processor, save your file in ASCII format.


Processing the file to create the 3-up format

Enter the following command at a UNIX prompt:

\begin{alltt} latex labels \end{alltt}

You will be prompted for the name of your input file. If the file isn't in your current directory, give the complete path. (If the file is named tolist.tex, you can just press the Return key.)

If you get an error message, it is most likely because you omitted the blackslash ($\backslash$) before one of the special characters listed above. To solve the problem, exit the program by typing ``x" at the ``?" prompt, edit the input file to insert the necessary backslash, and process the file again. Note that, regardless of the name of your input file, the result will ALWAYS be placed in the file labels.dvi (a binary file).


Previewing the result

It's usually a good idea to preview your labels on an RCS workstation before you print them. To do this, enter the command:

\begin{alltt} xdvi labels \end{alltt}

Printing the labels

To print the labels on the VCC label printer (vclbl30), enter the command:

\begin{alltt} dvips -Pvclbl30 labels \end{alltt}
Your label output will be placed in the VCC output racks; please allow several hours for turn-around time.

Printing options

It's possible that the printer may occasionally jam or misfeed, resulting in a page or two that is missing or incorrectly registered. You can use the -pp option of dvips to reprint just the bad page(s). (You can also apply for a refund at the ACS Help Desk.) The page numbers at the bottom allow you to identify the pages to be reprinted. For example, if the bad pages are numbers 5 and 8, the following command will print only those pages:

\begin{alltt} dvips -Pvclbl30 -pp5,8 labels \end{alltt}
You can also specify just one page number, or you can specify a range of pages with a hyphen, for example -pp2-4.

Note: If you would like to print multiple copies of your labels file--for example, 10 copies--you can use the -c option of dvips:


\begin{alltt} dvips -Pvclbl30 -c10 labels \end{alltt}

Saving the output file

As mentioned above, the labels program always places the output in the file labels.dvi, overwriting output from any previous use of the program. To prevent the output from being overwritten by a subsequent run, rename the .dvi file. For example, if the name of your input file is mylist.tex, you can save the output in the file mylist.dvi by entering the UNIX command:

\begin{alltt} mv labels.dvi mylist.dvi \end{alltt}

How to change the type size or font of the labels

To change the type size of your labels from the default of 11 points, create a file called size.tex (the name is important!) and put a size-changing command in it. The labels program will read the file and change the type size of your labels accordingly. Type in one of the commands shown below (e.g., $\backslash$large); the characteristics of each font appears in parentheses.

$\backslash$small ( 10 points 6 lines/label )
$\backslash$normalsize ( 11 points (the default) 5 lines/label )
$\backslash$large ( 12 points 5 lines/label )
$\backslash$Large ( 14 points 4 lines/label )
$\backslash$LARGE ( 17 points 3 lines/label )
$\backslash$huge ( 20 points 3 lines/label )
$\backslash$Huge ( 25 points 2 lines/label )

Note that with the larger font sizes, you will not be able to fit as many characters per line; the exact number depends on what characters you use. The range is from an average of about 36 characters per line for $\backslash$small to about 15 for $\backslash$Huge.

For boldface or italic letters on all your labels, add the command $\backslash$bf or $\backslash$it, respectively, following the size command; for example, $\backslash$large$\backslash$bf gives 12 point bold type.

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Published by Academic Computing Services, RPI, Troy, NY 12180
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