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Manual page for NROFF(1)

nroff - format documents for display or line-printer

SYNOPSIS

nroff [ -ehig ] [ -mname ] [ -nN ] [ -opagelist ] [ -raN ] [ -sN ] [ -Tname ]

AVAILABILITY

This command is available with the Text software installation option. Refer to [a manual with the abbreviation INSTALL] for information on how to install optional software.

DESCRIPTION

nroff formats text in the named files for typewriter-like devices. See also troff.1 The full capabilities of nroff and troff are described in [a manual with the abbreviation DOCS].

If no file argument is present, nroff reads the standard input. An argument consisting of a `-' is taken to be a file name corresponding to the standard input.

OPTIONS

Options may appear in any order so long as they appear before the files.

-e: Produce equally-spaced words in adjusted lines, using full terminal resolution.
-h: Use output TAB characters during horizontal spacing to speed output and reduce output character count. TAB settings are assumed to be every 8 nominal character widths.
-i: Read the standard input after the input files are exhausted.
-q: Invoke the simultaneous input-output mode of the rd request.
-mname: Prepend the macro file /usr/share/lib/tmac/tmac.name to the input files.
-nN: Number first generated page N.
-opagelist: Print only pages whose page numbers appear in the comma-separated list of numbers and ranges. A range N-M means pages N through M; an initial -N means from the beginning to page N; and a final N- means from N to the end.
-raN: Set register a (one-character) to N.
-sN: Stop every N pages. nroff will halt prior to every N pages (default N=1) to allow paper loading or changing, and will resume upon receipt of a NEWLINE.
-Tname: Prepare output for a device of the specified name. Known names are:

37: Teletype Corporation Model 37 terminal -- this is the default.
crt | lpr | tn300: GE TermiNet 300, or any line printer or terminal without half-line capability.
300: DASI-300.
300-12: DASI-300 -- 12-pitch.
300S | 302 | dtc: DASI-300S.
300S-12 | 302-12 | dtc12: DASI-300S.
382: DASI-382 (fancy DTC 382).
382-12: DASI-82 (fancy DTC 382 -- 12-pitch).
450 | ipsi: DASI-450 (Diablo Hyterm).
450-12 | ipsi12: DASI-450 (Diablo Hyterm) -- 12-pitch.
450-12-8: DASI-450 (Diablo Hyterm) -- 12-pitch and 8 lines-per-inch.
450X: DASI-450X (Diablo Hyterm).
832: AJ 832.
833: AJ 833.
832-12: AJ 832 -- 12-pitch.
833-12: AJ 833 -- 12-pitch.
epson: Epson FX80.
itoh: C:ITOH Prowriter.
itoh-12: C:ITOH Prowriter -- 12-pitch.
nec: NEC 55?0 or NEC 77?0 Spinwriter.
nec12: NEC 55?0 or NEC 77?0 Spinwriter -- 12-pitch.
nec-t: NEC 55?0/77?0 Spinwriter -- Tech-Math/Times-Romanthimble.
qume: Qume Sprint -- 5 or9.
qume12: Qume Sprint -- 5 or 9,12-pitch.
xerox: Xerox 17?0 or Diablo 16?0.
xerox12: Xerox 17?0 or Diablo 16?0 -- 12-pitch.
x-ecs: Xerox/Diablo 1730/630 -- Extended Character Set.
x-ecs12: Xerox/Diablo 1730/630 -- Extended Character Set, 12-pitch.
man: Dumb terminal, used for online man pages.

EXAMPLE

The following command:

: example% nroff -s4 -me users.guide

formats users.guide using the -me macro package, and stopping every 4 pages.

FILES

/tmp/ta*: temporary file
/usr/share/lib/tmac/tmac.*: standard macro files
/usr/share/lib/term/*: terminal driving tables for nroff
/usr/share/lib/term/README: index to terminal description files

NOTES

nroff is not 8-bit clean because making nroff 8-bit clean would require rewriting the nroff internals and filters. Also, some nroff syntax is based on ASCII only and does not lend itself to 8-bit character sequences.