Table of contents


NAME

nametags - convert address file to large PostScript text for name tags

SYNOPSIS

nametags infile1 infile2 ... infilek >psfile

nametags <infile >psfile


DESCRIPTION

nametags is a simple filter that converts an address file containing multi-line addresses separated by one or more blank lines to a stream of addresses, each with a fixed number of lines. That stream is then passed to lptops(1) for conversion to multi-column text in a size suitable for printing on Avery brand 5360 labels, which have 7 rows and 3 columns of gummed labels.

The name tag text is set in 18pt Helvetica-Narrow, with the first line of each address in bold face. Up to 5 lines of each address will be printed; excess lines are silently discarded from long addresses, and shorter ones are padded with blank lines.

Because of the use of a proportional font, it is not possible to predict how many characters will fit in one label column; 18 characters is a rough estimate.

Long lines will be clipped to fit the column width, preventing them from overlapping adjacent labels.

Larger characters are feasible if the names are shorter. N lines of P-point text occupy (N*P*6)/5 points of vertical space. The default of N=5 and P=18 exactly fills the 108 points available on the 1.5in-high labels. Solving for arbitrary N, we find P = 90/N; thus, 4-line labels could be printed in 22.5pt type, and 3-line labels in 30pt type. However, the 2.85in (206pt) label width is usually too short to hold typical personal names with these larger sizes.

nametags is a script written in the awk(1) programming language. For special applications, such as altering the line count, boldfacing, point size, or font, you can make a private version of the script, and change the BOLD=nnn and LINES=nnn options passed to nawk(1), and the -p=18pt and -f=Helvetica-Narrow options passed to lptops(1).


SEE ALSO

lptops(1), nawk(1), PSlabels(1).

AUTHOR

Nelson H. F. Beebe, Ph.D.

Center for Scientific Computing

Department of Mathematics

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Tel: +1 801 581 5254

FAX: +1 801 581 4148

Email: <beebe@science.utah.edu>

WWW: http://www.math.utah.edu/~beebe