Ubuntu – How to print file directly, circumventing the print dialog

I have found a way to configure CUPS so that it calls pdfbook for me. The process boils down to the following:

1. In your CUPS server (e.g., http://localhost:631), create a copy of the configuration for the printer you want to enable brochure printing for. Let's call the new printer "Print-booklet".

2. Edit /etc/cups/ppd/Print-booklet.ppd as root. Add the following line, e.g., before the *cupsFilter entry: *cupsPreFilter: "application/pdf 0 booklettopdf".

3. (This step is a bit messy, perhaps it can be done in a cleaner way.) In /usr/lib/cups/filter, create the script booklettopdf (as root):

   #!/bin/sh
   for e in "$@"; do echo DEBUG: $0: $e 1>&2; done
   TMPFILE=$(mktemp)
   echo DEBUG: $0: $TMPFILE 1>&2
   if [ "$6" = "" ]; then
       cat
   else
       cat "$6"
   fi | pdfbook --scale 0.97 --outfile $TMPFILE && cat $TMPFILE && rm $TMPFILE
   

4. Make the script executable: chmod +x booklettopdf.

5. Print a test page.

Now, whenever you want to print in booklet format, choose the new printer "Print-booklet".

The cupsPreFilter is a CUPS PPD extension, and it seems that the application/pdf format will always appear in the filter chain (Ubuntu 12.10, perhaps earlier?).

I'd vote for integrating this functionality into CUPS.

You have to configure the ppi of your printer using the ppi flag:

The ppi=value value is a number from 1 to 1200 specifying the resolution of the image in pixels per inch. An image that is 3000x2400 pixels will print 10x8 inches at 300 pixels per inch, for example. If the specified resolution makes the image larger than the page, multiple pages will be printed to satisfy the request.

more info: LPR Command-Line Printing and Options