terminal-print

Terminal Print

Print terminal output from iTerm2 to your HP network printer with a single command.

Self-Evolving Skill: This skill improves through use. If instructions are wrong, parameters drifted, or a workaround was needed — fix this file immediately, don't defer. Only update for real, reproducible issues.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Printing terminal output to a network printer
• Creating PDF copies of command-line session output
• Archiving terminal logs in print-friendly format
• Sharing terminal output in meetings or documentation

Quick Start

1. Copy terminal output in iTerm2 (Cmd+C)
2. Invoke this skill
3. Review PDF preview, press Enter to print

How It Works

Clipboard → Strip ANSI → Markdown code block → pandoc/xelatex → PDF → Preview → Print

• ANSI codes stripped: Colors and escape sequences removed for clean B&W output
• Monospace font: DejaVu Sans Mono for proper character alignment
• Landscape orientation: Fits ~120 characters per line
• US Letter paper: Auto-detected from printer settings

Execution

/usr/bin/env bash << 'PRINT_EOF'
SKILL_DIR="$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print"
bash "$SKILL_DIR/assets/print-terminal.sh"
PRINT_EOF

Options

Run with arguments by modifying the execution block:

/usr/bin/env bash << 'PRINT_EOF'
SKILL_DIR="$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print"
bash "$SKILL_DIR/assets/print-terminal.sh" --no-preview
PRINT_EOF

Flag	Description
--file FILE	Read from file instead of clipboard
--no-preview	Skip PDF preview, print directly
--no-print	Generate PDF only, don't send to printer
--printer NAME	Override target printer queue (default: system default)
--bypass-airprint	Use socket-9100 + PostScript queue. Workaround for HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101/3108/3201/3208/3301/3308 AirPrint blank pages.
-h, --help	Show help message

Examples

Print from clipboard (default)

# Copy terminal output in iTerm2, then:
/usr/bin/env bash << 'EOF'
bash "$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print/assets/print-terminal.sh"
EOF

Print from file

/usr/bin/env bash << 'EOF'
bash "$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print/assets/print-terminal.sh" --file ~/session.log
EOF

Generate PDF only (no print)

/usr/bin/env bash << 'EOF'
bash "$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print/assets/print-terminal.sh" --no-print
EOF

Prerequisites

All dependencies are already available on macOS with MacTeX:

Tool	Purpose	Status
pandoc	Markdown to PDF	Required
xelatex	PDF engine	Required (MacTeX)
pbpaste	Clipboard access	Built-in
lpr	CUPS printing	Built-in

Output

• PDF location: /tmp/terminal-output-YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.pdf
• Markdown source: /tmp/terminal-YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.md
• Cleanup: macOS automatically cleans /tmp periodically

Troubleshooting

"No text in clipboard"

Copy terminal output first using Cmd+C in iTerm2.

"Missing pandoc" or "Missing xelatex"

Install MacTeX: brew install --cask mactex

Printer not found

Check printer status: lpstat -p -d

The script auto-detects the system default printer. Override with --printer NAME or set TERMINAL_PRINT_PRINTER in the environment.

Blank page came out (or lpr reported success but nothing printed)

Strong fingerprint of the HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101/3108/3201/3208/3301/3308 AirPrint blank-page bug — the printer's IPP-Everywhere PDF interpreter silently drops jobs while CUPS reports completed. Confirmed with this exact symptom on 2026-05-09.

Quick fix:

# 1. One-time setup of bypass queue (socket-9100 + Generic PostScript PPD)
"$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print/assets/setup-socket-9100-queue.sh"

# 2. Reprint with --bypass-airprint
bash "$(cc-plugin-root doc-tools)/skills/terminal-print/assets/print-terminal.sh" --bypass-airprint

Full diagnostic playbook with command sequences and decision tree: see airprint-blank-page-troubleshooting.md.

Key takeaway: do not trust lpstat -o or job-state=completed — query the printer's own job ledger via ipptool -tv ipp://<printer>.local.:631/ipp/print for job-impressions-completed and job-media-sheets-completed. CUPS lies; the printer (mostly) tells the truth.

Related Skills

• pandoc-pdf-generation - General Markdown to PDF conversion
• asciinema-converter - Convert terminal recordings

Post-Execution Reflection

After this skill completes, check before closing:

1. Did the command succeed? — If not, fix the instruction or error table that caused the failure.
2. Did parameters or output change? — If the underlying tool's interface drifted, update Usage examples and Parameters table to match.
3. Was a workaround needed? — If you had to improvise (different flags, extra steps), update this SKILL.md so the next invocation doesn't need the same workaround.

Only update if the issue is real and reproducible — not speculative.