grotty

grotty [options] [file ...]

-h
    Output a help message.

-t
    Redirect output to standard output rather than a temporary file. Useful for debugging.

-v
    Print the version number.

-d
    Disable underlining.

-r
    Passes specific register assignments to the preprocessor.

The grotty command is a preprocessor for the troff typesetting system, specifically designed to format documents for output on typewriter-like terminals or line printers. It converts troff's typesetting commands into a format suitable for devices that lack advanced typesetting features like proportional spacing, font selection beyond bold and italic, or precise positioning. Grotty effectively approximates the intended formatting by using character repetition, overstriking, and other tricks to simulate boldface, italics, and basic layout elements.
It reads a troff input file and translates it into a simplified output stream that can be displayed or printed on less sophisticated devices. This makes it a valuable tool for situations where only basic printing capabilities are available, or for previewing troff output in a text-based environment before sending it to a high-resolution printer.

Grotty produces output that is a crude approximation of the original troff document's intended appearance. Fine details of typography and layout will be lost. It's generally suitable only for previewing or for situations where high-quality output is not required.

Grotty's output is limited by the character set available on the target device. It relies on ASCII characters, overstriking and character repetition to simulate formatting. Extended characters or special symbols might not be rendered correctly.

Grotty has been a part of the Unix typesetting toolchain for a long time, evolving alongside troff and nroff. It was originally designed to provide a way to view or print troff documents on terminals and line printers that predated modern graphics capabilities. Its usage has decreased with the prevalence of high-resolution printers and PDF viewers but it is still valuable in certain cases. Grotty is used as a default processor for man page generation if a proper printer is not found.

troff(1), nroff(1), tbl(1), eqn(1), col(1)