Question

How can I increase the space between columns in a text file with awk?

Answer 1

If you’re trying to make your output more pretty, use column:

$ printf "%s %s %s\n" one two three four five six seven eight nine
one two three
four five six
seven eight nine

$ printf "%s %s %s\n" one two three four five six seven eight nine | column -t
one    two    three
four   five   six
seven  eight  nine