--- a/perl5lib/LinuxDocTools.pm
+++ b/perl5lib/LinuxDocTools.pm
@@ -499,6 +499,7 @@
 
   # Set common base name for temp files and temp file names
   my $tmpbase   = $global->{tmpbase} = $tmpdir . '/sgmltmp.' . $filename;
+  my $precmdout = "$tmpbase.0.precmdout";
   my $nsgmlsout = "$tmpbase.1";      # Was $tmpbase.1
   my $preaspout = "$tmpbase.2";      # Was $tmpbase.2
   my $aspout    = "$tmpbase.3";      # Was $tmpbase.3
@@ -537,22 +538,27 @@
       || die "$error_header: Could not open $global->{file} for reading. Aborting ...\n";
   }
 
-  # Pipe to nsgmls. Write exit status to $nsgmls_error_flag if not 0.
-  my $nsgmls_error_flag = "$tmpdir/nsgmls.error-flag";
-  my $nsgmls_command    = "$precmd | ( $main::progs->{NSGMLS} $global->{NsgmlsOpts} $ENV{SGMLDECL} || echo \$? > $nsgmls_error_flag ) > $nsgmlsout";
+  # Create a temp file with $precmd output
+  my $precmd_command    = "$precmd > $precmdout";
 
-  unlink $nsgmls_error_flag;
-  open (my $WRITENSGMLS, "$nsgmls_command")
-    or die "$error_header: Could not open pipe to $nsgmlsout. Aborting ...\n";
+  open (my $PRECMDOUT, "$precmd_command")
+    or die "$error_header: Could not open pipe to $precmdout. Aborting ...\n";
 
   if ($global->{charset} eq "latin") {
-    print $WRITENSGMLS ldt_latin1tosgml($IFILE);
+    print $PRECMDOUT ldt_latin1tosgml($IFILE);
   } else {
-    copy($IFILE,$WRITENSGMLS);
+    copy($IFILE,$PRECMDOUT);
   }
 
   close $IFILE;
-  close $WRITENSGMLS;
+  close $PRECMDOUT;
+
+  # Process with nsgmls. Write exit status to $nsgmls_error_flag if not 0.
+  my $nsgmls_error_flag = "$tmpdir/nsgmls.error-flag";
+  my $nsgmls_command    = "( $main::progs->{NSGMLS} $global->{NsgmlsOpts} $ENV{SGMLDECL} $precmdout || echo \$? > $nsgmls_error_flag ) > $nsgmlsout";
+
+  unlink $nsgmls_error_flag;
+  system($nsgmls_command);
 
   # If $nsgmls_error_flag exists an error happened. Return status and die.
   if ( -e $nsgmls_error_flag ){