1PDFTK(1) General Commands Manual PDFTK(1)
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6 pdftk - A handy tool for manipulating PDF
7
9 pdftk <input PDF files | - | PROMPT>
10 [input_pw <input PDF owner passwords | PROMPT>]
11 [<operation> <operation arguments>]
12 [output <output filename | - | PROMPT>]
13 [encrypt_40bit | encrypt_128bit]
14 [allow <permissions>]
15 [owner_pw <owner password | PROMPT>]
16 [user_pw <user password | PROMPT>]
17 [flatten] [compress | uncompress]
18 [keep_first_id | keep_final_id] [drop_xfa]
19 [verbose] [dont_ask | do_ask]
20 Where:
21 <operation> may be empty, or:
22 [cat | attach_files | unpack_files | burst |
23 fill_form | background | stamp | generate_fdf
24 dump_data | dump_data_fields | update_info]
25 For Complete Help: pdftk --help
27
29 If PDF is electronic paper, then pdftk is an electronic staple-remover,
30 hole-punch, binder, secret-decoder-ring, and X-Ray-glasses. Pdftk is a
31 simple tool for doing everyday things with PDF documents. Use it to:
32 * Merge PDF Documents
34 * Split PDF Pages into a New Document
35 * Rotate PDF Documents or Pages
36 * Decrypt Input as Necessary (Password Required)
37 * Encrypt Output as Desired
38 * Fill PDF Forms with X/FDF Data and/or Flatten Forms
39 * Generate FDF Data Stencil from PDF Forms
40 * Apply a Background Watermark or a Foreground Stamp
41 * Report PDF Metrics such as Metadata and Bookmarks
42 * Update PDF Metadata
43 * Attach Files to PDF Pages or the PDF Document
44 * Unpack PDF Attachments
45 * Burst a PDF Document into Single Pages
46 * Uncompress and Re-Compress Page Streams
47 * Repair Corrupted PDF (Where Possible)
48
50 A summary of options is included below.
51 --help, -h
53 Show summary of options.
54 <input PDF files | - | PROMPT>
56 A list of the input PDF files. If you plan to combine these PDFs
57 (without using handles) then list files in the order you want
58 them combined. Use - to pass a single PDF into pdftk via stdin.
59 Input files can be associated with handles, where a handle is a
60 single, upper-case letter:
61 <input PDF handle>=<input PDF filename>
63 Handles are often omitted. They are useful when specifying PDF
65 passwords or page ranges, later.
66 For example: A=input1.pdf B=input2.pdf
68 [input_pw <input PDF owner passwords | PROMPT>]
70 Input PDF owner passwords, if necessary, are associated with
71 files by using their handles:
72 <input PDF handle>=<input PDF file owner password>
74 If handles are not given, then passwords are associated with
76 input files by order.
77 Most pdftk features require that encrypted input PDF are accom‐
79 panied by the ~owner~ password. If the input PDF has no owner
80 password, then the user password must be given, instead. If the
81 input PDF has no passwords, then no password should be given.
82 When running in do_ask mode, pdftk will prompt you for a pass‐
84 word if the supplied password is incorrect or none was given.
85 [<operation> <operation arguments>]
87 If this optional argument is omitted, then pdftk runs in 'fil‐
88 ter' mode. Filter mode takes only one PDF input and creates a
89 new PDF after applying all of the output options, like encryp‐
90 tion and compression.
91 Available operations are: cat, attach_files, unpack_files,
93 burst, fill_form, background, stamp, dump_data,
94 dump_data_fields, generate_fdf, update_info. Some operations
95 takes additional arguments, described below.
96 cat [<page ranges>]
98 Catenates pages from input PDFs to create a new PDF. Page
99 order in the new PDF is specified by the order of the given
100 page ranges. Page ranges are described like this:
101 <input PDF handle>[<begin page number>[-<end page num‐
103 ber>[<qualifier>]]][<page rotation>]
104 Where the handle identifies one of the input PDF files, and
106 the beginning and ending page numbers are one-based refer‐
107 ences to pages in the PDF file, and the qualifier can be even
108 or odd, and the page rotation can be N, S, E, W, L, R, or D.
109 If the handle is omitted from the page range, then the pages
111 are taken from the first input PDF.
112 The even qualifier causes pdftk to use only the even-numbered
114 PDF pages, so 1-6even yields pages 2, 4 and 6 in that order.
115 6-1even yields pages 6, 4 and 2 in that order.
116 The odd qualifier works similarly to the even.
118 The page rotation setting can cause pdftk to rotate pages and
120 documents. Each option sets the page rotation as follows (in
121 degrees): N: 0, E: 90, S: 180, W: 270, L: -90, R: +90, D:
122 +180. L, R, and D make relative adjustments to a page's rota‐
123 tion.
124 If no arguments are passed to cat, then pdftk combines all
126 input PDFs in the order they were given to create the output.
127 NOTES:
129 * <end page number> may be less than <begin page number>.
130 * The keyword end may be used to reference the final page of
131 a document instead of a page number.
132 * Reference a single page by omitting the ending page number.
133 * The handle may be used alone to represent the entire PDF
134 document, e.g., B1-end is the same as B.
135 Page Range Examples w/o Handles:
137 1-endE - rotate entire document 90 degrees
138 5 11 20
139 5-25oddW - take odd pages in range, rotate 90 degrees
140 6-1
141 Page Range Examples Using Handles:
143 Say A=in1.pdf B=in2.pdf, then:
144 A1-21
145 Bend-1odd
146 A72
147 A1-21 Beven A72
148 AW - rotate entire document 90 degrees
149 B
150 A2-30evenL - take the even pages from the range, remove 90
151 degrees from each page's rotation
152 A A
153 AevenW AoddE
154 AW BW BD
155 attach_files <attachment filenames | PROMPT> [to_page <page number |
156 PROMPT>]
157 Packs arbitrary files into a PDF using PDF's file attachment
158 features. More than one attachment may be listed after
159 attach_files. Attachments are added at the document level
160 unless the optional to_page option is given, in which case
161 the files are attached to the given page number (the first
162 page is 1, the final page is end). For example:
163 pdftk in.pdf attach_files table1.html table2.html to_page 6
165 output out.pdf
166 unpack_files
168 Copies all of the attachments from the input PDF into the
169 current folder or to an output directory given after output.
170 For example:
171 pdftk report.pdf unpack_files output ~/atts/
173 or, interactively:
175 pdftk report.pdf unpack_files output PROMPT
177 burst Splits a single, input PDF document into individual pages.
179 Also creates a report named doc_data.txt which is the same as
180 the output from dump_data. If the output section is omitted,
181 then PDF pages are named: pg_%04d.pdf, e.g.: pg_0001.pdf,
182 pg_0002.pdf, etc. To name these pages yourself, supply a
183 printf-styled format string via the output section. For
184 example, if you want pages named: page_01.pdf, page_02.pdf,
185 etc., pass output page_%02d.pdf to pdftk. Encryption can be
186 applied to the output by appending output options such as
187 owner_pw, e.g.:
188 pdftk in.pdf burst owner_pw foopass
190 fill_form <FDF data filename | XFDF data filename | - | PROMPT>
192 Fills the single input PDF's form fields with the data from
193 an FDF file, XFDF file or stdin. Enter the data filename
194 after fill_form, or use - to pass the data via stdin, like
195 so:
196 pdftk form.pdf fill_form data.fdf output form.filled.pdf
198 After filling a form, the form fields remain interactive
200 unless you also use the flatten output option. flatten merges
201 the form fields with the PDF pages. You can use flatten
202 alone, too, but only on a single PDF:
203 pdftk form.pdf fill_form data.fdf output out.pdf flatten
205 or:
207 pdftk form.filled.pdf output out.pdf flatten
209 If the input FDF file includes Rich Text formatted data in
211 addition to plain text, then the Rich Text data is packed
212 into the form fields as well as the plain text. Pdftk also
213 sets a flag that cues Acrobat/Reader to generate new field
214 appearances based on the Rich Text data. That way, when the
215 user opens the PDF, the viewer will create the Rich Text
216 fields on the spot. If the user's PDF viewer does not sup‐
217 port Rich Text, then the user will see the plain text data
218 instead. If you flatten this form before Acrobat has a
219 chance to create (and save) new field appearances, then the
220 plain text field data is what you'll see.
221 background <background PDF filename | - | PROMPT>
223 Applies a PDF watermark to the background of a single input
224 PDF. Pass the background PDF's filename after background
225 like so:
226 pdftk in.pdf background back.pdf output out.pdf
228 Pdftk uses only the first page from the background PDF and
230 applies it to every page of the input PDF. This page is
231 scaled and rotated as needed to fit the input page. You can
232 use - to pass a background PDF into pdftk via stdin.
233 If the input PDF does not have a transparent background (such
235 as a PDF created from page scans) then the resulting back‐
236 ground won't be visible -- use the stamp feature instead.
237 stamp <stamp PDF filename | - | PROMPT>
239 This behaves just like the background feature except it over‐
240 lays the stamp PDF page on top of the input PDF document's
241 pages. This works best if the stamp PDF page has a transpar‐
242 ent background.
243 dump_data
245 Reads a single, input PDF file and reports various statis‐
246 tics, metadata, bookmarks (a/k/a outlines), and page labels
247 to the given output filename or (if no output is given) to
248 stdout. Does not create a new PDF.
249 dump_data_fields
251 Reads a single, input PDF file and reports form field statis‐
252 tics to the given output filename or (if no output is given)
253 to stdout. Does not create a new PDF.
254 generate_fdf
256 Reads a single, input PDF file and generates a FDF file suit‐
257 able for fill_form out of it to the given output filename or
258 (if no output is given) to stdout. Does not create a new
259 PDF.
260 update_info <info data filename | - | PROMPT>
262 Changes the metadata stored in a single PDF's Info dictionary
263 to match the input data file. The input data file uses the
264 same syntax as the output from dump_data. This does not
265 change the metadata stored in the PDF's XMP stream, if it has
266 one. For example:
267 pdftk in.pdf update_info in.info output out.pdf
269 [output <output filename | - | PROMPT>]
271 The output PDF filename may not be set to the name of an input
272 filename. Use - to output to stdout. When using the dump_data
273 operation, use output to set the name of the output data file.
274 When using the unpack_files operation, use output to set the
275 name of an output directory. When using the burst operation,
276 you can use output to control the resulting PDF page filenames
277 (described above).
278 [encrypt_40bit | encrypt_128bit]
280 If an output PDF user or owner password is given, output PDF
281 encryption strength defaults to 128 bits. This can be overrid‐
282 den by specifying encrypt_40bit.
283 [allow <permissions>]
285 Permissions are applied to the output PDF only if an encryption
286 strength is specified or an owner or user password is given. If
287 permissions are not specified, they default to 'none,' which
288 means all of the following features are disabled.
289 The permissions section may include one or more of the following
291 features:
292 Printing
294 Top Quality Printing
295 DegradedPrinting
297 Lower Quality Printing
298 ModifyContents
300 Also allows Assembly
301 Assembly
303 CopyContents
305 Also allows ScreenReaders
306 ScreenReaders
308 ModifyAnnotations
310 Also allows FillIn
311 FillIn
313 AllFeatures
315 Allows the user to perform all of the above, and top
316 quality printing.
317 [owner_pw <owner password | PROMPT>]
319 [user_pw <user password | PROMPT>]
321 If an encryption strength is given but no passwords are sup‐
322 plied, then the owner and user passwords remain empty, which
323 means that the resulting PDF may be opened and its security
324 parameters altered by anybody.
325 [compress | uncompress]
327 These are only useful when you want to edit PDF code in a text
328 editor like vim or emacs. Remove PDF page stream compression by
329 applying the uncompress filter. Use the compress filter to
330 restore compression.
331 [flatten]
333 Use this option to merge an input PDF's interactive form fields
334 (and their data) with the PDF's pages. Only one input PDF may be
335 given. Sometimes used with the fill_form operation.
336 [keep_first_id | keep_final_id]
338 When combining pages from multiple PDFs, use one of these
339 options to copy the document ID from either the first or final
340 input document into the new output PDF. Otherwise pdftk creates
341 a new document ID for the output PDF. When no operation is
342 given, pdftk always uses the ID from the (single) input PDF.
343 [drop_xfa]
345 If your input PDF is a form created using Acrobat 7 or Adobe
346 Designer, then it probably has XFA data. Filling such a form
347 using pdftk yields a PDF with data that fails to display in
348 Acrobat 7 (and 6?). The workaround solution is to remove the
349 form's XFA data, either before you fill the form using pdftk or
350 at the time you fill the form. Using this option causes pdftk to
351 omit the XFA data from the output PDF form.
352 This option is only useful when running pdftk on a single input
354 PDF. When assembling a PDF from multiple inputs using pdftk,
355 any XFA data in the input is automatically omitted.
356 [verbose]
358 By default, pdftk runs quietly. Append verbose to the end and it
359 will speak up.
360 [dont_ask | do_ask]
362 Depending on the compile-time settings (see ASK_ABOUT_WARNINGS),
363 pdftk might prompt you for further input when it encounters a
364 problem, such as a bad password. Override this default behavior
365 by adding dont_ask (so pdftk won't ask you what to do) or do_ask
366 (so pdftk will ask you what to do).
367 When running in dont_ask mode, pdftk will over-write files with
369 its output without notice.
370
372 Decrypt a PDF
375 pdftk secured.pdf input_pw foopass output unsecured.pdf
376 Encrypt a PDF using 128-bit strength (the default), withhold all per‐
378 missions (the default)
379 pdftk 1.pdf output 1.128.pdf owner_pw foopass
380 Same as above, except password 'baz' must also be used to open output
382 PDF
383 pdftk 1.pdf output 1.128.pdf owner_pw foo user_pw baz
384 Same as above, except printing is allowed (once the PDF is open)
386 pdftk 1.pdf output 1.128.pdf owner_pw foo user_pw baz allow printing
387 Join in1.pdf and in2.pdf into a new PDF, out1.pdf
389 pdftk in1.pdf in2.pdf cat output out1.pdf
390 or (using handles):
391 pdftk A=in1.pdf B=in2.pdf cat A B output out1.pdf
392 or (using wildcards):
393 pdftk *.pdf cat output combined.pdf
394 Remove 'page 13' from in1.pdf to create out1.pdf
396 pdftk in.pdf cat 1-12 14-end output out1.pdf
397 or:
398 pdftk A=in1.pdf cat A1-12 A14-end output out1.pdf
399 Apply 40-bit encryption to output, revoking all permissions (the
401 default). Set the owner PW to 'foopass'.
402 pdftk 1.pdf 2.pdf cat output 3.pdf encrypt_40bit owner_pw foopass
403 Join two files, one of which requires the password 'foopass'. The out‐
405 put is not encrypted.
406 pdftk A=secured.pdf 2.pdf input_pw A=foopass cat output 3.pdf
407 Uncompress PDF page streams for editing the PDF in a text editor (e.g.,
409 vim, emacs)
410 pdftk doc.pdf output doc.unc.pdf uncompress
411 Repair a PDF's corrupted XREF table and stream lengths, if possible
413 pdftk broken.pdf output fixed.pdf
414 Burst a single PDF document into pages and dump its data to
416 doc_data.txt
417 pdftk in.pdf burst
418 Burst a single PDF document into encrypted pages. Allow low-quality
420 printing
421 pdftk in.pdf burst owner_pw foopass allow DegradedPrinting
422 Write a report on PDF document metadata and bookmarks to report.txt
424 pdftk in.pdf dump_data output report.txt
425 Rotate the first PDF page to 90 degrees clockwise
427 pdftk in.pdf cat 1E 2-end output out.pdf
428 Rotate an entire PDF document to 180 degrees
430 pdftk in.pdf cat 1-endS output out.pdf
431
433 pdftk uses a slightly modified iText Java library
434 (http://itextpdf.sourceforge.net/) to read and write PDF. The author
435 compiled this Java library using GCJ (http://gcc.gnu.org) so it could
436 be linked with a front end written in C++.
437 The pdftk home page is http://www.accesspdf.com/pdftk/.
439
441 Sid Steward (ssteward@accesspdf.com) maintains pdftk.
442 September 18, 2006 PDFTK(1)