Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Linux Toolbox: pdftk

(from the man page) If PDF is electronic paper, then pdftk is an electronic staple-remover, hole-punch, binder, secret-decoder-ring, and X-Ray-glasses. Pdftk is a simple tool for doing everyday things with PDF documents. Use it to:
  • Merge PDF Documents
  • Split PDF Pages into a New Document
  • Rotate PDF Documents or Pages
  • Decrypt Input as Necessary (Password Required)
  • Encrypt Output as Desired
  • Fill PDF Forms with X/FDF Data and/or Flatten Forms
  • Generate FDF Data Stencil from PDF Forms
  • Apply a Background Watermark or a Foreground Stamp
  • Report PDF Metrics such as Metadata and Bookmarks
  • Update PDF Metadata
  • Attach Files to PDF Pages or the PDF Document
  • Unpack PDF Attachments
  • Burst a PDF Document into Single Pages
  • Uncompress and Re-Compress Page Streams
  • Repair Corrupted PDF (Where Possible)
Get it on Fedora:
> yum install pdftk

Note Unfortunately pdftk was removed from the Fedora repository due to a license issue that prevented it from being used in nuclear facilities. Yeah, right. Okay. Whatever!
You have to recompile it from the sources or... grab the final product from someone who already did it: Professor Kriehn's Fedora Repository!

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