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howtos:software:how_to_merge_pdf-files [2013/03/15 09:32 (UTC)] – [ImageMagick (convert)] markushhowtos:software:how_to_merge_pdf-files [2013/04/02 14:29 (UTC)] (current) – Added pdfconcat, additional info for convert, altered to one source link allend
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 <note important>Work in Progress!!!</note> <note important>Work in Progress!!!</note>
  
-PDF documents are created from traditional text-documents via a printer-driver, or as with LaTeX created directly from source-code. One important consequence isthat one cannot convert a PDF-document "back" into it's original, for example MS-Word document.+PDF documents are created from traditional text documents via a printer driver, or as with LaTeXcreated directly from source-code. One important consequence is that one cannot convert a PDF-document "back" into it's original format such as Microsoft Word document.
  
-This article describeshow one can merge several PDF-documents into oneThis is useful for example if you have several pages from the scanner in PDF-format and want to put this files to be in one file like the original text. There are several toolssome included in the stock Slackware install, some available via [[http://slackbuilds.org|slackbuilds.org]].+This article describes how you can merge several PDF documents into a single PDF documentFor example, this is useful if you have several pages from scanner in PDF format and want to put these files into one file. There are several tools available; some are included in the stock Slackware install as well as others that can be readily installed.
  
-===== The Tools =====+===== Default Tools =====
  
-At first I will describe the tools which are already available on your Slackware computer if you have a complete installation.+Tools which are already available on your Slackware computer if you have a complete installation.
  
-==== gs (GhostScript) ====+==== imagemagick (convert) ====
  
-With GhostScript you can merge PDF files on the commandline+The convert tool comes in Slackware's imagemagick package from the xap-series. 
 + 
 +The convert tool uses the -adjoin option to achieve this. 
 +<code>convert -adjoin file1.pdf file2.pdf merged.pdf</code> 
 +Thanks to jlinkels for the contribution. 
 + 
 +To increase the quality of the output, it is better to read the input PDF files with a higher density (in dots per inch (DPI)) and then resize the output density back to common DPI, 96 for example. I usually use an input density of 600 (after many trial and errors), and then resize with 93.75% (if you dont resize you will get a huge output file). 
 +<code>convert -density 600 fileinput_1.pdf fileinput2_.pdf -resize 93.75% output.pdf</code> 
 +Thanks to eXpander_ for the contribution. 
 + 
 +==== ghostscript (gs) ==== 
 + 
 +The ghostscript package resides in Slackware's ap-series. 
 + 
 +With GhostScript you can merge PDF files on the command line.
 <code>gs -q -sPAPERSIZE=a4 -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=<newfilename>.pdf <inputfilenameshere></code> <code>gs -q -sPAPERSIZE=a4 -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=<newfilename>.pdf <inputfilenameshere></code>
-Thanks to mrclisdue from [[http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/|linuxquestions.org]] for the contribution.+Thanks to mrclisdue for the contribution.
  
-==== ImageMagick (convert) ====+==== pdfconcat ==== 
 + 
 +The pdfconcat tool comes in Slackware's xpaint package from the xap-series. 
 + 
 +<code>pdfconcat -o <output.pdf> <input1.pdf> [...]</code> 
 +Thanks to BroX for the contribution. 
 + 
 +==== pdfunite ==== 
 + 
 +The pdfunite tool comes in Slackware's poppler package from the l-series. 
 + 
 +<code>pdfunite [options] PDF-sourcefile1..PDF-sourcefilen PDF-destfile</code> 
 +Thanks to nivieru for the contribution. 
 + 
 +===== Additional tools ===== 
 + 
 +Additional tools that can be easily installed.
  
-convert uses the -adjoin option to achieve this. 
-<code>convert -adjoin file1.pdf file2.pdf merged.pdf</code> 
-Thanks to jlinkels at  for the contribution. 
 ==== pdftk ==== ==== pdftk ====
  
-pdftk is available at [[http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.0/office/pdftk/|slackbuilds.org]]. It'also a commandline tool and the usage is:+pdftk is available at [[http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.0/office/pdftk/|slackbuilds.org]]. It is also a command line tool and the usage is:
 <code>pdftk first.pdf second.pdf third.pdf cat output altogether.pdf</code> <code>pdftk first.pdf second.pdf third.pdf cat output altogether.pdf</code>
 pdftk can do more things than joining PDF files, for example rotating a document by 180 degrees is done this way: pdftk can do more things than joining PDF files, for example rotating a document by 180 degrees is done this way:
 <code>pdftk upsidedown.pdf cat 1-endsouth output rotated.pdf</code> <code>pdftk upsidedown.pdf cat 1-endsouth output rotated.pdf</code>
 +Thanks to brianL and michaelk for pointing me to pdftk.
  
 ==== pdfshuffler ==== ==== pdfshuffler ====
  
-pdfshuffler is also available at [[http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.0/office/pdfshuffler/|slackbuilds.org]]. It comes with a graphical user interface and is written in Python, therefore pyPdf and pypoppler are required in order to get this program to work. It is very convenient because it shows the pages which are joinedhas additional features like rotating or splitting PDF files.+pdfshuffler is also available at [[http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.0/office/pdfshuffler/|slackbuilds.org]]. It comes with a graphical user interface and is written in Python, therefore [[http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.0/python/pyPdf/|pyPdf]] and [[http://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.0/python/pypoppler/|pypoppler]] are required in order to get this program to work. It is very convenient because it comes with a document-viewer and shows what you're doingIt has additional features like rotating or splitting PDF files.
  
 ==== pdfjam ==== ==== pdfjam ====
  
-pdfjam is a LaTeX-package which is unfortunately **not** included in tetex. But those of us who have instead texlive installed have already pdfjam. It is also a commandline tool (like LaTeX). The documentation is available with the texdoc command+pdfjam is a LaTeX-package which is unfortunately **not** included in tetex. But those of us who have installed texlive instead already have pdfjam. It is also a command line tool (like LaTeX). The documentation is available with the texdoc command
 <code>texdoc pdfjam</code> <code>texdoc pdfjam</code>
 +Thanks to joghi for pointing me to pdfjam.
  
 <note>TODO: handling bookmarks in PDF-files, which of the above tools can handle those bookmarks?</note> <note>TODO: handling bookmarks in PDF-files, which of the above tools can handle those bookmarks?</note>
- 
  
 ====== Sources ====== ====== Sources ======
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   * Originally written by [[wiki:user:markush | Markus Hutmacher]]    * Originally written by [[wiki:user:markush | Markus Hutmacher]] 
 <!-- * Contributions by [[wiki:user:yyy | User Y]] --> <!-- * Contributions by [[wiki:user:yyy | User Y]] -->
 +http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/which-tool-for-merging-pdf-files-4175453632/
 <!-- Please do not modify anything below, except adding new tags.--> <!-- Please do not modify anything below, except adding new tags.-->
 {{tag>howtos PDF commandline}} {{tag>howtos PDF commandline}}
  
 howtos:software:how_to_merge_pdf-files ()