cpdf: CLI to manipulate existing PDF files in a variety of ways

“cpdf” is a command-line interface (CLI) tool that allows you to manipulate existing PDF files in a variety of ways. It provides a convenient way to perform various operations on PDF documents directly from the command line, making it useful for automated tasks, scripting, and integration into workflows.

With “cpdf,” you can perform a wide range of PDF-related tasks, including but not limited to:

  • Merging and splitting PDF files: “cpdf” enables you to merge multiple PDF files into a single document or split a PDF into multiple separate files. This can be useful for combining or extracting specific sections or pages from different PDFs.
  • Modifying PDF content: You can use “cpdf” to modify the content of PDF files. This includes operations such as adding or removing pages, rotating pages, extracting text or images, and resizing pages.
  • Applying watermarks and stamps: “cpdf” allows you to add watermarks, text overlays, and stamps to PDF documents. This can be useful for branding purposes, document classification, or adding annotations.
  • Encrypting and decrypting PDFs: “cpdf” provides encryption capabilities to secure your PDF files. You can encrypt PDFs with passwords, set permissions for printing or modifying, and decrypt encrypted PDFs when necessary.
  • Extracting metadata: You can extract metadata information from PDF files using “cpdf.” This includes details like document title, author, keywords, and creation/modification dates.
  • Linearizing PDFs: “cpdf” supports the linearization of PDF files, also known as “fast web view.” This optimization allows for faster incremental loading of PDFs over networks, improving the user experience when viewing PDFs online.

These are just a few examples of the operations that can be performed using “cpdf.” The tool provides a comprehensive set of features for manipulating PDF files, giving you flexibility and control over the content, structure, and properties of your PDF documents.

Using “cpdf” in command-line scripts or automated workflows allows for efficient and batch processing of PDF files, saving time and effort. It is a versatile tool that can be integrated into various environments and workflows where PDF manipulation is required.

cpdf Command Examples

1. Select pages 1, 2, 3 and 6 from a source document and write those to a destination document:

# cpdf //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/source_document.pdf 1-3,6 -o /path/to/destination_document.pdf

2. Merge two documents into a new one:

# cpdf -merge //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/source_document_one.pdf //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/source_document_two.pdf -o /path/to/destination_document.pdf

3. Show the bookmarks of a document:

# cpdf -list-bookmarks /path/to/document.pdf

4. Split a document into ten-page chunks, writing them to chunk001.pdf,chunk002.pdf, etc:

# cpdf -split //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/document.pdf -o //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/chunk%%%.pdf -chunk 10

5. Encrypt a document using 128bit encryption, providing fred as owner password and joe as user password:

# cpdf -encrypt 128bit fred joe //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/source_document.pdf -o /path/to/encrypted_document.pdf

6. Decrypt a document using the owner password fred:

# cpdf -decrypt //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/encrypted_document.pdf owner=fred -o /path/to/decrypted_document.pdf

7. Show the annotations of a document:

# cpdf -list-annotations /path/to/document.pdf

8. Create a new document from an existing one with additional metadata:

# cpdf -set-metadata /path/to/metadata.xml //cdn.thegeekdiary.com/path/to/source_document.pdf -o /path/to/destination_document.pdf

Summary

In summary, “cpdf” is a command-line tool that provides a wide range of functionality for manipulating existing PDF files. It allows you to perform operations such as merging, splitting, modifying content, applying watermarks, encrypting, decrypting, extracting metadata, and linearizing PDFs. By using “cpdf,” you can automate PDF-related tasks, customize PDF documents, and integrate PDF manipulation into your workflows and scripts.

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