pdftops

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: 31 July 2009
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NAME

pdftops - Portable Document Format (PDF) to PostScript converter (version 3.00)

SYNOPSIS

pdftops [options] <PDF-file> [<PS-file>]

DESCRIPTION

Pdftops converts Portable Document Format (PDF) files to PostScript so they can be printed.

Pdftops reads the PDF file, PDF-file, and writes a PostScript file, PS-file. If PS-file is not specified, pdftops converts file.pdf to file.ps (or file.eps with the -eps option). If PS-file is '-', the PostScript is sent to stdout.

OPTIONS

-f number: Specifies the first page to print.
-l number: Specifies the last page to print.
-level1: Generate Level 1 PostScript. The resulting PostScript files will be significantly larger (if they contain images), but will print on Level 1 printers. This also converts all images to black and white. No more than one of the PostScript level options (-level1, -level1sep, -level2, -level2sep, -level3, -level3Sep) may be given.
-level1sep: Generate Level 1 separable PostScript. All colors are converted to CMYK. Images are written with separate stream data for the four components.
-level2: Generate Level 2 PostScript. Level 2 supports color images and image compression. This is the default setting.
-level2sep: Generate Level 2 separable PostScript. All colors are converted to CMYK. The PostScript separation convention operators are used to handle custom (spot) colors.
-level3: Generate Level 3 PostScript. This enables all Level 2 features plus CID font embedding.
-level3Sep: Generate Level 3 separable PostScript. The separation handling is the same as for -level2Sep.
-origpagesizes: Generate a PostScript file with variable page sizes and orientations, taking for each page the size of the original page in the PDF file. The PostScript file contains "<</PageSize [WIDTH HEIGHT]>> setpagedevice" lines in each page header, so that the paper input tray gets correctly changed on the printer. This option should be used when pdftops is used as a print filter. Any specification of the page size via -paper, -paperw, or -paperh will get overridden as long as each page of the PDF file has a defined paper size. No more than one of the mode options (-origpagesizes, -eps, -form) may be given.
-eps: Generate an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file. An EPS file contains a single image, so if you use this option with a multi-page PDF file, you must use -f and -l to specify a single page. No more than one of the mode options (-origpagesizes, -eps, -form) may be given.
-form: Generate a PostScript form which can be imported by software that understands forms. A form contains a single page, so if you use this option with a multi-page PDF file, you must use -f and -l to specify a single page. The -level1 option cannot be used with -form. No more than one of the mode options (-origpagesizes, -eps, -form) may be given.
-opi: Generate OPI comments for all images and forms which have OPI information. (This option is only available if pdftops was compiled with OPI support.)
-noembt1: By default, any Type 1 fonts which are embedded in the PDF file are copied into the PostScript file. This option causes pdftops to substitute base fonts instead. Embedded fonts make PostScript files larger, but may be necessary for readable output.
-noembtt: By default, any TrueType fonts which are embedded in the PDF file are copied into the PostScript file. This option causes pdftops to substitute base fonts instead. Embedded fonts make PostScript files larger, but may be necessary for readable output. Also, some PostScript interpreters do not have TrueType rasterizers.
-noembcidps: By default, any CID PostScript fonts which are embedded in the PDF file are copied into the PostScript file. This option disables that embedding. No attempt is made to substitute for non-embedded CID PostScript fonts.
-noembcidtt: By default, any CID TrueType fonts which are embedded in the PDF file are copied into the PostScript file. This option disables that embedding. No attempt is made to substitute for non-embedded CID TrueType fonts.
-passfonts: By default, references to non-embedded 8-bit fonts in the PDF file are substituted with the closest "Helvetica", "Times-Roman", or "Courier" font. This option passes references to non-embedded fonts through to the PostScript file.
-preload: preload images and forms
-paper size: Set the paper size to one of "letter", "legal", "A4", or "A3". This can also be set to "match", which will set the paper size to match the size specified in the PDF file. -origpagesizes overrides this setting if the PDF file has defined page sizes.
-paperw size: Set the paper width, in points. -origpagesizes overrides this setting if the PDF file has defined page sizes.
-paperh size: Set the paper height, in points. -origpagesizes overrides this setting if the PDF file has defined page sizes.
-nocrop: By default, output is cropped to the CropBox specified in the PDF file. This option disables cropping.
-expand: Expand PDF pages smaller than the paper to fill the paper. By default, these pages are not scaled.
-noshrink: Don't scale PDF pages which are larger than the paper. By default, pages larger than the paper are shrunk to fit.
-nocenter: By default, PDF pages smaller than the paper (after any scaling) are centered on the paper. This option causes them to be aligned to the lower-left corner of the paper instead.
-duplex: Set the Duplex pagedevice entry in the PostScript file. This tells duplex-capable printers to enable duplexing.
-opw password: Specify the owner password for the PDF file. Providing this will bypass all security restrictions.
-upw password: Specify the user password for the PDF file.
-q: Don't print any messages or errors.
-v: Print copyright and version information.
-h: Print usage information. (-help and --help are equivalent.)

EXIT CODES

The Xpdf tools use the following exit codes:

0: No error.
1: Error opening a PDF file.
2: Error opening an output file.
3: Error related to PDF permissions.
99: Other error.