pdftk-cli-examples.md

PDFtk CLI Examples

PDFtk is a command-line program. Use your computer terminal or command prompt when running these examples.

Collate Scanned Pages

Interleave even and odd scanned pages into a single document:

pdftk A=even.pdf B=odd.pdf shuffle A B output collated.pdf

If the odd pages are in reverse order:

pdftk A=even.pdf B=odd.pdf shuffle A Bend-1 output collated.pdf

Decrypt a PDF

Remove encryption from a PDF using its password:

pdftk secured.pdf input_pw foopass output unsecured.pdf

Encrypt a PDF Using 128-Bit Strength

Apply owner password encryption:

pdftk 1.pdf output 1.128.pdf owner_pw foopass

Require a password to open the PDF as well:

pdftk 1.pdf output 1.128.pdf owner_pw foo user_pw baz

Encrypt while still allowing printing:

pdftk 1.pdf output 1.128.pdf owner_pw foo user_pw baz allow printing

Join PDFs

Merge multiple PDFs into one:

pdftk in1.pdf in2.pdf cat output out1.pdf

Using handles for explicit control:

pdftk A=in1.pdf B=in2.pdf cat A B output out1.pdf

Using wildcards to merge all PDFs in a directory:

pdftk *.pdf cat output combined.pdf

Remove Specific Pages

Exclude page 13 from a document:

pdftk in.pdf cat 1-12 14-end output out1.pdf

Using a handle:

pdftk A=in1.pdf cat A1-12 A14-end output out1.pdf

Apply 40-Bit Encryption

Merge and encrypt with 40-bit strength:

pdftk 1.pdf 2.pdf cat output 3.pdf encrypt_40bit owner_pw foopass

Join Files When One Is Password-Protected

Supply the password for the encrypted input:

pdftk A=secured.pdf 2.pdf input_pw A=foopass cat output 3.pdf

Uncompress PDF Page Streams

Decompress internal streams for inspection or debugging:

pdftk doc.pdf output doc.unc.pdf uncompress

Repair Corrupted PDFs

Pass a broken PDF through pdftk to attempt repair:

pdftk broken.pdf output fixed.pdf

Burst a PDF into Individual Pages

Split each page into its own file:

pdftk in.pdf burst

Burst with encryption and limited printing:

pdftk in.pdf burst owner_pw foopass allow DegradedPrinting

Generate a PDF Metadata Report

Export bookmarks, metadata, and page metrics:

pdftk in.pdf dump_data output report.txt

Rotate Pages

Rotate the first page 90 degrees clockwise:

pdftk in.pdf cat 1east 2-end output out.pdf

Rotate all pages 180 degrees:

pdftk in.pdf cat 1-endsouth output out.pdf

Fill a PDF Form from Data

Populate form fields from an FDF file:

pdftk form.pdf fill_form data.fdf output filled_form.pdf

Flatten the form after filling (prevents further editing):

pdftk form.pdf fill_form data.fdf output filled_form.pdf flatten

Apply a Background Watermark

Stamp a watermark behind every page:

pdftk input.pdf background watermark.pdf output watermarked.pdf

Stamp an Overlay on Top

Apply an overlay PDF on top of every page:

pdftk input.pdf stamp overlay.pdf output stamped.pdf

Attach Files to a PDF

Embed files as attachments:

pdftk input.pdf attach_files table.html graph.png output output.pdf

Extract Attachments from a PDF

Unpack all embedded files:

pdftk input.pdf unpack_files output /path/to/output/