pdfbook(1)

NAME
pdfbook - put the pages of PDF files into 2-up signatures

SYNOPSIS

pdfbook [--short-edge] [OPTION [OPTION] ...] [SRC [PAGESPEC] [SRC [PAGESPEC]] ...]

DESCRIPTION

pdfbook makes 2-up versions of PDF files, with the pages ordered as signatures. The default signature size is 4: to change this, use the option '--signature N', where N is a multiple of 4 (alternatively use '--signature* N' for right-edge binding).

The default is to make pages suitable for long-edge binding. For short-edge binding, use '--short-edge' as the first argument; this will only work if the LaTeX package 'everyshi' is installed.

The default output page orientation is landscape. To change this, use the '--no-landscape' option.

By default, the option '--booklet false' is used (see the pdfpages manual for details). For some applications, '--booklet true' will be needed.

If no source PDF file ('SRC') is specified, input is from /dev/stdin. If 'PAGESPEC' is omitted, all pages are processed.

Source files are processed sequentially into a single output unless the '--batch' option is used, in which case they are processed separately.

pdfbook is a simple wrapper for pdfjam, which provides a front end to many of the capabilities of the pdfpages package for pdflatex. A working installation of pdflatex, with the pdfpages package, is required.

pdfbook operates on one or more PDF files, and (either with the '--batch' option or with '--outfile DIR' where 'DIR' is a directory) the resulting files have the suffix '-book' applied to their names by default. To change the suffix, use the '--suffix' option, for example

    pdfbook --suffix 'sig4' --batch myfile1.pdf myfile2.pdf

will result in files named 'myfile1-sig4.pdf' and 'myfile2-sig4.pdf'.

pdfbook was formerly part of the "PDFjam" package of tools.

USAGE

For the other available options and site/user defaults, see the output of

    pdfjam --help

LIMITATIONS AND BUGS

pdfbook does not work with encrypted PDF files, and does not preserve hyperlinks.

LICENSE

pdfbook is distributed under the GNU public license.

SEE ALSO

pdfjam(1).

AUTHOR

pdfbook was written originally by David Firth as part of the PDFjam package.