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/