cpdf

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

$ cpdf [path/to/source_document.pdf] [1-3,6] -o [path/to/destination_document.pdf]

$ cpdf -merge [path/to/source_document_one.pdf] [path/to/source_document_two.pdf] -o [path/to/destination_document.pdf]

$ cpdf -list-bookmarks [path/to/document.pdf]

$ cpdf -split [path/to/document.pdf] -o [path/to/chunk%%%.pdf] -chunk [10]

$ cpdf -encrypt [128bit] [fred] [joe] [path/to/source_document.pdf] -o [path/to/encrypted_document.pdf]

$ cpdf -decrypt [path/to/encrypted_document.pdf] owner=[fred] -o [path/to/decrypted_document.pdf]

$ cpdf -list-annotations [path/to/document.pdf]

$ cpdf -set-metadata [path/to/metadata.xml] [path/to/source_document.pdf] -o [path/to/destination_document.pdf]

cpdf [global-options] <input.pdf [<input2.pdf ...]> [operations ...] [-o <output.pdf> | -o <pattern>]

-version
    Print version information

-help
    Display help

-norc
    Do not read resource file

-debug
    Enable debug mode

-trace
    Enable tracing

-v
    Verbose output

-json
    JSON output mode

-merge [-ntl | -ff | -fff]
    Merge inputs (natural, file folder, file folder first)

-split <range>
    Split by page range

-range <range-spec>
    Select pages (e.g., 1-5,7,9-end)

-pages <n>
    Select specific pages

-encrypt <userpass> <ownerpass> <options>
    Encrypt PDF (40/128-bit, permissions)

-decrypt
    Remove encryption

-rotate <range angle>
    Rotate pages (90/180/270)

-upscale
    Upscale pages to fill A4

-scale-to-fit <width height>
    Scale pages to fit dimensions

-stamp-on <stamp.pdf> <range>
    Stamp another PDF on pages

-impose <method>
    Impose for booklet printing

-set-metadata <key value>
    Set document metadata

-validate
    Validate PDF structure

-fonts
    List fonts in PDF

-info
    Show PDF information

-box <boxname>
    Set or list bounding boxes (MediaBox, CropBox etc.)

-add-text <text options>
    Add text to pages

-compress
    Compress images and streams

cpdf is a versatile, high-performance command-line utility for processing PDF documents. Written in OCaml, it offers extensive operations including merging, splitting, rotating, scaling, encrypting, decrypting, watermarking, imposition, metadata editing, validation, and font embedding. It supports batch processing, range selection, and complex workflows via multiple operations per invocation. Unlike slower tools based on Ghostscript, cpdf is pure PDF and extremely fast, handling large files efficiently. Ideal for automation in scripts, it preserves PDF structure, fonts, and quality. Available in Linux distributions like Debian/Ubuntu via cpdf package. Outputs can be single files or ranges with patterns like out-%d.pdf. Supports JSON mode for integration.

Some advanced features require paid license for >14 pages in Windows/Mac versions; Linux binary is free/unrestricted. Operations are sequential; order matters. No GUI.

Merge: cpdf in1.pdf in2.pdf -merge -o out.pdf
Split every 2 pages: cpdf in.pdf -split 2-2 -o out-%d.pdf
Rotate even pages: cpdf in.pdf -range even -rotate 90 -o out.pdf

Syntax: 1-end, 3-5,7,odd,even. Use with most operations for page selection.

Developed by John Whitington since 2008 at Coherent Graphics. Evolved from PDFtk alternatives, focusing on speed and PDF1.7 compliance. Major versions: 2.x (2010s basics), 3.x (imposition), 4.x (JSON/web). Open-source components; binaries freely available.

pdftk(1), qpdf(1), mutool(1), gs(1), pdftoppm(1)