gropdf

gropdf [groff options] [file ...]

-o file
    Directs the output PDF content to the specified file instead of standard output.

-I dir
    Adds dir to the search path for input files, such as macro packages or included source files.

-m name
    Loads the macro file `name.tmac` before processing the input.

-e, -p, -t, -s, -g
    Enable specific groff preprocessors for equations (eqn), pictures (pic), tables (tbl), section elimination (soelim), and graphs (grap), respectively.

file ...
    One or more input groff source files to be processed. If no files are provided, gropdf reads from standard input.

Any other groff option
    All other command-line options accepted by groff(1) are also valid and directly passed to the underlying groff command.

gropdf is a utility script designed to convert groff (or troff) formatted input directly into PDF format. It serves as a convenient wrapper around the powerful groff command, specifically invoking it with the -Tpdf device driver option. groff is a comprehensive document formatting system, offering a free implementation of the classic troff and nroff text processors.

The primary purpose of gropdf is to simplify the generation of high-quality, print-ready, or digitally viewable PDF documents from groff source files. These source files can contain complex formatting directives, macro packages, and instructions for various preprocessors like eqn for mathematical equations, pic for diagrams, and tbl for tables.

gropdf reads its input from standard input or from specified files, processing the text and formatting commands, and then outputs the resulting PDF content to standard output or a specified file. It is particularly useful for producing technical documentation, man pages, or any structured text that benefits from precise typesetting and universal PDF accessibility.

gropdf relies entirely on the groff installation and its configuration.
The quality and appearance of the generated PDF depend on the correctness of the groff source, the fonts available to groff, and the capabilities of the groff PDF device driver.
While groff aims for high fidelity, some extremely complex graphical elements or specific PostScript features from older preprocessors might not render identically in PDF without careful adjustment or external PostScript-to-PDF conversion tools (though modern groff -Tpdf typically handles this directly).

When no input files are specified, gropdf reads the groff source from standard input. Unless the -o option is used, the generated PDF content is written to standard output, allowing for command piping.

As gropdf is a wrapper for groff, its behavior can be influenced by various environment variables that affect groff, such as GROFF_TMAC_PATH (for macro search paths), GROFF_FONT_PATH (for font search paths), and others that control groff's preprocessors or output options.

The groff project, a free implementation of AT&T's troff, was initiated by James Clark in the early 1990s. As PDF emerged as a dominant document format, the need for direct PDF output from groff became evident. The -Tpdf device driver within groff was developed to meet this demand, allowing groff to natively produce PDF. gropdf itself is typically not a standalone compiled binary but rather a shell script or a symbolic link provided for user convenience, acting as a simple wrapper to invoke groff -Tpdf. Its development and usage are intrinsically linked to the evolution and capabilities of the groff system itself, offering a streamlined workflow for PDF generation from groff sources, bypassing intermediate PostScript steps.

groff(1), troff(1), nroff(1), man(1)