gs
TLDR
View a PDF file
$ gs -dQUIET -dBATCH file.pdf
Reduce PDF file size for e-book$ gs -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dPDFSETTINGS=/ebook -sOutputFile=output.pdf input.pdf
Convert PDF to JPEG images$ gs -dQUIET -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=jpeg -r150 -sOutputFile=output_%d.jpg input.pdf
Convert specific pages to images$ gs -dQUIET -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=jpeg -dFirstPage=1 -dLastPage=3 -sOutputFile=page%d.jpg input.pdf
Merge PDF files$ gs -dQUIET -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=merged.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf
Convert PostScript to PDF$ gs -dQUIET -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=output.pdf input.ps
List available devices$ gs -h
SYNOPSIS
gs [options] [files]...
DESCRIPTION
gs (Ghostscript) is an interpreter for Adobe PostScript and PDF languages. It can convert between formats, render to various output devices, and process PDF and PostScript files.
PARAMETERS
-sDEVICE=DEVICE
Select output device (pdfwrite, jpeg, png16m, etc.)-sOutputFile=FILE
Specify output filename (use %d for page numbers)-r RES or -rXRESxYRES
Set output resolution in DPI-dPDFSETTINGS=SETTING
PDF quality preset (/screen, /ebook, /printer, /prepress)-dNOPAUSE
Do not pause between pages-dBATCH
Exit after processing files-dQUIET or -q
Suppress normal output messages-dSAFER
Restrict file operations (default)-dFirstPage=N
Start from page N-dLastPage=N
Process through page N-sPAPERSIZE=SIZE
Set paper size (a4, letter, legal, etc.)-I DIRECTORIES
Add library search paths-h or -?
Display help and available devices
CAVEATS
The available devices depend on your Ghostscript installation. Use gs -h to see installed devices. PDFSETTINGS presets affect quality and file size: /screen (lowest), /ebook, /printer, /prepress (highest).
HISTORY
Ghostscript has been developed since 1986, providing free PostScript and PDF interpretation. It is widely used for PDF manipulation on Linux systems.
