pdf2dsc

pdf2dsc [ options ] input.pdf output.dsc

input.pdf
    The path to the input PDF file that pdf2dsc will describe for printing.

output.dsc
    The path for the generated PostScript Document Structuring Conventions (DSC) output file.

-dFirstPage=N
    Specifies the first page number from the PDF to include in the DSC output. Pages are 1-indexed.

-dLastPage=N
    Specifies the last page number from the PDF to include in the DSC output. Pages are 1-indexed.

-dDSCPageNumber=N
    Sets the starting page number for the PostScript interpreter within the generated DSC file. Default is 1.

-sDSCEncoding=encoding
    Specifies the character encoding to use for the DSC comments within the output file. Default is typically ISO-8859-1.

-dQUIET
    Suppresses informational messages and warnings that might otherwise be printed to standard output.

-dNOPAUSE
    Prevents the PostScript interpreter from pausing between pages during printing. Useful for unattended operations.

The pdf2dsc command creates a small PostScript file (output.dsc) designed to describe how to print a given PDF file (input.pdf). This generated DSC file contains PostScript Document Structuring Conventions (DSC) comments and setup commands that instruct a PostScript printer to retrieve and render the content directly from the original PDF file. It does not embed the PDF content itself.

This method is efficient because the DSC file is significantly smaller than a full PostScript conversion of the PDF, enabling faster transmission to the printer. However, it crucially requires the printer to have direct access to the original input.pdf file (e.g., in the same directory or a specified path). It is primarily intended for PostScript printers with built-in PDF interpreters (like PostScript Level 3 devices). If the printer does not support direct PDF interpretation, sending output.dsc will likely result in an error or incorrect printing. Essentially, pdf2dsc leverages Ghostscript to extract PDF structural information for direct referencing by the printer.

The output.dsc file generated by pdf2dsc does not contain the actual PDF content; it only contains instructions for a printer. Therefore, the target PostScript printer must have direct access to the original input.pdf file (e.g., located in the same directory as the DSC file, or accessible via a network path).

This command is specifically designed for PostScript printers that possess built-in PDF interpreters (e.g., PostScript Level 3 and higher devices). If the printer does not support direct PDF interpretation, sending the output.dsc file will likely result in printing errors or no output at all. Always verify the printer's capabilities before relying on pdf2dsc.

pdf2dsc is typically distributed as part of the Ghostscript project, a widely used interpreter for PostScript and PDF. Its development arose from the need for efficient PDF printing solutions, particularly for devices capable of processing PDF content directly. It provides a lightweight method to initiate PDF printing jobs by leveraging the printer's native capabilities, avoiding a full PostScript conversion and streamlining the print workflow.

gs(1), ps2pdf(1), pdfinfo(1)