pdfposter

Convert an A2 poster into 4 A4 pages

$ pdfposter --poster-size a2 [input_file.pdf] [output_file.pdf]

$ pdfposter --scale 2 [input_file.pdf] [output_file.pdf]

pdfposter [options] input.pdf output.pdf

-s
    Scale the input PDF by this factor. For example, -s 2 doubles the size.

-m
    Set the margin size in points. Default is 0.

-o
    Set the overlap size in points. Default is 0.

-g x
    Split the PDF into a grid of x columns and y rows. Overrides -p and -f.

-p
    Split the PDF into the minimum number of pages, as close to the number of pages given as possible, given the ratio of the input file.

-f
    Scale the document to the specified factor size, e.g. A3.

-a
    Force the orientation of the output pages to portrait or landscape.

-v
    Verbose output.

-h
    Display help message.

pdfposter is a command-line utility that takes a PDF file as input and splits it into multiple pages suitable for printing as a large poster. It effectively tiles the PDF, allowing you to print individual pages on standard-sized paper and then assemble them to create a larger, composite image.
The tool provides options for controlling the number of pages the PDF is split into, the margins between the pages, and the overlap between the tiles to facilitate easy assembly. It's particularly useful for printing diagrams, schematics, architectural plans, or any other content that benefits from being viewed at a larger scale. The output is a new PDF file containing the tiled pages ready for printing. The command offers parameters to manage page sizes, scaling, and other output characteristics. This makes pdfposter a valuable tool for users who need to create large-format prints without specialized large-format printers.

The quality of the final poster depends heavily on the resolution of the original PDF file. Scaling up a low-resolution PDF will result in a pixelated poster. The margins and overlaps need to be carefully considered for easy and clean assembly.

Create a poster splitting the input PDF into 4 pages:
pdfposter -g 2x2 input.pdf output.pdf
Create a poster with a margin of 10 points:
pdfposter -m 10 input.pdf output.pdf
Scale the input document to A3 size:
pdfposter -f A3 input.pdf output.pdf

The history of pdfposter isn't well documented in readily available resources. It appears to be a utility developed to address the need for easily creating posters from PDF documents using standard printing equipment. Its usage likely grew as digital document workflows became more prevalent.

pdfjam(1), pdftk(1), imagemagick(1)