xpdf

Open a PDF file

$ xpdf [path/to/file.pdf]

$ xpdf [path/to/file.pdf] :[page_number]

$ xpdf [path/to/file.pdf.tar]

$ xpdf -fullscreen [path/to/file.pdf]

$ xpdf -z [75]% [path/to/file.pdf]

$ xpdf -z [page|width] [path/to/file.pdf]

xpdf [options] [PDF-file]

-display <display>
    Specifies the X display to connect to.

-geometry <geometry>
    Sets the initial window geometry (e.g., 800x600+10+10).

-rv
    Enables reverse video, inverting the colors of the document.

-fullwindow
    Opens the PDF in a new window that fills the screen and has no window manager decorations.

-fullscreen
    Attempts to open the PDF in a true full-screen mode, hiding all window and application decorations.

-papercolor <color>
    Sets the background color of the paper area (e.g., '#F0F0F0').

-antialias <yes|no>
    Enables or disables font antialiasing (default is yes).

-gdkrgb
    Forces RGB output using GDK, which might be necessary for certain older X servers or configurations.

-remote <name>
    Connects to an existing xpdf instance with the specified name, or starts a new one if not found.

-pager <page>
    Opens the document at the specified page number.

-z <zoom>
    Sets the initial zoom factor. 0 fits page to window, 1 fits width, 2 fits height. A number like 100 indicates 100% zoom.

-f <first_page>
    Displays the document starting from the specified first_page.

-l <last_page>
    Displays the document up to the specified last_page.

-cfg <config_file>
    Specifies an alternate configuration file to load instead of the default.

-v
    Prints the xpdf version information and exits.

-h
    Prints a short help message and exits.

xpdf is an open-source PDF viewer designed for the X Window System. It enables users to display PDF documents, navigate through pages, and perform essential interactions like searching for text and printing. Developed by Derek Noonburg, it was one of the earliest full-featured and widely adopted PDF viewers available for Unix-like operating systems.

While its direct graphical application development has largely ceased in favor of more modern viewers and the Poppler library (which originated from xpdf's rendering engine), it remains a lightweight and functional option for basic PDF viewing. It is recognized for its simplicity and its foundational role in the development of other PDF tools. Its accompanying command-line utilities, such as pdftops, pdftotext, and pdfinfo, are often bundled with it and continue to be widely used for various PDF manipulation tasks. xpdf provides a robust, albeit vintage, solution for displaying Portable Document Format files in a graphical environment, particularly well-suited for traditional X desktop setups.

xpdf is an older application with its direct development largely ceased. As such, it may not fully support all modern PDF features, such as advanced transparency effects, certain encryption methods, or embedded multimedia content. Users might encounter rendering issues with complex or very recent PDF files. It also lacks features common in modern viewers like tabbed interfaces, annotation tools, or direct cloud integration. For frequently updated and feature-rich PDF viewing, more contemporary applications are generally recommended.

xpdf uses a configuration file, typically located at ~/.xpdfrc, to customize various settings. These settings include default zoom levels, font paths, rendering options, and other user preferences, allowing for personalization beyond command-line arguments.

The xpdf package is often distributed as a suite of powerful command-line PDF utilities. These include pdfinfo (to extract PDF metadata), pdffonts (to list fonts used in a PDF), pdfimages (to extract images from a PDF), pdftops (to convert PDF files to PostScript), and pdftotext (to convert PDF files to plain text). Many of these utilities are still widely used independently of the xpdf graphical application due to their robust functionality.

xpdf was originally developed by Derek Noonburg and first released in 1996. It quickly established itself as a popular and foundational PDF viewer for Unix-like systems, especially those utilizing the X Window System. Its robust and efficient PDF rendering engine was later adopted and significantly enhanced, evolving into the Poppler library. Poppler now serves as the primary backend for many widely used modern PDF viewers (such as Evince and Okular) and numerous PDF manipulation tools. While Poppler continued its active development, the standalone xpdf application's development largely stagnated. It stands as an important piece of open-source history, representing early and successful efforts to provide comprehensive PDF support outside of Adobe's proprietary ecosystem.

evince(1), okular(1), mupdf(1), zathura(1), pdftops(1), pdftotext(1)