---
name: "dvipos"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "texlive-doc"
version: "2026.1-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/dvipos"
---

# dvipos(1)

compute positions in a DVI file

## NAME

dvipos - compute positions in a DVI file

## SYNOPSIS

**dvipos** \[ *OPTION*... \] *infile\[.dvi\]*

## DESCRIPTION

**dvipos** parses a DVI file looking for *pos:* specials.  It currently recognizes *pos:pxy*, *pos:pxywhd*, *pos:pxyplus*, *pos:begbox*, *pos:endbox*, *pos:beglines*, and *pos:endlines*.  It then outputs the information from those specials along with information that only a DVI postprocessor could determine, such as the current *x* and *y* location.  The output looks like:

```
\pospxywhd{text:54}{54}{10663sp}{8535sp}{21326sp}{34081sp}{0sp}
```

and is suitable for including in a  [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) or [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md) auxiliary file, such as *document.tuo*, to be read in by the next run of the [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) or similar typesetting engine.

## OPTIONS

- **-h, --help**

  print usage.

- **-W, --warning**

  print warnings.

- **-v, --verbose**

  print verbose output.

- **-d, --debug**

  print  [**dvitype**(1)](/dvitype/1.md) debugging data.

- **-s, --smashchars**

  regard height and depth as zero.

- **-o, --output=***FILE*

  send all output to FILE.  Without this option, output goes to stdout.

- **-b, --bbox\[=***FILE*\]

  send bounding box to FILE (default FILE is *infile.pos*).

- **-f, --framed\[=***BASE*\]

  request copy of DVI file, *BASE.dvi*, with bounding boxes **framed** (default FILE is *infile\_frames.dvi*).  See the **--framesize** option.

- **-m, --mag=***INT*

  override  [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) magnification by INT.

- **-w, --framesize=***INT*

  set frame rule size by INT (default 6554 = .1pt).

- **-p, --pages=***X:Y*

  set page ranges from X to Y.

## USAGE

**dvipos** is run mostly behind the scenes by ConTeXt's [**texexec**(1)](/texexec/1.md) between runs of  [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) or [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md), in order to provide information to and get information about positional graphics.  These graphics are provided by the MetaFun interface to [**mpost**(1)](/mpost/1.md). **dvipos** is not used (or needed) in PDF-output mode but is needed for DVI-output mode.   [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md) starting with version 1.40 can produce position information even in DVI mode, so once the ConTeXt macros take advantage of this feature, the need for **dvipos** will fade.

Until then, here is a typical use of **dvipos**:

```
dvipos notes.dvi
```

The position information that is output is collected by [**texexec**(1)](/texexec/1.md) to include in the *notes.tuo* auxiliary file to use in the next run.

## EXAMPLES

- Extract positions from *doc.dvi*, with output to *doc.loc*:

  `dvipos -o doc.loc doc.dvi`

- Same as above, but also send bbox information to *doc.pos*:

  `dvipos -b -o doc.loc doc.dvi`

- Instead send bbox information to */tmp/debug.pos*:

  `dvipos -b=/tmp/debug.pos -o doc.loc doc.dvi`

## SEE ALSO

[**dvips**(1)](/dvips/1.md), [**dvitype**(1)](/dvitype/1.md), [**mpost**(1)](/mpost/1.md), [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md), [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md), [**texexec**(1)](/texexec/1.md).

For more about positional graphics, see the MetaFun documentation on the ConTeXt wiki ⟨URL: https://wiki.contextgarden.net/MetaFun ⟩.

## BUGS

If you specify a file for the **-b** option, you must join the option and name with **=** rather than (the more common) space:

```
dvipos -b=/tmp/debug.pos notes.dvi
```

works, but

```
dvipos -b /tmp/debug.pos notes.dvi
```

does not.

## AUTHOR

**dvipos** is written by Jin-Hwan Cho \<chofchof@ktug.or.kr\>.  It is free software (GPLv2 or later).  This manpage was written by Sanjoy Mahajan \<sanjoy@mit.edu\> and is in the public domain.  It is currently maintained as part of TeX Live.