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

# dvitype(1)

translate a dvi file for humans to read

## NAME

dvitype, odvitype - translate a dvi file for humans to read

## SYNOPSIS

**dvitype** *dvi\_file*\[***.dvi***\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **dvitype** program translates a DVI (DeVice Independent) file output by (for example) [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) or [**gftodvi**(1)](/gftodvi/1.md), to a file that humans can read. It also serves as a DVI file-validating program (i.e., if **dvitype** can read it, it's correct) and as an example of a DVI-processing program for future device drivers.

The output from **dvitype** can include all commands, just the important ones, or none at all (in which case only errors are reported). A subinterval of pages may be selected, the magnification and resolution of the \`\`output device'' may be changed, and so on.

The **.dvi** extension is supplied if omitted from  *dvi\_file*. The output goes to stdout.

The **odvitype** program does the same job for Omega/Aleph's output, modified to support their *.ofm* font format.

## OPTIONS

See [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) for details of command-line parsing.

- **-dpi=***real*

  Set resolution to *real* pixels per inch; default 300.0.

- **-magnification=***number*

  Override existing magnification with *number*.

- **-max-pages=***number*

  Process *number* pages; default one million.

- **-output-level=***number*

  Verbosity level, from 0 to 4; default 4.

- **-page-start=***page-spec*

  Start at *page-spec*, for example \`2' or \`5.\*.-2'.

- **-show-opcodes**

  Show numeric opcodes (in decimal).

The standard **-help** and **-version** options are also supported.

## ENVIRONMENT

The environment variable TEXFONTS is used to search for the TFM files used in the DVI file.  See [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md) for the details of the searching. If TEXFONTS is not set, it uses the system default.

## SEE ALSO

[**gftype**(1)](/gftype/1.md), [**pktype**(1)](/pktype/1.md).\
 Donald E. Knuth, *TeXware*.

DVI structure topic on CTAN: https://ctan.org/topic/dvi-struc\
 Package page on CTAN: https://ctan.org/pkg/dvitype\
 Section in the Web2c manual: https://tug.org/texinfohtml/web2c.html#dvitype-invocation\
 Typeset source code, including the DVI file format description: https://ctan.org/pkg/knuth-pdf

## AUTHORS

Donald E. Knuth wrote the program, based on work by David Fuchs. It was published as part of the *TeXware* technical report from Stanford. Howard Trickey and Pavel Curtis originally ported it to Unix. Yannis Haralambous and John Plaice created the Omega version.

Public discussion list and bug reports: https://lists.tug.org/tex-k