---
name: "pbmtolps"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "netpbm"
version: "10.86.51-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pbmtolps"
---

# pbmtolps(1)

convert PBM image to PostScript

## NAME

pbmtolps - convert PBM image to PostScript

## SYNOPSIS

**pbmtolps** \[**-dpi**=*n*\] \[*pbmfile*\]

Minimum unique abbreviation of option is acceptable.  You may use double hyphens instead of single hyphen to denote options.  You may use white space in place of the equals sign to separate an option name from its value.

## DESCRIPTION

This program is part of **Netpbm**(1) .

**pbmtolps** reads a PBM image as input and outputs PostScript.  The output Postscript uses lines instead of the image operator to generate a (device dependent) picture which will be imaged much faster.

**pnmtops** is a more general program for converting from the Netpbm formats to Postscript, though it cannot produce the particular arcane subformat that **pbmtolps** does.

One pixel of the input image corresponds to one printed pixel ('dot').  For this to work, you must use a **-dpi** option to tell **pmtolps** the resolution of the target printer, in dots per inch.

The Postscript program **pbmtolps** generates draws paths of less than 1000 segments so as not to overrun limits on the Apple Laserwriter and possibly other printers.

## OPTIONS

In addition to the options common to all programs based on libnetpbm (most notably **-quiet**, see \
  Common Options ⟨index.html#commonoptions⟩ ), **pbmtolps** recognizes the following command line option:

- **-dpi=***n*

  The resolution of the target printer, in dots per inch.

## SEE ALSO

[**pnmtops**(1)](/pnmtops/1.md) , [**pstopnm**(1)](/pstopnm/1.md) , [**pbmtoepsi**(1)](/pbmtoepsi/1.md) , [**psidtopgm**(1)](/psidtopgm/1.md) , **gs**, **pbm**(1) ,

## AUTHOR

George Phillips \<*phillips@cs.ubc.ca*\>

## DOCUMENT SOURCE

This manual page was generated by the Netpbm tool 'makeman' from HTML source.  The master documentation is at

-

  **http://netpbm.sourceforge.net/doc/pbmtolps.html**