---
name: "pdfbook"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "texlive-extra-utils"
version: "2018.20190227-2"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pdfbook"
---

# pdfbook(1)

put the pages of PDF files into 2-up signatures

## NAME

pdfbook - put the pages of PDF files into 2-up signatures

## SYNOPSIS

pdfbook \[--short-edge\] \[OPTION \[OPTION\] ...\] \[SRC \[PAGESPEC\] \[SRC \[PAGESPEC\]\] ...\]

## DESCRIPTION

pdfbook makes 2-up versions of PDF files, with the pages ordered as  signatures.  The default signature size is 4: to change this, use the option '--signature N', where N is a multiple of 4 (alternatively use '--signature\* N' for  right-edge binding).

The default is to make pages suitable for long-edge binding.  For short-edge binding, use '--short-edge' as the first argument; this will only work if the LaTeX package 'everyshi' is installed.

The default output page orientation is  landscape.  To change this, use the '--no-landscape' option.

By default, the option '--booklet true' is used (see the pdfpages manual for details).  To turn this off, just specify '--booklet false'.

If no source PDF file ('SRC') is specified, input is from /dev/stdin. If 'PAGESPEC' is omitted, all pages are processed.

Source files are processed sequentially into a single output unless the '--batch' option is used, in which case they are processed  separately.

pdfbook is a simple wrapper for pdfjam, which provides a front end to  many of the capabilities of the pdfpages package for pdflatex.  A working installation of pdflatex, with the pdfpages package, is required.

pdfbook operates on one or more PDF files, and (either with the '--batch'  option or with '--outfile DIR' where 'DIR' is a directory) the  resulting files have the suffix '-book' applied to their names by default.  To change the suffix, use the '--suffix' option, for example

**pdfbook --suffix 'sig4' --batch myfile1.pdf myfile2.pdf**

will result in files named 'myfile1-sig4.pdf' and 'myfile2-sig4.pdf'.

pdfbook is part of the "PDFjam" package of tools, whose homepage is at http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/pdfjam.

## SETUP

See http://go.warwick.ac.uk/pdfjam .

## USAGE

For the other available options and  site/user defaults, see the output of

**pdfjam --help**

For further information and some examples see  http://go.warwick.ac.uk/pdfjam .

## LIMITATIONS AND BUGS

pdfbook does not work with encrypted PDF files, and does not  preserve hyperlinks.

Please report bugs! See the website at http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/pdfjam .

## LICENSE

PDFjam is distributed under the GNU public license.

## SEE ALSO

[pdfjam(1)](/pdfjam/1.md).

## AUTHOR

pdfbook is written and maintained by David Firth as part of the PDFjam package.