How To N-Up Pages Inwards A Pdf Or Ppt File Via The Command-Line

Suppose you lot downloaded a PowerPoint or a PDF file from slideshare. You liked it hence much that you lot wanted to impress it out. But, alas, it was fifty pages long.

This tutorial introduces the command-line tools to n-up a PPT or PDF file, i.e., batch multiple pages of the input file onto a unmarried page on the output file. The output file is of the PDF format.

To 2-up a file, you lot house two master copy pages on a unmarried output page. Similarly, to 4-up a file, iv master copy pages on a unmarried output page. By n-upping a file, you lot drastically cut down the seat out of pages for printing.

Convert to PDF

If the master copy file is a PowerPoint file (PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX), you lot ask to commencement convert it to PDF. The tool I role is unoconv.

To install unoconv on Debian,

$ sudo apt-get install unoconv

To convert input.ppt to input.pdf,

$ unoconv -f pdf input.ppt

N-up PDF

Now that you lot convey a PDF file, role the pdfnup plan to n-up the file.

To install pdfnup,

$ sudo apt-get install pdfjam

Behind the scene, pdfnup uses the TeX typesetting system to produce the n-up conversion. So, you lot ask to commencement install some LaTeX-related packages.

$ sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-recommended

Now, you lot are ready to execute the next ascendance to n-up input.pdf.

$ pdfnup --nup 2x3 --paper missive of the alphabet --frame truthful --no-landscape input.pdf

• --nup 2x3: 2x3 way two columns too iii rows. This houses a full of vi input pages on each output page.

• --paper letter: The default newspaper size is A4. For North Americans, specify --paper letter for the US missive of the alphabet size.

• --frame: By default, the subpages on the output page are non framed, i.e., in that place are no borders around each subpage. To specify that a frame should live drawn around each subpage, specify --frame true.

• --no-landscape: The default page orientation is landscape. If you lot desire the portrait orientation, specify --no-landscape.

• The output PDF filename for the to a higher house example is input-nup.pdf. The output filename is constructed yesteryear appending the default suffix -nup to the input filename.

The to a higher house method is non the solely trend to n-up a PDF file. Below is an option method that involves commencement converting the PDF file to PostScript format, too hence doing the n-up, too lastly converting it dorsum to PDF.

$ pdf2ps input.pdf input.ps
$ psnup -2 input.ps output.ps
$ ps2pdf output.ps output.pdf

You tin conduct either method to produce the n-up conversion. I by too large avoid the PostScript method because it involves an extra conversion step. Regardless of which method you lot choose, the surround volition give thank you lot you for using less paper.

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