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    Command Linux
    Home - man page - EPSTOPDF

    EPSTOPDF

    WillieBy WillieMay 5, 2026Updated:May 5, 2026No Comments4 Mins Read
     

    NAME

    epstopdf, repstopdf – convert an EPS file to PDF  

    SYNOPSIS

    epstopdf [options] [epsfile]  

    DESCRIPTION

    By default, epstopdf converts the input PostScript file to PDF, using Ghostscript.

    Epstopdf transforms the Encapsulated PostScript file epsfile (or standard input) so that it is guaranteed to start at the 0,0 coordinate, and it sets a page size exactly corresponding to the BoundingBox. Thus, the result needs no cropping, and the PDF MediaBox is correct.

    PJL commands at the start of a file are removed. DOS EPS binary files (TN 5002) are supported.

    If the bounding box in the input is incorrect, of course there will be resulting problems.  

    OPTIONS

    Options may start with either "–" or "—", and may be unambiguously abbreviated. It is best to use the full option name in scripts, though, to avoid possible collisions with new options in the future.

    General script options:

    –help
    display help message and exit
    –version
    display version information and exit
    –outfile=file
    write result to file. If this option is not given, and –nogs or –filter is specified, write to standard output; otherwise, the default is to construct the output file name by replacing any extension in the input file with `.pdf’.
    —[no]debug
    write debugging info (default: off).
    —[no]exact
    scan ExactBoundingBox (default: off).
    —[no]filter
    read standard input and (unless –outfile is given) write standard output (default: off).
    —[no]gs
    run Ghostscript (default: on). With –nogs, output (to standard output by default) the PostScript that would normally be converted; that is, the input PostScript as modified by epstopdf.
    —[no]hires
    scan HiresBoundingBox (default: off).
    –restricted=val
    turn on restricted mode (default: [on for repstopdf, else off]); this forbids the use of –gscmd and –gsopt and imposes restrictions on the input and output file names according to the values of openin_any and openout_any (see the Web2c manual, http://tug.org/web2c).

    Options for Ghostscript (more info below):

    –gscmd=val
    pipe output to val (default: [gswin32c on Windows, else gs])
    –gsopt=val
    include val as one argument in the gs command (can be repeated),
    –gsopts=val
    split val at whitespace, include each resulting word as an argument in the gs command (can be repeated)
    –autorotate=val
    set AutoRotatePages (default: None); recognized val choices: None, All, PageByPage. For EPS files, PageByPage is equivalent to All.
    —[no]compress
    use compression in the output (default: on).
    –device=dev
    use -sDEVICE=dev (default: pdfwrite); not all devices are allowed in restricted mode.
    —[no]embed
    embed fonts (default: on).
    –pdfsettings=val
    use -dPDFSETTINGS=/val (default is `prepress’ if –embed, else empty); recognized val choices: screen, ebook, printer, prepress, default.
    —[no]quiet
    use -q, a.k.a. -dQUIET (default: off).
    –res=dpi, dpixdpi
    set image resolution (default: [use gs default]); ignored if –debug is set.
    —[no]safer
    use -d(NO)QUIET (default: true).

    In addition to the specific options above, additional options to be used with gs can be specified with either or both of the two cumulative options –gsopts and –gsopt.

    –gsopts takes a single string of options, which is split at whitespace, each resulting word then added to the gs command line individually.

    –gsopt adds its argument as a single option to the gs command line. It can be used multiple times to specify options separately, and is necessary if an option or its value contains whitespace.

    In restricted mode, options are limited to those with names and values known to be safe; some options taking booleans, integers or fixed names are allowed, those taking general strings are not.

     

    EXAMPLES

    Examples all equivalently converting `test.eps’ to `test.pdf’:
    epstopdf test.eps
    cat test.eps | epstopdf –filter >test.pdf
    cat test.eps | epstopdf -f -o=test.pdf
    

    Example for using HiResBoundingBox instead of BoundingBox:

    epstopdf –hires test.eps
    

    Example for producing epstopdf‘s attempt at corrected PostScript:

    $program –nogs test.ps >testcorr.ps
    

    In all cases, you can add –debug (-d) to see more about what epstopdf is doing.  

    BUGS

    The case of "%%BoundingBox: (atend)" when input is not seekable (e.g., from a pipe) is not supported.

    Report bugs in the program or this man page to [email protected]. When reporting bugs, please include an input file and the command line options specified, so the problem can be reproduced.  

    Willie
    • Website

    Willie has over 15 years of experience in Linux system administration and DevOps. After managing infrastructure for startups and enterprises alike, he founded Command Linux to share the practical knowledge he wished he had when starting out. He oversees content strategy and contributes guides on server management, automation, and security.

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