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Asked: 2024-09-27T09:29:31+05:30 In:

How can I extract a specific page from a PDF file using command-line tools in Ubuntu?

I’ve been diving into some PDF files for a project, and I’m running into a bit of a snag that I hope someone can help me with. So here’s the thing: I want to extract just a specific page from a pretty hefty PDF using command-line tools on Ubuntu. I thought it would be a straightforward process, but I’m finding it a bit trickier than I anticipated.

Let’s say I have this PDF that’s over a hundred pages long, and I really only care about page 34. Honestly, I tried a couple of different command-line tools, but they didn’t quite do what I wanted. I’ve heard of using `pdftk` and `pdfunite`, but I’m not sure how to structure the command properly to pull that one single page out.

If anyone has experience with this, I’d love to know the exact command you used. Like, do I need to specify something extra to make sure it only grabs page 34 and not the whole document? And is there a way to save it as a new PDF file instead of just printing or displaying it in the terminal? I’m really keen on keeping the quality intact, so if you have any tips on preserving that while extracting, even better!

I’ve seen some tutorials online, but they’re either written for Windows or use graphical interfaces, and I really want to stick to the command line, since it feels more efficient. Plus, I’m trying to get better with Bash commands, so this seems like a good opportunity to practice.

If you could share the command you used, maybe with an explanation of what each part does, that would be fantastic. Also, if you’ve come across any other handy command-line tools for working with PDFs on Ubuntu, I’m all ears! I really appreciate any help or insight you can provide. Thanks in advance!

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    2 Answers


    1. To extract a specific page from a PDF file using the command line on Ubuntu, you can utilize the `pdftk` tool, which is quite powerful for PDF manipulation. If you want to extract page 34 from your PDF file named `document.pdf` and save it as a new file named `page34.pdf`, you would use the following command:

      pdftk document.pdf cat 34 output page34.pdf

      In this command, `pdftk` is the tool, `document.pdf` is the input PDF file, `cat` is the command to concatenate pages, `34` specifies the page you want to extract, and `output page34.pdf` indicates the name of the file where the extracted page will be saved. This command ensures that only page 34 is extracted while preserving the quality of the original PDF. If you need an alternative tool, you could also consider `qpdf`, which allows similar functionalities with the command:

      qpdf --qos --pages document.pdf 34 -- page34.pdf

      This command follows the same logic, where you specify the page number after the input file. Both methods will yield a single page PDF, maintaining the content and quality as needed.







    2. Extract Page from PDF on Ubuntu

      How to Extract a Single Page from a PDF in Ubuntu

      It sounds like you’re looking to grab just page 34 from a big PDF, and you want to do it using the command line on Ubuntu. No problem! You can definitely do this with a tool called pdftk. Here’s how:

      Using pdftk

      First, make sure you have pdftk installed. You can do this by running:

      sudo apt-get install pdftk

      Once you have it installed, you can use the following command:

      pdftk input.pdf cat 34 output page34.pdf

      Here’s what each part does:

      • input.pdf: This is your original PDF file.
      • cat: This command is used to concatenate or better said, extract pages.
      • 34: This specifies the page number you want to extract.
      • output: This tells pdftk that you’re naming the resulting file.
      • page34.pdf: This is the name of the new PDF that will be created. You can name it whatever you like!

      After you run that command, you’ll have a new PDF file called page34.pdf that just contains the content from page 34. It should keep the quality intact, so no worries there!

      Using pdfunite (Another Option)

      If you run into issues with pdftk, you can also try pdfunite. First, make sure it’s installed:

      sudo apt-get install poppler-utils

      Then you can use:

      pdfseparate -f 34 -l 34 input.pdf temp_%d.pdf

      This will extract page 34 into a temporary file like temp_34.pdf. After that, you can rename it:

      mv temp_34.pdf page34.pdf

      Any Other Tools?

      If you’re interested in other command-line tools for PDFs on Ubuntu, consider checking out:

      • qpdf: Great for manipulating PDF files.
      • pdfjam: Useful for rearranging and modifying PDFs.

      Hope this helps you get that page without any hassle! Good luck with your project!


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