EPSTOPDF(1)

📦 version 2026.0, in alpine 3.24

💖 EPSTOPDF(1) — general commands manual 💖

okay bestie, sit down, we're talking about epstopdf (and its twin repstopdf) 🦋 this is a General Commands Manual page and honestly? it ate.

✨ NAME ✨

epstopdf, repstopdf — convert an EPS file to PDF 🌈

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

epstopdf [options] [epsfile [pdffile.pdf]]

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So epstopdf converts the input PostScript file to PDF, and by default it does that using Ghostscript. slay 💅

In more detail (because we love details): epstopdf transforms the Encapsulated PostScript file epsfile (or standard input, if you're piping, main character energy) so that it is guaranteed to start at the 0,0 coordinate, and it sets a page size exactly corresponding to the BoundingBox. So the result needs no cropping, and the PDF MediaBox is correct. no cap, that's the whole point. ✨

By default, the output name is the input name with any extension replaced by .pdf. An output name ending with .pdf can also be given as a second argument on the command line, or the --outfile (-o) option can be used with any name.

The output is PDF 1.5 by default. To change this, use, for example

--gsopt=-dCompatibilityLevel=1.7

(Until epstopdf 2.28 (released September 2018), the PDF version was whatever the underlying Ghostscript or other interpreter produced by default. throwback era 🙈)

PJL commands at the start of a file are removed. DOS EPS binary files (TN 5002) are supported. Seeking from a pipe is not supported. 🫶

If the bounding box in the input is incorrect, inevitably there will be resulting problems. like. inevitably. 😭

✨ OPTIONS ✨

Options may start with either - or --, and may be unambiguously abbreviated. It is best to use the full option name in scripts to avoid possible collisions with new options in the future. (future-proofing is self-care, bestie 🎀)

🌸 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: false). For maximum output, use --debug as the first option. 🔥
  • --[no]exact — scan ExactBoundingBox (default: false).
  • --[no]filter — read standard input and (unless --outfile is given) write standard output (default: false).
  • --[no]gs — run Ghostscript (default: true). 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: false).
  • --restricted=val — turn on restricted mode (default: [true for repstopdf, else false]); this forbids the use of --gscmd, among other options, and imposes restrictions on the input and output file names according to the values of openin_any and openout_any (see the Web2c manual, https://tug.org/web2c). On Windows, the Ghostscript command is forced to be the TeX Live builtin gs, installed under .../tlpkg/tlgs/bin/.

🦋 Options for Ghostscript (more info below)

  • --gscmd=val — pipe output to val (default: [gswin64c.exe on 64-bit Windows, gswin32c.exe on 32-bit Windows, else gs])
  • --gsopt=val — include val as one argument in the gs command (can be repeated).
  • --gsopts=val — split val at whitespace and 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: true); if turned off, passes -dUseFlateCompression=false.
  • --device=dev — use -sDEVICE=dev (default: pdfwrite); not allowed in restricted mode. 🚫
  • --[no]embed — embed fonts (default: true); passes -dMaxSubsetPct=100 -dSubsetFonts=true -dEmbedAllFonts=true.
  • --[no]gray — grayscale output (default: false); passes -sColorConversionStrategy=Gray -dProcessColorModel=/DeviceGray.
  • --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: false).
  • --res=dpi, dpixdpi — set image resolution (default: [use gs default]).
  • --[no]safer — use -d(NO)SAFER (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. This form must be used if a gs 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.

In order to give a comprehensible error message, epstopdf checks whether kpsewhich and (the specified) gs are found in the current PATH, or executable if they are specified as absolute names. 👑

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

These examples all equivalently convert test.eps to test.pdf:

epstopdf test.eps
epstopdf test.eps test.pdf
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 epstopdf's attempt at correcting PostScript:

epstopdf --nogs test.ps >testcorr.ps

In all cases, you can add --debug to see more about what epstopdf is doing. Use --debug as the first option for maximum output. 💅

✨ 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 tex-k@tug.org (https://lists.tug.org/tex-k). When reporting bugs, please include an input file and the command line options specified, so the problem can be reproduced. (help them help you bestie 🙏)

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

gs(1), pdfcrop(1).

The epstopdf LaTeX package, which automates running this script on the fly under LaTeX: https://ctan.org/pkg/epstopdf-pkg.

✨ AUTHOR ✨

Originally written by Sebastian Rahtz, for Elsevier Science, with subsequent contributions from Thomas Esser, Gerben Wierda, Heiko Oberdiek, and many others. Currently maintained by Karl Berry. 👑

Man page originally written by Jim Van Zandt.

epstopdf package page on CTAN: https://ctan.org/pkg/epstopdf.

epstopdf home page: https://tug.org/epstopdf.

You may freely use, modify and/or distribute this man page. The epstopdf script is released under the modified BSD license. 🎀

$Id: epstopdf.1 71121 2024-04-29 17:27:25Z karl $

and that's the whole thing!! 🌸 this version is dated <strong>29 April 2024</strong>, and the source file is the one right up there in that $Id line — epstopdf.1, revision 71121, timestamped 2024-04-29 17:27:25Z, signed by karl. iconic. periodt. 💖✨

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