pdftk-server

PDFtk Server PDFtk Server is a command-line tool for working with PDF documents. It can merge, split, rotate, encrypt, decrypt, watermark, stamp, fill forms, extract metadata, and manipulate PDFs in a variety of ways. When to Use This Skill Merging or joining multiple PDF files into one Splitting or bursting a PDF into individual pages Rotating PDF pages Encrypting or decrypting PDF files Filling PDF form fields from FDF/XFDF data Applying background watermarks or foreground stamps Extracting PDF metadata, bookmarks, or form field information Repairing corrupted PDF files Attaching or extracting files embedded in PDFs Removing specific pages from a PDF Collating separately scanned even/odd pages Compressing or decompressing PDF page streams Prerequisites PDFtk Server must be installed on the system Windows : winget install --id PDFLabs.PDFtk.Server macOS : brew install pdftk-java Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) : sudo apt-get install pdftk Linux (Red Hat/Fedora) : sudo dnf install pdftk Access to a terminal or command prompt Verify installation by running pdftk --version Step-by-Step Workflows Merge Multiple PDFs pdftk file1.pdf file2.pdf cat output merged.pdf Using handles for more control: pdftk A = file1.pdf B = file2.pdf cat A B output merged.pdf Split a PDF into Individual Pages pdftk input.pdf burst Extract Specific Pages Extract pages 1-5 and 10-15: pdftk input.pdf cat 1 -5 10 -15 output extracted.pdf Remove Specific Pages Remove page 13: pdftk input.pdf cat 1 -12 14 -end output output.pdf Rotate Pages Rotate all pages 90 degrees clockwise: pdftk input.pdf cat 1 -endeast output rotated.pdf Encrypt a PDF Set an owner password and a user password with 128-bit encryption (default): pdftk input.pdf output secured.pdf owner_pw mypassword user_pw userpass Decrypt a PDF Remove encryption using the known password: pdftk secured.pdf input_pw mypassword output unsecured.pdf Fill a PDF Form Populate form fields from an FDF file and flatten to prevent further edits: pdftk form.pdf fill_form data.fdf output filled.pdf flatten Apply a Background Watermark Place a single-page PDF behind every page of the input (input should have transparency): pdftk input.pdf background watermark.pdf output watermarked.pdf Stamp an Overlay Place a single-page PDF on top of every page of the input: pdftk input.pdf stamp overlay.pdf output stamped.pdf Extract Metadata Export bookmarks, page metrics, and document information: pdftk input.pdf dump_data output metadata.txt Repair a Corrupted PDF Pass a broken PDF through pdftk to attempt automatic repair: pdftk broken.pdf output fixed.pdf Collate Scanned Pages Interleave separately scanned even and odd pages: pdftk A = even.pdf B = odd.pdf shuffle A B output collated.pdf Troubleshooting Issue Solution pdftk command not found Verify installation; check that pdftk is in your system PATH Cannot decrypt PDF Ensure you are providing the correct owner or user password via input_pw Output file is empty or corrupt Check input file integrity; try running pdftk input.pdf output repaired.pdf first Form fields not visible after fill Use the flatten flag to merge fields into the page content Watermark not appearing Ensure the input PDF has transparent regions; use stamp for opaque overlays Permission denied errors Check file permissions on input and output paths References Bundled reference documents in the references/ folder: pdftk-man-page.md - Complete manual reference with all operations, options, and syntax pdftk-cli-examples.md - Practical command-line examples for common tasks download.md - Installation and download instructions for all platforms pdftk-server-license.md - PDFtk Server licensing information third-party-materials.md - Third-party library licenses