Pdftools SDK Shell Tool
Learn how to use the Pdftools SDK from the command line with the Pdftools SDK Shell Tool.
Prerequisites
The Pdftools SDK Shell Tool is available as:
- Self-contained .NET distribution.
- Framework-dependent .NET distribution.
Use the self-contained distribution if you do not have the .NET framework installed. The framework-dependent distribution of the Pdftools SDK Shell Tool requires you to install .NET 6.0 or higher.
Download
Download the latest version of the Pdftools SDK Shell Tool for the following platforms:
Separate binary files are available that support older Linux distributions using glibc 2.17+. You can download these binary files from PdfToolsSDK_glibc2.17-latest.zip.
Features
The Pdftools SDK Shell Tool supports the following features:
| Feature | Description | Version |
|---|---|---|
| Image to PDF | Convert images to PDF or PDF/A, with fit-to-page option | 1.0.0+ |
| PDF to PDF/A | Validate PDF conformance; Convert to PDF/A; Embed associated files; Create ZUGFeRD invoices | 1.2.0+ |
| Compression and optimization | Optimize for web, archive, print, or minimal file size; MRC optimization | 1.0.0+ |
| Security | Sign, certify, and timestamp PDF documents; Validate digital signatures | 1.4.0+ |
| Rendering | Render PDF pages to images for fax, archive, or viewing | 1.1.0+ |
| Merging and splitting | Merge and split PDF documents; rotate pages during new PDF assembly | 1.1.0+ |
| Text extraction | Extract text for LLM ingestion or layout-preserving output | 1.8.0+ |
| OCR | Make scanned PDFs searchable, fix non-extractable text, and add accessibility tagging | 1.12.0+ |
Usage
The general usage is
> pdf [sdk_options] <input> [input_options] <command> [: <command>] [<output> [output_options]]
Chain commands
You can chain multiple commands using :. This way you can apply multiple operations without the need to store each result to an intermediate file.
Example:
> pdf input.jpg import : optimize-web out.pdf
Detailed help
For the full reference of commands and features of the Pdftools SDK Shell Tool use the built-in help by executing:
# For all commands and features
pdf help
# For specific commands
pdf help <command>
Use of license key
To use a license key and remove the watermarked results, insert the license key using the -lk parameter:
> pdf -lk "<your-license-key>" <inputPath> <command> <outputPath>
Substitute:
<your-license-key>with the value of your license key.<inputPath>with a path to the input file.<command>with a specific command.<outputPath>with a path to the output file.
For example:
> pdf -lk "<your-license-key>" input.jpg import : optimize-web out.pdf