From b42de63773c41d6b866c0c9b522eb0d11d2ec115 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: medusa Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2024 20:36:53 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Update tech_docs/pdf_creation.md --- tech_docs/pdf_creation.md | 113 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 113 insertions(+) diff --git a/tech_docs/pdf_creation.md b/tech_docs/pdf_creation.md index 56f4af5..1590f82 100644 --- a/tech_docs/pdf_creation.md +++ b/tech_docs/pdf_creation.md @@ -1,3 +1,116 @@ +In addition to Pandoc and LaTeX, there are several other CLI tools that can help you create, convert, and customize PDFs with similar capabilities. Here are some notable alternatives: + +### 1. **wkhtmltopdf** +`wkhtmltopdf` is a command-line tool that converts HTML and CSS documents to PDF using the Webkit rendering engine. It’s useful for generating PDFs from web pages or HTML content. + +**Installation:** +```sh +sudo apt-get install wkhtmltopdf +``` + +**Usage:** +```sh +wkhtmltopdf input.html output.pdf +``` + +### 2. **Prince** +Prince is a powerful tool for converting HTML and CSS to PDF with a high degree of accuracy and customization options. It’s particularly useful for producing print-quality documents. + +**Installation and Usage:** +You need to download and install Prince from its [official website](https://www.princexml.com/), as it’s not typically available via package managers. + +**Usage:** +```sh +prince input.html -o output.pdf +``` + +### 3. **WeasyPrint** +WeasyPrint is a visual rendering engine for HTML and CSS that can output to PDF. It’s written in Python and can be installed via pip. + +**Installation:** +```sh +pip install weasyprint +``` + +**Usage:** +```sh +weasyprint input.html output.pdf +``` + +### 4. **TeXShop** +TeXShop is a TeX editor and previewer for macOS, useful for creating LaTeX documents. While it’s more of an editor than a CLI tool, it’s helpful for LaTeX-based workflows. + +**Installation:** +Download from the [official website](http://pages.uoregon.edu/koch/texshop/texshop.html). + +### 5. **PDFtk (PDF Toolkit)** +PDFtk is a versatile tool for manipulating PDF documents. It can merge, split, encrypt, decrypt, and watermark PDFs. + +**Installation:** +```sh +sudo apt-get install pdftk +``` + +**Usage:** +```sh +pdftk input1.pdf input2.pdf cat output output.pdf +``` + +### 6. **Ghostscript** +Ghostscript is an interpreter for PostScript and PDF files. It’s very powerful for converting and manipulating PDF files. + +**Installation:** +```sh +sudo apt-get install ghostscript +``` + +**Usage:** +```sh +gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=output.pdf input.ps +``` + +### 7. **Apache FOP (Formatting Objects Processor)** +Apache FOP is a print formatter driven by XSL formatting objects (XSL-FO). It can convert XML data to PDF and other formats. + +**Installation and Usage:** +Download from the [official website](https://xmlgraphics.apache.org/fop/). + +**Usage:** +```sh +fop input.fo output.pdf +``` + +### 8. **PDFjam** +PDFjam is a small collection of shell scripts that provide a simple interface to some of the functionality of the `pdfpages` package for PDF document merging, splitting, and more. + +**Installation:** +```sh +sudo apt-get install pdfjam +``` + +**Usage:** +```sh +pdfjam input.pdf --outfile output.pdf +``` + +### Comparison of Tools + +| Tool | Input Formats | Output Formats | Key Features | +|-----------------|------------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------------| +| Pandoc | Markdown, HTML, LaTeX | PDF, DOCX, HTML, etc | Versatile document converter | +| wkhtmltopdf | HTML, CSS | PDF | HTML to PDF conversion using Webkit engine | +| Prince | HTML, CSS | PDF | High-quality PDF rendering from HTML/CSS | +| WeasyPrint | HTML, CSS | PDF | Python-based HTML to PDF conversion | +| TeXShop | LaTeX | PDF | LaTeX editor for macOS | +| PDFtk | PDF | PDF | PDF manipulation (merge, split, etc.) | +| Ghostscript | PostScript, PDF | PDF | Powerful PDF processing | +| Apache FOP | XML (XSL-FO) | PDF, PS | XML to PDF conversion using XSL-FO | +| PDFjam | PDF | PDF | Simple PDF manipulation | + +Each tool has its strengths and use cases. Depending on your specific needs, you may choose one or more of these tools to create, convert, and manipulate PDFs effectively. + +--- + Certainly! Here’s a more detailed guide to creating a visually appealing PDF using CLI tools on Linux, with a focus on using Markdown, LaTeX, and Pandoc. ### Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Visually Appealing PDF