How to Merge PDF Documents in Linux

Ghost Script will combine multiple PDF files into a single file.

Adobe has not released a version of Acrobat for Linux, so Linux users must find other software options to combine PDFs. Ghost Script has the capability to combine multiple PDF files into a single file. It is available in the repository, and preloaded with many Linux distributions.

Instructions

1. Install Ghost Script. Open "Terminal." Type "sudo apt-get install ghostscript" (without quotes). Type your password and press "Enter." The installation will display the size of the download. Type "y" and press "Enter" to initiate the installation.

2. Navigate to the directory containing the PDF files to be combined. In the terminal, type "CD" (without quotes) then the directory name. Press "Enter."

3. Combine the PDF files with Ghost Writer. In the terminal, type "gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=finished.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf" (without quotes). Replace "finished.pdf" with the name you would like the finished file to have. Replace "file1.pdf" and "file2.pdf" with the PDF files you intend to combine. Add more than two PDF files to the list if necessary.

4. Open the new PDF file to ensure authenticity.

References

• Linux: Putting Together PDF files

Resources

• Ghost Script