ilyabo/pdfpp

pdfpp is a command-line tool that helps you reformat PDF files so they're easier to read on e-book readers like a Kindle or Sony Reader. If you've ever tried reading a PDF on a small screen, you know the text is often too tiny to comfortably read. This tool fixes that by letting you crop, split, and rotate pages so the content fits better on your device. The tool offers four main commands. You can crop a PDF to remove unwanted margins around the edges, split each page into multiple vertical sections, rotate pages by a specified angle, or stamp a text message at the top of every page. You run it from your terminal, specifying which command to use along with your input and output file names. The typical use case is someone who wants to read a technical book or academic paper on their e-reader. Standard PDF pages are usually designed for letter-sized paper, which doesn't translate well to a six-inch screen. Instead of using your reader's zoom function, which can mangle tables and formatting by trying to reflow the text, pdfpp lets you prepare the document beforehand. For example, you can crop away the white space, split each page into two halves, and rotate them 90 degrees so each half fills the entire screen. The workflow is straightforward but requires some comfort with a command-line interface and figuring out the right crop values for your specific document. It's a practical, no-frills solution to a common problem for e-book owners who want to read PDF content without fighting with their device's built-in viewer.