PDF or Portable Document Format is mostly our first choice when it comes to printing, sharing and emailing documents, especially the larger ones. For Windows and MacOS, you might be very much familiar, and also dependent, on the widely used Acrobat products for pdf viewing and editing. Unfortunately, there is no default pdf editor available on your Linux systems. You can, however, install Acrobat products through Wine on Ubuntu, or else use a wide range of other available Linux-supporting pdf viewing and editing tools. Although these products are nothing as compared to the wide range of useful Acrobat tools, they can still help you with basic pdf editing.
Here is a list of products we have researched and then came up with a few easily available and free ones that can serve your purpose:
In this article, we will explain where to find the free ones from and how to download them on your system for simple pdf editing.
We have run the commands and procedures mentioned in this article on a Ubuntu 18.04 LTS system.
Method 1: Edit PDF Files with LibreOffice Draw
If you are looking for basic pdf editing functions such as editing of text, LibreOffice Draw is the right tool for you. It is part of the LibreOffice package and is mostly available by default in most Linux distros. If your system lacks it, you can easily install it from the Ubuntu Software Manager:
In order to edit a pdf file, launch LibreOffice Draw from the system Dash as follows:
Then open the pdf file you want to edit from the File menu:
Then, make the alterations to your file; I have added some random text to my Dummy PDF file:
You then need to export the edited file to pdf by using the following icon:
This will save the output as a pdf file.
If you get an input/output error while exporting the file, you can save the file by some other name. When you close the file, you do not need to Save the file when you get the following message:
Click the Don’t Save button and your file will be saved as a pdf file only.
Method 2: Edit PDF files with PDF Editor
A very simple tool for PDF editing is the good old PDF Editor.
You can install it through the following method:
Open your Ubuntu command line, the Terminal, either through the system Dash or the Ctrl+alt+T shortcut.
Then enter the following commands as sudo as only an authorized user can add/remove and configure software on Ubuntu:
You can clean up the created folder as follows:
You can then launch the pdf Editor from the Dash search as follows:
Open your pdf file in the tool and edit it accordingly as follows:
Simply saving the file will save it as a pdf file.
If you uninstall the tool, you can do so by running the following command:
$ sudo apt autoremove liblcms1 libmng1 libpng12-0 libqt3-mt pdfedit
Method 3: Edit PDF Files with Inkscape
Inkscape is an illustration editor which has everything needed to create professional-quality computer art. You can use it to make diagrams and illustrations, technical drawings, web graphics, clip art, and icons and logos. A collection of hands-on tutorials show you how to combine lines, shapes, and text of different types and styles to build up a picture. You can use this tool to edit your pdf files as follows:
Install it from the snap store or the Ubuntu-bionic-universe repository, both through Ubuntu Software Manager or the command line.
You can enter the following commands in your Terminal in order to install the tool:
and then,
Launch the tool either through the command line or the system Dash and open your file in Inkscape:
It provides rich functionality to edit your pdf files. After that save the file as pdf with customizable settings.
If you want, you can remove the software from your system as follows:
Method 4: Edit PDF Files with GIMP
GIMP is an advanced picture editor. You can use it to edit, enhance, and retouch photos and scans, create drawings, and make your own images. It has a large collection of professional-level editing tools and filters, similar to the ones you might find in Photoshop.
GIMP can be installed through the Ubuntu Software Manager from the ubuntu-bionic-universe repository or through the Snap Store.
You can also run the following command as sudo in order to install the software through the Ubuntu command line, the Terminal:
The system might prompt you with a y/n option to confirm installation. Please enter Y and hit Enter after which the software will be installed on your system.
You can launch the software through the command line by entering the following command:
Or, through the system Dash as follows:
In order to edit your pdf file, open the file in GIMP as follows as use it’s rich Toolbox-tool options in order to edit your file.
If you wish to remove the software, you can do so through the Ubuntu Software manager or by using the following command in the Terminal:
Method 5: Using PDF Escape to edit PDF Files Online
PDF Escape is a browser-based pdf editor that you can use directly from the following website:
Simply add the file to the website through the Browse button or just drag the file to the “drop here” section.
Then Click on the Save and Download icon from the left toolbar in order to save the edited file back to your system.
These were some tools that you can easily install and use to edit your pdf files. When there are such free applications available, and they serve your purpose well, why go for the costly ones!
The Linux learning curve9 Questions New Linux Users Always Ask9 Questions New Linux Users Always AskIt's completely normal to feel overwhelmed when making the switch to Linux. That's what happens when you step from one world into another. This will help you.Read More isn’t always easy, and one of the more common questions is “What’s the best PDF editor?” — especially among people who want to use Linux in a work-related capacity. And the good news is that the answer isn’t as murky as you might expect.
There are actually several ways to modify PDFs on a Linux system to differing degrees. You can pay for commercial-grade software and support5 Lies Linux-Haters Like To Tell5 Lies Linux-Haters Like To TellLinux may have been a scary operating system before, but all of that has changed in recent years. These myths, which are more accurately called lies, are now dead.Read More, or you can opt for one of the free alternatives. It’s up to you. We’re just here to show you what’s out there.
1. PDF Studio
PDF Studio is unique in that it’s the only paid software on this list, and while that tends to go against the whole “Linux is free” philosophyWhat Is Open Source Software? [MakeUseOf Explains]What Is Open Source Software? [MakeUseOf Explains]'Open source' is a term that’s thrown around a lot these days. You may know that certain things are open source, like Linux and Android, but do you know what it entails? What is open..Read More, it means that you get a high-quality product that the developers care to polish — and it shows.
PDF Studio comes in two versions. The Standard version costs $89 and has several basic features, including but not limited to the following:
On the other hand, the Pro version costs $129 and has more advanced features, including but not limited to the following:
It’s a shame that content editing is only available in the Pro version, but it is what it is. PDF Studio is truly a complete solution and only worth getting if you’re going to use most of what it offers. Both versions have free trials, so give them a personal try.
2. Master PDF Editor
Like PDF Studio, Master PDF Editor aims to be a complete all-in-one solution for your PDF editing needs, but it has one major advantage: at nearly half the price, Master PDF Editor is way more affordable.
But does that mean reduced quality? Not necessarily. For most users, Master PDF Editor is probably more than good enough. Notable features include but aren’t limited to:
The price tag is $50 for the full edition. You won’t find a reduced-price version with crippled features here. Master PDF Editor is all or nothing, but does provide an evaluation trial to see if the program is right for you before you commit to a purchase.
3. Calibre + LibreOffice
This method doesn’t involve an actual PDF editor, but it does produce results. It definitely has its flaws, but as long as you’re willing to work around them, you can have a powerful PDF-editing workflow that doesn’t cost anything.
Basically, you can use the Calibre ebook managerHow To Manage Your Ebook Collection For The Amazon Kindle With CalibreHow To Manage Your Ebook Collection For The Amazon Kindle With CalibreThe biggest problem with an eReader like the Amazon's Kindle is that it requires unreasonable effort to move books between different devices. Before Kindle, I fell in love with Calibre. A bit on the heavy..Read More on Linux to convert PDF documents into rich text documents (RTF). Here’s how to do that:
Once you have the RTF document, open it in LibreOffice and edit it to your heart’s pleasure. This method works well enough for basic editing of text and images, but obviously fumbles when you want to do more advanced work, like validation forms, dynamic XFA forms, digital signatures, or interactive PDFsHow to Create an Interactive PDFHow to Create an Interactive PDFInteractive PDFs allow you to add video, audio, hyperlinks, and more into your documents. Here's how to create one using Adobe InDesign.Read More.
Fortunately, for tasks like splitting/merging PDFs, OCR text extraction, or secure password protection, you can always incorporate one of many free online PDF tools7 Free Online PDF Tools That Could Save You A Lot Of Work7 Free Online PDF Tools That Could Save You A Lot Of WorkThe Web is full of awesome little tools that can help you alter PDF files without breaking a sweat. Let's look at lesser known PDF tasks that may come in handy for you.Read More into your workflow. When the RTF editing is done, just go through the same steps to convert it back into PDF.
4. Scribus
If your PDF-editing needs are more visual-oriented rather than simple text and images, then you may actually want to use Scribus instead of the Calibre + LibreOffice method above.
Scribus is an open-source program that’s built for professional desktop publishing, which includes things like brochures, newsletters, or even books. It’s not a strictly PDF-based editor, but it’s great for “layout” work and can consistently export to PDF with ease.
What’s nice about Scribus is that it can import files that were created in other desktop publishing formats, such as Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Publisher, as well as XPS (which is Microsoft’s alternative to the PDF format).
Scribus is completely free to use, but there are two downsides. The first is that it can’t seem to open all PDF files. Again, since it isn’t exactly a PDF editor, that can be forgiven, but you should be aware that it’s rather picky about the kinds of PDFs it will open.
The second is that it has a bit of a learning curve. The program itself is somewhat intuitively laid out, but there’s no community presence except for an incomplete wiki, so you might have trouble finding tutorials and support when you run into problems.
5. GIMP
Did you know that GIMP can work in a pinch as a PDF editor? We don’t really recommend it if you’re going to be doing a large volume of serious work, but for one-off edits and basic changes, it actually works better than you might expect it to.
The editing process is rather straightforward:
Like Scribus, GIMP is really more for visual-oriented PDFs, but it can also work for simple PDFs that only have one or two pages and not a lot of text. Advanced documents, like interactive PDFs, are off the table though.
Which Method Do You Prefer?
As you can see, PDF editing on Linux isn’t as clear-cut as on Windows or Mac unless you use one of the paid tools. The free alternatives can work, but they each have their own quirks that make them a pain in their own unique ways.
If you’re a newbie to Linux, be sure to live by these golden rules5 Golden Rules to Live By as a New Linux User5 Golden Rules to Live By as a New Linux UserHow do you ensure that your transition to the new OS is smooth? Stick to the following five rules and you should do just fine.Read More for the best possible experience. You’ll also want to check out these tips for Linux newbies7 Neat Linux Tricks That Newbies Need to Know7 Neat Linux Tricks That Newbies Need to KnowAs a Linux newbie, it's normal to struggle. Everything just feels so different from Windows and you find yourself scratching your head at the simplest of tasks.Read More and these commonly-asked Linux questionsConsidering Linux? 10 Common Questions AnsweredConsidering Linux? 10 Common Questions AnsweredHere are the most common questions that Windows users have about Linux. After going through this list of questions and answers, you should feel much more confident with trying out Linux.Read More as well.
Pdfescape
Do you edit PDFs on Linux a lot? Which tool do you like using the best? Know of any alternatives we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
Image Credits:penguin writing by Asfia via Shutterstock
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