How to split PDF files in Java (Tutorial)

TL;DR

• Goal: Split PDF files programmatically in Java (JDK 8+).
• Tool: Utilize the JPedal library.
• Process: Non-destructive splitting (into pages or chunks) using specific methods like splitAllPages.
• Outcome: New files are created, leaving the original PDF untouched.

Introduction

The PDF file format is not natively supported by Java. Therefore, to split a PDF file into multiple PDFs, you will need an external library. This tutorial explains how to split PDF files using JPedal. JPedal is the best Java PDF library for developers.

Use Cases

Why split a PDF in Java? Developers often encounter scenarios where large documents need to be segmented for easier processing. Common use cases include:

• Invoice Processing: Separating a bulk PDF into individual client invoices.
• Archiving: Breaking down large reports into chapter-based files.
• Security: Extracting non-sensitive pages from a confidential document to share publicly.”

Getting Started

1. Add JPedal to your class or module path (download the trial jar)
2. Create a File handle pointing to the PDF file
3. Call one of the methods below from PdfPageSplit, and supply a number to determine where to split the PDF

How to split a PDF file into pages

To split a PDF file into individual pages, simply call the following method.

PdfPageSplit.splitAllPages(new File("/path/to/input.pdf"), new File("/path/to/output-folder"));

How to split a PDF file into two files

To split a PDF file into two files, call the following method and provide the page number where you want to split. The first file will contain pages up to and including pageToSplitAt, and the second file will contain the rest.

PdfPageSplit.splitIn2(new File("/path/to/input.pdf"), new File("/path/to/output-folder"), pageToSplitAt);

How to split a PDF file into multiple files

To split a PDF file into multiple files, call the following method and provide the number of pages you want per file. Each file will contain pagePerNewFile number of pages, and the final file will contain the remainder.

PdfPageSplit.splitToNPagePDFs(new File("/path/to/input.pdf"), new File("/path/to/output-folder"), pagePerNewFile);

How to split a PDF file that is password protected

JPedal also supports PDF file splitting for password protected files. To do this, provide the password as the last parameter in any of the above methods.

PdfPageSplit.splitAllPages(new File("/path/to/input.pdf"), new File("/path/to/output-folder"), "password");

Before and after

Notice how the original file remains untouched

In this article I showed you how to break large PDF files into multiple documents still in the PDF format. Breaking a PDF into multiple files will have many advantages such as being able to focus on specific content and helping with file size management.

FAQs

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

final PdfManipulator pdf = new PdfManipulator();
pdf.loadDocument(new File("inputFile.pdf"));
pdf.addPage(1, PaperSize.A4_LANDSCAPE);
pdf.addText(1, "Hello World", 10, 10, BaseFont.HelveticaBold, 12, 1, 0.3f, 0.2f);
pdf.addImage(1, new BufferedImage(), new float[] {0, 0, 100, 100});
pdf.rotatePage(1, 90);
pdf.apply();
pdf.writeDocument(new File("outputFile.pdf"));

Viewer viewer = new Viewer();
viewer.setupViewer();
viewer.executeCommand(ViewerCommands.OPENFILE, "pdfFile.pdf");

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractTextAsWordList.writeAllWordlistsToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", -1);

PdfMerge.mergeFiles(new File("inputFile1.pdf"), new File("inputFile2.pdf"), new File("outputFile.pdf"));

PdfManipulator.splitInHalf(new File("inputFile.pdf"), new File("outputFolder"), pageToSplitAt);

PrintPdfPages print = new PrintPdfPages("C:/pdfs/mypdf.pdf");

if (print.openPDFFile()) {
    print.printAllPages("Printer Name");
}

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ExtractClippedImages.writeAllClippedImagesToDir("inputFileOrDirectory", "outputDir", "outputImageFormat", new String[] {"imageHeightAsFloat", "subDirectoryForHeight"});

//Convenience static method (see class for additional options)
ArrayList resultsForPages = FindTextInRectangle.findTextOnAllPages("/path/to/file.pdf", "textToFind");

java -jar jpedal.jar --inspect "inputFile.pdf"

PdfSigner.signPdf(
        "inputFile.pdf",
        "outputFile.pdf",
        "keystorePassword",
        "keystoreFile.p12",
        "signerName",
        "signerLocation",
        "signingReason",
        ACCESS_PERMISSION.P1
);