presse
presse is a free, open-source command-line tool for compressing and merging PDFs and converting images into PDFs.
What presse is
presse is a free, open-source command-line tool for compressing and merging PDFs and converting images into PDFs. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can process multiple files in one command using shell wildcards. For compression, it recompresses PDF images at a quality you choose, but skips CMYK images. You can merge PDFs and optionally compress their images during the merge, or combine image files such as PNGs and JPEGs with PDF documents. Optional optimization passes include deduplication, Zopfli, font subsetting, JBIG2, JPEG2000, and mixed raster content when built with the optimize Cargo feature. Installation options documented by its maker include shell and PowerShell installers, a Windows MSI, Homebrew, and Cargo. Experimental CUDA and ROCm acceleration requires an opt-in build; release binaries do not include those backends. The software is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license. Its README reports a median per-document speed around seven times Ghostscript on its 100-PDF benchmark corpus.
Good
- Processes multiple files with shell wildcards.
- Merges PDFs and can compress images during merging.
- Converts PNG and JPEG images to PDFs.
- Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Free and distributed under GPL-3.0.
Watch out
- CMYK images are not compressed.
- CUDA and ROCm are absent from release binaries.
- It is a command-line tool.
Who it suits
presse suits people who want a free command-line tool for PDF compression, merging, or image-to-PDF conversion on Linux, macOS, or Windows. It may also suit users who need batch processing or optional optimization passes.
Verdict
presse combines PDF compression, merging, and image conversion in a free command-line package for three desktop platforms. Note the CMYK limitation and that GPU acceleration requires a custom build.
Plans and prices
From presse's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| presse | Free | PDF compression, merging and image conversion · GPL-3.0 |
The facts
Each one read from presse's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Batch processing
- It can process multiple files in one command using shell wildcards.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Compression options
- The README lists optional passes including deduplication, Zopfli, font subsetting, JBIG2, JPEG2000 and mixed raster content behind the optimize Cargo feature.checked 4 Oct 2026
- GPU support
- Experimental opt-in CUDA and ROCm acceleration is available by building with the corresponding Cargo feature; the release binaries do not include either backend.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Image compression
- It recompresses PDF images at a chosen quality and skips CMYK images.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Image conversion
- It converts images such as PNG and JPEG files into PDFs and can merge images with PDF documents.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The maker documents shell and PowerShell installers, a Windows MSI, Homebrew and Cargo installation.checked 4 Oct 2026
- License
- The software is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Limit
- CMYK images are not compressed.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Merging
- It merges multiple PDFs and can optionally compress images during the merge.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Performance claim
- The README reports a median per-document speed around seven times Ghostscript on its 100-PDF benchmark corpus.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Product
- presse is a Rust command-line tool for compressing and merging PDFs and converting images to PDF.checked 4 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Platforms
- Release downloads are listed for Windows, macOS and Linux, including Apple Silicon and Intel macOS binaries.checked 4 Oct 2026
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