Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install epstool with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix

Edit preview images and fix bounding boxes in EPS files. Version 3.09 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install epstool

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install epstool

MacPorts ports tree · print/epstool/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install epstool

Debian stable package indexes · epstool · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install epstool

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · epstool · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#epstool

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ep/epstool/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Edit preview images and fix bounding boxes in EPS files

Commands and aliases

  • epstool

history

Project history and usage

Epstool is a Ghostgum utility for Encapsulated PostScript files. Its official page describes it as a tool to create or extract preview images in EPS files, fix bounding boxes, and convert EPS content to bitmaps.

Project history

The official page distributes epstool 3.09 as Windows zip and Unix tar.gz archives and was updated on August 11, 2018. It fits the Ghostscript/GSview ecosystem of practical PostScript tools maintained by Russell Lang.

Adoption history

Epstool has a quiet but durable packaging footprint because EPS preview and bounding-box repair are recurring needs in TeX, publishing, and PostScript workflows. In this dataset it is packaged by Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, and Ubuntu.

How it is used

Documented examples include adding TIFF previews, extracting previews, calculating a corrected BoundingBox from a Ghostscript bitmap, and copying an EPS file while adjusting its BoundingBox. The page says it works on Win32, Win64, OS/2, and Unix.

Why package nerds care

Epstool is a classic small Unix-style graphics utility: it does a narrow EPS repair/conversion job, depends on Ghostscript for bitmap generation, and remains useful to people keeping older PostScript publishing workflows reproducible.

Timeline

  • 2018: Official Epstool page updated and epstool 3.09 offered for Windows and Unix.

Related projects

  • Ghostscript is used by Epstool to create preview bitmaps.
  • GSview is part of the same Ghostgum/PostScript tooling context.

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

  • broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

  • text:image

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
  • Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
epstoolcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version3.09
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

http://www.ghostgum.com.au/software/epstool.htm

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:epstool
Version3.09
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/epstool
Homepagehttp://www.ghostgum.com.au/software/epstool.htm
Upstream docshttps://www.ghostgum.com.au/software/epstool.htm
LicenseGPL-2.0-only
Source archivehttps://deb.debian.org/debian/pool/main/e/epstool/epstool_3.09.orig.tar.xz
Dependenciesghostscript
Bottleavailable (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameepstool
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

epstool 3.09-4

edit preview images and fix bounding boxes in EPS files

http://www.ghostgum.com.au/software/epstool.htm

sudo apt install epstool
  • Section: graphics
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Epstool
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: epstool from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

epstool

nix profile install nixpkgs#epstool
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Epstool
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ep/epstool/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

epstool 3.09-4build1

edit preview images and fix bounding boxes in EPS files

http://www.ghostgum.com.au/software/epstool.htm

sudo apt install epstool
  • Section: universe/graphics
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 2 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Epstool
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: epstool from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
dnf95%

epstool 3.08-33.fc44

A utility to create or extract preview images in EPS files

http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/epstool.htm

sudo dnf install epstool
  • License: GPL-2.0-or-later
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: epstool
  • 2 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Epstool
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: epstool from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

epstool

sudo port install epstool
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Epstool
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: print/epstool/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • ghostscriptRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • octavePopular package that depends on this formula.

Same workflow

  • ps2epsShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, eps, media, postscript.
  • aalibShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media.
  • batikShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media.
  • dicebearShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media.
  • eflShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media.
  • fig2devShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, graphics, media.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment