macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install unpaperlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install unpaperMacPorts ports tree · graphics/unpaper/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install unpaper with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Post-processing for scanned/photocopied books. Version 7.0.0 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add unpaperAlpine Linux edge package indexes · unpaper · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install unpaperDebian stable package indexes · unpaper · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install unpaperFedora Rawhide package metadata · unpaper · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#unpapernixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/un/unpaper/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S unpaperArch Linux sync databases · unpaper · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install unpaperopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · unpaper · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Post-processing for scanned/photocopied books
Project links
Commands and aliases
- unpaper
history
Project history and usage
unpaper is a command-line post-processing tool for scanned paper, especially scanned or photocopied book pages. Its README describes the goal as making scanned book pages easier to read on screen after PDF conversion and improving page images before OCR.
Project history
The upstream README says unpaper was originally written by Jens Gulden, and the AUTHORS file lists Gulden as original author and maintainer from 2005-2009. The NEWS file records the first release, 1.0, on 2005-03-01.
Early releases focused on the core scanned-book workflow: joining or splitting pages, handling double-page layouts, deskewing, stretching, zooming, border alignment, black filtering, and multi-file batch processing. The 2005-2007 NEWS entries also show portability work for Mac OS X and SPARC Solaris, color support through PPM, documentation diagrams, binary/source distribution archives, and conventional tarball packaging.
Maintenance later moved from a personal scanned-page tool into a modern hosted open source project. NEWS records an Autotools build system in 2011, source reorganization and parser cleanup in 2012, mathematically accurate interpolation in 2013, libav-based file input/output in 2014, ffmpeg compatibility updates, and a 2022 Meson migration in release 7.0.0.
Adoption history
The supplied package metadata shows unpaper available across a broad set of Unix-like package managers: Alpine/apk, Homebrew, Debian, Fedora/dnf, MacPorts, Nix, Arch/pacman, Ubuntu, and openSUSE/zypper. That matches its niche as a small C utility used inside scanning, OCR, and PDF-preparation pipelines.
The project's dependency history also tracks adoption pressure. The README now says ffmpeg is the only hard dependency for file input and output; NEWS shows earlier transitions through Netpbm-style PNM workflows, libav, ffmpeg compatibility, and build-system modernization.
How it is used
unpaper is usually run in batch mode over numbered image sequences. The basic concepts documentation explains sheets, pages, single-page and double-page layouts, wildcard filename sequences such as `input%03d.pbm`, and options for joining single-page scans into double-page sheets or splitting double-page scans back into individual page images.
The README describes the processing features that define its everyday use: removing dark borders from scans and photocopies, detecting misaligned centering and rotation, deskewing pages, and allowing each processing step to be disabled or tuned when automatic processing fails.
Why package nerds care
unpaper is significant in package-manager culture because it is one of those small, sharp Unix tools that exists to make a larger workflow possible. It sits between scanner output, image conversion tools, OCR engines, and PDF builders, so distributions care about stable command-line behavior, supported image formats, and dependency choices more than about a GUI.
It is also a good example of a long-lived niche media utility being kept buildable as the C ecosystem changes: custom code gave way to libav/ffmpeg for formats, Autotools gave way to Meson, tests were adapted for floating-point differences, and maintainers kept portability and package builds alive.
Timeline
- 2005: 1.0 initial release.
- 2005: 1.1 adds page joining/splitting, multi-file sequences, deskew speedups, Mac OS X notes, and SPARC Solaris testing.
- 2006: 0.2 adds documentation diagrams and color PPM support.
- 2007: 0.3 moves history to a changelog and adopts conventional tarball layout.
- 2011: 0.4 introduces an Autotools build system and a documented man page.
- 2014: 6 switches file input/output to libav and broadens supported image formats.
- 2022: 7.0.0 migrates the build to Meson and expands ffmpeg 5 compatibility.
Related projects
- unpaper is commonly adjacent to SANE scanner tools, ffmpeg/libav for image decoding and encoding, Netpbm/PNM tooling, ImageMagick conversion, OCR engines, and PDF generation tools.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 4 build 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
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
unpaper | cli | global 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 version7.0.0
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://www.flameeyes.com/projects/unpaper
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.flameeyes.com/projects/unpapernone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:unpaper |
|---|---|
| Version | 7.0.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/unpaper |
| Homepage | https://www.flameeyes.com/projects/unpaper |
| Repository | https://github.com/unpaper/unpaper |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/unpaper/unpaper#readme |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://www.flameeyes.com/files/unpaper-7.0.0.tar.xz |
| Dependencies | ffmpeg |
| Build dependencies | meson, ninja, pkgconf, sphinx-doc |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | unpaper |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 3 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
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%
unpaper 7.0.0-3+b2
post-processing tool for scanned pages
https://www.flameeyes.eu/projects/unpaper
sudo apt install unpaper- Section: graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: unpaper
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
Nix95%
unpaper
nix profile install nixpkgs#unpaper- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
Ubuntu apt95%
unpaper 7.0.0-3build1
post-processing tool for scanned pages
https://www.flameeyes.eu/projects/unpaper
sudo apt install unpaper- Section: universe/graphics
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
apk95%
unpaper 7.0.0-r3
Post-processing tool for scanned sheets of paper
https://github.com/unpaper/unpaper
sudo apk add unpaper- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unpaper
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
apk95%
unpaper-doc 7.0.0-r3
Post-processing tool for scanned sheets of paper (documentation)
https://github.com/unpaper/unpaper
sudo apk add unpaper-doc- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unpaper
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
dnf95%
unpaper 7.0.0-16.fc44
Post-processing of scanned and photocopied book pages
https://www.flameeyes.eu/projects/unpaper
sudo dnf install unpaper- License: GPL-2.0-only AND 0BSD
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unpaper
- 7 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
dnf95%
unpaper-tests 7.0.0-16.fc44
Tests for unpaper
https://www.flameeyes.eu/projects/unpaper
sudo dnf install unpaper-tests- License: GPL-2.0-only AND MIT
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: unpaper
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
pacman95%
unpaper 7.0.0-5
post-processing tool for scanned sheets of paper
https://github.com/unpaper/unpaper
sudo pacman -S unpaper- License: GPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
zypper95%
unpaper 7.0.0-1.23
Post-Processing Tool for Scanned Text Pages
https://www.flameeyes.eu/projects/unpaper
sudo zypper install unpaper- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Graphics/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: unpaper
- 5 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
MacPorts95%
unpaper
sudo port install unpaper- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Unpaper
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.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
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