PDFx

PDFx

Bundle many PDFs into one valid PDF

WHO USES ITOffice workers who send document sets · Developers · PDF tool users

Use in the browser

Bundles many PDFs into one file that is still a valid PDF; its viewer splits them back

★ 1.1k▲ 1 HNAs of 09-16 21:00 UTC

1,062 stars · checked on GitHub 09-15 19:34 UTC GitHub check 30 h late · no 7-day star increase observed (GH Archive) (as of 09-16 21:00 UTC) · 1 Show HN points observed 09-13 15:40 UTC

CROSS-SIGNAL GitHub + Show HN BACK CATALOG

The PDFx viewer — a canvas where each document is a horizontal strip of page thumbnails and documents stack vertically

TESIGN TAKE

The point is that this is not a new file format but a PDF with one JSON sheet inside, so the receiving side installs nothing.

AT A GLANCE

WHY IT MATTERS

The whole format extension is one embedded file attachment, `pdfx-manifest.json` (SPEC.md, version 1.0 draft). Any PDF viewer therefore shows every page in sequence, and PDFx restores the document boundaries. The viewer is Electron with pdf.js and pdf-lib for macOS, Windows and Linux: drop PDFs, images or folders in, each document renders as a horizontal strip of pages, documents stack vertically, reorder them and Export PDF writes one file.

BUILD FROM THIS

Because the spec is one JSON manifest, adding PDFx read/write to your own tool is small work — for example a back-office export that ships invoices and contracts as one file.

WHO IT'S FOR

Office workers who send document sets: a review packet as one file
Developers: add bundled-PDF support to an app from the manifest spec
PDF tool users: reorder documents on the canvas and Export

START IN 5 MINUTES

# yarn              # install
# yarn dev          # run in development
# yarn dev:web      # run on the web
# yarn build:mac    # build:win for windows, build:linux for linux
# Live demo: https://pdfx.zip

CAVEATS

MIT. The viewer targets macOS, Windows and Linux (Electron), but the README's only download badge carries an Apple mark; for Windows and Linux it gives only the build:win / build:linux commands (prebuilt downloads [확인 필요]). The optional AI assistant needs your own provider API key (Google, Anthropic or OpenAI), so usage costs are yours. The spec is a 1.0 draft. Last push 2026-08-16.

RECEIPT

SIMILAR TOOLS

Up to five from PRODUCTIVITY by ★ total: edited entries first, then repository cards; this entry is highlighted. Drawn from the same stored snapshot as the rankings — a comparison, not a recommendation. As of 09-16 21:00 UTC

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