How do I create an Acrobat file (.pdf)  under Linux ?

Using Acrobat Reader

acroread -toPostScript file.pdf

produces file.ps

Using ghostscript tools

pdf2ps file.ps file.pdf

also produces file.ps

With the ghostscript tool ps2pdf

ps2pdf file.ps file.pdf

The PDF files produced by ghostscript are usually 2-3 times larger in size than those produced by the Acrobat software because the latter uses proprietary compression algorithms that are not available in open source.

How do I convert a .pdf file to .ps ?

Using Acrobat Reader

acroread -toPostScript file.pdf

produces file.ps

Using ghostscript tools

pdf2ps file.ps file.pdf

also produces file.ps

How can I merge two or more PDF files together ?

The only guaranteed method is by using the Acrobat software on Windows.

What works sometimes...

Convert each pdf file to ps...

cat file1.ps file2.ps file3.ps > file1234.ps
ps2pdf file1234.ps file1234.pdf 

If this does not work then revert to Acrobat.

How can I know about the properties of a PDF file without opening it ?

Using the ghostscript tool

pdfinfo file.pdf

phillips !% pdfinfo wmo.pdf
Title:        Microsoft Word - WMO.doc
Creator:      PSCRIPT.DRV Version 4.0
Producer:     Acrobat Distiller 3.01 for Windows
CreationDate: 191010327203008
Pages:        6
Encrypted:    no
Linearized:   no