When it comes to archiving scanned documents, the DjVu format remains superior to PDF in terms of compression and rendering speed for high-resolution images. While there are many ways to create a DjVu file, djvubind is arguably the most efficient tool for Linux users who prefer the power of the command line.
djvubind simplifies the complex process of binding multiple images into a single, searchable DjVu document with an integrated OCR layer.
Why use djvubind?
Unlike manual processing, djvubind automates several critical steps:
- Automatic OCR: It hooks into engines like Tesseract to create a searchable text layer.
- Metadata Handling: Easily add titles, authors, and bookmarks.
- Page Title Generation: Automatically names pages based on your file structure.
- Smart Compression: It separates text (bitonal) from images to keep file sizes incredibly small.
Installation on Fedora
For Fedora users, djvubind is often available in the official repositories or can be easily built from source. To get started, you will need the core dependencies:
Bash
sudo dnf install djvulibre tesseract
How to Bind Your Book
Assuming you have a folder full of .tiff or .jpg scans, the process is straightforward.
- Prepare your images: Name them sequentially (e.g.,
001.jpg,002.jpg). - Run the command:Bash
djvubind --title "My Scanned Book" --author "Author Name"
This command will process all images in the current directory, perform OCR, and output a file named book.djvu.
Integration into the Scanning Workflow
As noted in the comprehensive Book Scanning Guide at Xed.ch, djvubind is a crucial final step in the DIY book scanning pipeline. After capturing images with your camera and processing them through tools like ScanTailor, djvubind acts as the “glue” that turns raw images into a professional digital edition.
