How To Install potrace on Debian 10

Learn how to install potrace on Debian 10 with this tutorial. potrace is utility to transform bitmaps into vector graphics

Introduction

In this tutorial we learn how to install potrace on Debian 10.

What is potrace

potrace is:

potrace is a utility for tracing a bitmap, which means, transforming a bitmap into a smooth, scalable image. The input is a bitmap (PBM, PGM, PPM, or BMP format), and the default output is an encapsulated PostScript file (EPS). A typical use is to create EPS files from scanned data, such as company or university logos, handwritten notes, etc. The resulting image is not “jaggy” like a bitmap, but smooth. It can then be rendered at any resolution.

Potrace can currently produce the following output formats: EPS, PostScript, PDF, SVG (scalable vector graphics), DXF, GeoJSON, PGM (for easy antialiasing of pixel-based images), Gimppath, and XFig. Additional backends might be added in the future.

There are three methods to install potrace on Debian 10. We can use apt-get, apt and aptitude. In the following sections we will describe each method. You can choose one of them.

Install potrace Using apt-get

Update apt database with apt-get using the following command.

sudo apt-get update

After updating apt database, We can install potrace using apt-get by running the following command:

sudo apt-get -y install potrace

Install potrace Using apt

Update apt database with apt using the following command.

sudo apt update

After updating apt database, We can install potrace using apt by running the following command:

sudo apt -y install potrace

Install potrace Using aptitude

If you want to follow this method, you might need to install aptitude first since aptitude is usually not installed by default on Debian. Update apt database with aptitude using the following command.

sudo aptitude update

After updating apt database, We can install potrace using aptitude by running the following command:

sudo aptitude -y install potrace

How To Uninstall potrace on Debian 10

To uninstall only the potrace package we can use the following command:

sudo apt-get remove potrace

Uninstall potrace And Its Dependencies

To uninstall potrace and its dependencies that are no longer needed by Debian 10, we can use the command below:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove potrace

Remove potrace Configurations and Data

To remove potrace configuration and data from Debian 10 we can use the following command:

sudo apt-get -y purge potrace

Remove potrace configuration, data, and all of its dependencies

We can use the following command to remove potrace configurations, data and all of its dependencies, we can use the following command:

sudo apt-get -y autoremove --purge potrace

Dependencies

potrace have the following dependencies:

References

Summary

In this tutorial we learn how to install potrace package on Debian 10 using different package management tools: apt, apt-get and aptitude.