Inkscape

Inkscape question

Asked by Hanna

When I am done with a document in Inkscape what should I save it as..? What type of file would be most professional to send to clients? Thank you in advance.

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c
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c (cjue) said : 		#1

With any graphics program, it's usually best to save in the app's native format in order to retain all functionality of the drawing. For Inkscape, this appears to the SVG. For sending to clients, this depends on the intended usage at their end. For plain viewing, your best bet is likely PDF.

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Hanna (hzyelle) said : 		#2

Hi CJ,

Thanks...

What is the benefit of saving the document in SVG...? Is that in case I want to make changes..?

If a client needs to print the material would I send a PDF or should I go for a different format..?

Thank you.

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Best c (cjue) said : 		#3

Correct on maximizing the ability to make changes. Different file formats support different features such as layers or transparency and programs also vary in their support of these features, especially if it's not the primary format that the program was designed around. As an example, if you have a drawing with multiple layers in Inkscape and save it as a PDF, all the objects in your drawing will be dropped onto a single layer (even though the PDF format itself supports multiple layers). With Inkscape, if there's any chance that you'll want to make changes in the future, the safest choice is the SVG format.

For sharing and printing, PDFs are often preferred in business environments because almost everyone has the software to open them and they will print at the full resolutions of the printer, assuming the printer is postscript compatible. SVG is somewhat more rare in terms of programs that will open it.

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Hanna (hzyelle) said : 		#4

Thanks cj, that solved my question.