1INKSCAPE(1)                Inkscape Commands Manual                INKSCAPE(1)
2
3
4

NAME

6       Inkscape - an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) editing program.
7

SYNOPSIS

9       "inkscape [options] [filename_1 filename_2 ...]"
10
11       options:
12
13           -?, --help
14               --help-all
15               --help-gapplication
16               --help-gtk
17
18           -V, --version
19               --debug-info
20               --system-data-directory
21               --user-data-directory
22
23           -p, --pipe
24               --pdf-page=PAGE
25               --pdf-poppler
26               --convert-dpi-method=METHOD
27               --no-convert-text-baseline-spacing
28
29           -o, --export-filename=FILENAME
30               --export-overwrite
31               --export-type=TYPE[,TYPE]*
32               --export-extension=EXTENSION-ID
33
34           -C, --export-area-page
35           -D, --export-area-drawing
36           -a, --export-area=x0:y0:x1:y1
37               --export-area-snap
38           -d, --export-dpi=DPI
39           -w, --export-width=WIDTH
40           -h, --export-height=HEIGHT
41               --export-margin=MARGIN
42
43           -i, --export-id=OBJECT-ID[;OBJECT-ID]*
44           -j, --export-id-only
45           -l, --export-plain-svg
46               --export-png-color-mode=COLORMODE
47               --export-png-use-dithering=BOOLEAN
48               --export-ps-level=LEVEL
49               --export-pdf-version=VERSION
50           -T, --export-text-to-path
51               --export-latex
52               --export-ignore-filters
53           -t, --export-use-hints
54           -b, --export-background=COLOR
55           -y, --export-background-opacity=VALUE
56
57           -I, --query-id=OBJECT-ID[,OBJECT-ID]*
58           -S, --query-all
59           -X, --query-x
60           -Y, --query-y
61           -W, --query-width
62           -H, --query-height
63
64               --vacuum-defs
65               --select=OBJECT-ID[,OBJECT-ID]*
66               --actions=ACTION(:ARG)[;ACTION(:ARG)]*
67               --action-list
68
69           -g, --with-gui
70               --display=DISPLAY
71               --app-id-tag=TAG
72               --batch-process
73               --shell
74

DESCRIPTION

76       Inkscape is a Free and open source vector graphics editor. It offers a
77       rich set of features and is widely used for both artistic and technical
78       illustrations such as cartoons, clip art, logos, typography,
79       diagramming and flowcharting.  It uses vector graphics to allow for
80       sharp printouts and renderings at unlimited resolution and is not bound
81       to a fixed number of pixels like raster graphics. Inkscape uses the
82       standardized SVG file format as its main format, which is supported by
83       many other applications including web browsers.
84
85       The interface is designed to be comfortable and efficient for skilled
86       users, while remaining conformant to GNOME standards so that users
87       familiar with other GNOME applications can learn its interface rapidly.
88
89       SVG is a W3C standard XML format for 2D vector drawing. It allows
90       defining objects in the drawing using points, paths, and primitive
91       shapes.  Colors, fonts, stroke width, and so forth are specified as
92       `style' attributes to these objects.  The intent is that since SVG is a
93       standard, and since its files are text/xml, it will be possible to use
94       SVG files in a sizeable number of programs and for a wide range of
95       uses.
96
97       Inkscape uses SVG as its native document format, and has the goal of
98       becoming the most fully compliant drawing program for SVG files
99       available in the Open Source community.
100

OPTIONS

102       -?, --help
103               Shows a help message.
104
105       --help-all
106               Shows all help options.
107
108       --help-gapplication
109               Shows the GApplication options.
110
111       --help-gtk
112               Shows the GTK+ options.
113
114       -V, --version
115               Shows the Inkscape version and build date.
116
117       --debug-info
118               Prints technical information including Inkscape version,
119               dependency versions and operating system.  This Information is
120               useful when debugging issues with Inkscape and should be
121               included whenever filing a bug report.
122
123       --system-data-directory
124               Prints the system data directory where data files that ship
125               with Inkscape are stored. This includes files which Inkscape
126               requires to run (like unit definitions, built-in key maps,
127               files describing UI layout, icon themes, etc.), core
128               extensions, stock resources (filters, fonts, markers, color
129               palettes, symbols, templates) and documentation (SVG example
130               files, tutorials).
131
132               The location in which Inkscape expects the system data
133               directory can be overridden with the INKSCAPE_DATADIR
134               environment variable.
135
136       --user-data-directory
137               Prints the user profile directory where user-specific data
138               files and preferences are stored.  Custom extensions and
139               resources (filters, fonts, markers, color palettes, symbols,
140               templates) should be installed into their respective
141               subdirectories in this directory. In addition placing a file
142               with a name identical to one in the system data directory here
143               allows to override most presets from the system data directory
144               (e.g. default templates, UI files, etc.).
145
146               The default location of the profile directory can be overridden
147               with the INKSCAPE_PROFILE_DIR environment variable.
148
149       -p, --pipe
150               Reads input file from standard input (stdin).
151
152       --pdf-page=PAGE
153               Imports the given page of a pdf file. Numbering starts with 1.
154
155       --pdf-poppler
156               By default Inkscape imports PDF files via an internal (poppler-
157               derived) library.  Text is stored as text. Meshes are converted
158               to tiles.  Use --pdf-poppler to import via an external (poppler
159               with cairo backend) library instead. Text consists of groups
160               containing cloned glyphs where each glyph is a path.  Images
161               are stored internally. Meshes cause entire document to be
162               rendered as a raster image.
163
164       --convert-dpi-method=METHOD
165               Choose method used to rescale legacy (pre-0.92) files which
166               render slightly smaller due to the switch from 90 DPI to 96 DPI
167               when interpreting lengths expressed in units of pixels.
168               Possible values are "none" (no change, document will render at
169               94% of its original size), "scale-viewbox" (document will be
170               rescaled globally, individual lengths will stay untouched) and
171               "scale-document" (each length will be re-scaled individually).
172
173       --no-convert-text-baseline-spacing
174               Do not automatically fix text baselines in legacy (pre-0.92)
175               files on opening.  Inkscape 0.92 adopts the CSS standard
176               definition for the 'line-height' property, which differs from
177               past versions.  By default, the line height values in files
178               created prior to Inkscape 0.92 will be adjusted on loading to
179               preserve the intended text layout.  This command line option
180               will skip that adjustment.
181
182       -o, --export-filename=FILENAME
183               Sets the name of the output file. The default is to re-use the
184               name of the input file.  If --export-type is also used, the
185               file extension will be adjusted (or added) as appropriate.
186               Otherwise the file type to export will be inferred from the
187               extension of the specified filename.
188
189               Usage of the special filename "-" makes Inkscape write the
190               image data to standard output (stdout).
191
192       --export-overwrite
193               Overwrites input file.
194
195       --export-type=TYPE[,TYPE]*
196               Specify the file type to export. Possible values: svg, png, ps,
197               eps, pdf, emf, wmf and every file type for which an export
198               extension exists. It is possible to export more than one file
199               type at a time.
200
201               Note that PostScript does not support transparency, so any
202               transparent objects in the original SVG will be automatically
203               rasterized. Used fonts are subset and embedded. The default
204               export area is page; you can set it to drawing by
205               --export-area-drawing.
206
207               Note that PDF format preserves the transparency in the original
208               SVG.
209
210       --export-extension=EXTENSION-ID
211               Allows to specify an output extension that will be used for
212               exporting, which is especially relevant if there is more than
213               one export option for a given file type. If set, the file
214               extension in --export-filename and --export-type may be
215               omitted. Additionally, if set, only one file type may be given
216               in --export-type.
217
218       -C, --export-area-page
219               In SVG, PNG, PDF, PS exported area is the page. This is the
220               default for SVG, PNG, PDF, and PS, so you don't need to specify
221               this unless you are using --export-id to export a specific
222               object. For EPS this option is currently not supported.
223
224       -D, --export-area-drawing
225               In SVG, PNG, PDF, PS, and EPS export, exported area is the
226               drawing (not page), i.e. the bounding box of all objects of the
227               document (or of the exported object if --export-id is used).
228               With this option, the exported image will display all the
229               visible objects of the document without margins or cropping.
230               This is the default export area for EPS. For PNG, it can be
231               used in combination with --export-use-hints.
232
233       -a x0:y0:x1:y1, --export-area=x0:y0:x1:y1
234               In PNG export, set the exported area of the document, specified
235               in px (1/96 in). The default is to export the entire document
236               page. The point (0,0) is the lower-left corner.
237
238       --export-area-snap
239               For PNG export, snap the export area outwards to the nearest
240               integer px values. If you are using the default export
241               resolution of 96 dpi and your graphics are pixel-snapped to
242               minimize antialiasing, this switch allows you to preserve this
243               alignment even if you are exporting some object's bounding box
244               (with --export-id or --export-area-drawing) which is itself not
245               pixel-aligned.
246
247       -d DPI, --export-dpi=DPI
248               The resolution used for PNG export.  It is also used for
249               fallback rasterization of filtered objects when exporting to
250               PS, EPS, or PDF (unless you specify --export-ignore-filters to
251               suppress rasterization). The default is 96 dpi, which
252               corresponds to 1 SVG user unit (px, also called "user unit")
253               exporting to 1 bitmap pixel.  This value overrides the DPI hint
254               if used with --export-use-hints.
255
256       -w WIDTH, --export-width=WIDTH
257               The width of generated bitmap in pixels.  This value overrides
258               the --export-dpi setting (or the DPI hint if used with
259               --export-use-hints).
260
261       -h HEIGHT, --export-height=HEIGHT
262               The height of generated bitmap in pixels.  This value overrides
263               the --export-dpi setting (or the DPI hint if used with
264               --export-use-hints).
265
266       --export-margin=MARGIN
267               Adds a margin around the exported area. The size of the margin
268               is specified in units of page size (for SVG) or millimeters
269               (for PS/PDF).  The option currently has no effect for other
270               export formats.
271
272       -i ID, --export-id=OBJECT-ID[;OBJECT-ID]*
273               For PNG, PS, EPS, PDF and plain SVG export, the id attribute
274               value of the object(s) that you want to export from the
275               document; all other objects are not exported.  By default the
276               exported area is the bounding box of the object; you can
277               override this using --export-area (PNG only) or
278               --export-area-page.
279
280               If you specify many values with a semicolon separated list of
281               objects, each one will be exported separately. In this case the
282               exported files will be named this way:
283               [input_filename]_[ID].[export_type]
284
285       -j, --export-id-only
286               For PNG and plain SVG, only export the object whose id is given
287               in --export-id. All other objects are hidden and won't show in
288               export even if they overlay the exported object.  Without
289               --export-id, this option is ignored. For PDF export, this is
290               the default, so this option has no effect.
291
292       -l, --export-plain-svg
293               Export document(s) to plain SVG format, without sodipodi: or
294               inkscape: namespaces and without RDF metadata. Use the
295               --export-filename option to specify the filename.
296
297       --export-png-color-mode=COLORMODE
298               Sets the color mode (bit depth and color type) for exported
299               bitmaps
300               (Gray_1/Gray_2/Gray_4/Gray_8/Gray_16/RGB_8/RGB_16/GrayAlpha_8/GrayAlpha_16/RGBA_8/RGBA_16)
301
302       --export-png-use-dithering=false|true
303               Forces dithering or disables it (the Inkscape build must
304               support dithering for this).
305
306       --export-ps-level=LEVEL
307               Set language version for PS and EPS export. PostScript level 2
308               or 3 is supported. Default is 3.
309
310       --export-pdf-version=VERSION
311               Select the PDF version of the exported PDF file. This option
312               basically exposes the PDF version selector found in the PDF-
313               export dialog of the GUI. You must provide one of the versions
314               from that combo-box, e.g. "1.4". The default pdf export version
315               is "1.4".
316
317       -T, --export-text-to-path
318               Convert text objects to paths on export, where applicable (for
319               PS, EPS, PDF and SVG export).
320
321       --export-latex
322               (for PS, EPS, and PDF export) Used for creating images for
323               LaTeX documents, where the image's text is typeset by LaTeX.
324               When exporting to PDF/PS/EPS format, this option splits the
325               output into a PDF/PS/EPS file (e.g. as specified by
326               --export-type) and a LaTeX file. Text will not be output in the
327               PDF/PS/EPS file, but instead will appear in the LaTeX file.
328               This LaTeX file includes the PDF/PS/EPS. Inputting
329               (\input{image.tex}) the LaTeX file in your LaTeX document will
330               show the image and all text will be typeset by LaTeX. See the
331               resulting LaTeX file for more information.  Also see GNUPlot's
332               `epslatex' output terminal.
333
334       --export-ignore-filters
335               Export filtered objects (e.g. those with blur) as vectors,
336               ignoring the filters (for PS, EPS, and PDF export).  By
337               default, all filtered objects are rasterized at --export-dpi
338               (default 96 dpi), preserving the appearance.
339
340       -t, --export-use-hints
341               While exporting to PNG, use export filename and DPI hints
342               stored in the exported object (only with --export-id).  These
343               hints are set automatically when you export selection from
344               within Inkscape.  So, for example, if you export a shape with
345               id="path231" as /home/me/shape.png at 300 dpi from document.svg
346               using Inkscape GUI, and save the document, then later you will
347               be able to reexport that shape to the same file with the same
348               resolution simply with
349
350                   inkscape -i path231 -t document.svg
351
352               If you use --export-dpi, --export-width, or --export-height
353               with this option, then the DPI hint will be ignored and the
354               value from the command line will be used.  If you use
355               --export-filename with this option, then the filename hint will
356               be ignored and the filename from the command line will be used.
357
358       -b COLOR, --export-background=COLOR
359               Background color of exported PNG.  This may be any SVG
360               supported color string, for example "#ff007f" or "rgb(255, 0,
361               128)".  If not set, then the page color set in Inkscape in the
362               Document Properties dialog will be used (stored in the
363               pagecolor= attribute of sodipodi:namedview).
364
365       -y VALUE, --export-background-opacity=VALUE
366               Opacity of the background of exported PNG.  This may be a value
367               either between 0.0 and 1.0 (0.0 meaning full transparency, 1.0
368               full opacity) or greater than 1 up to 255 (255 meaning full
369               opacity).  If not set and the -b option is not used, then the
370               page opacity set in Inkscape in the Document Properties dialog
371               will be used (stored in the inkscape:pageopacity= attribute of
372               sodipodi:namedview).  If not set but the -b option is used,
373               then the value of 255 (full opacity) will be used.
374
375       -I, --query-id=OBJECT-ID[,OBJECT-ID]*
376               Set the ID(s) of the object(s) whose dimensions are queried in
377               a comma-separated list. If not set, query options will return
378               the dimensions of the drawing (i.e. all document objects), not
379               the page or viewbox.
380
381               If you specify many values with a comma separated list of
382               objects, any geometry query (e.g. --query-x) will return a
383               comma separated list of values corresponding to the list of
384               objects in --query-id.
385
386       -S, --query-all
387               Prints a comma delimited listing of all objects in the SVG
388               document with IDs defined, along with their x, y, width, and
389               height values.
390
391       -X, --query-x
392               Query the X coordinate of the drawing or, if specified, of the
393               object with --query-id. The returned value is in px (SVG user
394               units).
395
396       -Y, --query-y
397               Query the Y coordinate of the drawing or, if specified, of the
398               object with --query-id. The returned value is in px (SVG user
399               units).
400
401       -W, --query-width
402               Query the width of the drawing or, if specified, of the object
403               with --query-id. The returned value is in px (SVG user units).
404
405       -H, --query-height
406               Query the height of the drawing or, if specified, of the object
407               with --query-id. The returned value is in px (SVG user units).
408
409       --vacuum-defs
410               Remove all unused items from the "<defs>" section of the SVG
411               file.  If this option is invoked in conjunction with
412               --export-plain-svg, only the exported file will be affected.
413               If it is used alone, the specified file will be modified in
414               place.
415
416       --select=OBJECT-ID[,OBJECT-ID]*
417               The --select command will cause objects that have the ID
418               specified to be selected.  You can select many objects width a
419               comma separated list.  This allows various verbs to act upon
420               them.  To remove all the selections use "--verb=EditDeselect".
421               The object IDs available are dependent on the document
422               specified to load.
423
424       --actions=ACTION(:ARG)[;ACTION(:ARG)]*
425               Actions are a new method to call functions with an optional
426               single parameter.  To get a list of the action IDs available,
427               use the --action-list command line option.  Eventually all
428               verbs will be replaced by actions.   Temporarily, any verb can
429               be used as an action (without a parameter).  Note, most verbs
430               require a GUI (even if they don't use it). To close the GUI
431               automatically at the end of processing, use --batch-process.
432               In addition all export options have matching actions (remove
433               the '--' in front of the option and replace '=' with ':').
434
435               If only actions are used --batch-process must be used.
436
437               Export can be forced at any point with the export-do action.
438               This allows one to do multiple exports on a single file.
439
440       --action-list
441               Prints a list of all available actions.
442
443       -g, --with-gui
444               Try to use the GUI (on Unix, use the X server even if $DISPLAY
445               is not set).
446
447       --display=DISPLAY
448               Sets the X display to use for the Inkscape window.
449
450       --app-id-tag=TAG
451               Creates a unique instance of Inkscape with the application ID
452               'org.inkscape.Inkscape.TAG'. This is useful to separate the
453               Inkscape instances when running different Inkscape versions or
454               using different preferences files concurrently.
455
456       --batch-process
457               Close GUI after executing all actions or verbs.
458
459       --shell With this parameter, Inkscape will enter an interactive command
460               line shell mode. In this mode, you type in commands at the
461               prompt and Inkscape executes them, without you having to run a
462               new copy of Inkscape for each command. This feature is mostly
463               useful for scripting and server uses: it adds no new
464               capabilities but allows you to improve the speed and memory
465               requirements of any script that repeatedly calls Inkscape to
466               perform command line tasks (such as export or conversions).
467
468               In shell mode Inkscape expects a sequence of actions (or verbs)
469               as input.  They will be processed line by line, that means
470               typically when pressing enter.  It is possible (but not
471               necessary) to put all actions on a single line.
472
473               The following example opens a file and exports it into two
474               different formats, then opens another file and exports a single
475               object:
476
477                   file-open:file1.svg; export-type:pdf; export-do; export-type:png; export-do
478                   file-open:file2.svg; export-id:rect2; export-id-only; export-filename:rect_only.svg; export-do
479

CONFIGURATION

481       The main configuration file is located in
482       ~/.config/inkscape/preferences.xml; it stores a variety of
483       customization settings that you can change in Inkscape (mostly in the
484       Inkscape Preferences dialog).  Also in the subdirectories there, you
485       can place your own:
486
487       $HOME/.config/inkscape/extensions/ - extensions.
488
489       $HOME/.config/inkscape/fonts/ - fonts.
490
491       $HOME/.config/inkscape/icons/ - icon sets.
492
493       $HOME/.config/inkscape/keys/ - keyboard maps.
494
495       $HOME/.config/inkscape/paint/ - patterns and hatches.
496
497       $HOME/.config/inkscape/palettes/ - palettes.
498
499       $HOME/.config/inkscape/symbols/ - symbol files.
500
501       $HOME/.config/inkscape/templates/ - new file templates.
502
503       $HOME/.config/inkscape/ui/ - user interface files.
504

DIAGNOSTICS

506       The program returns zero on success or non-zero on failure.
507
508       A variety of error messages and warnings may be printed to STDERR or
509       STDOUT.  If the program behaves erratically with a particular SVG file
510       or crashes, it is useful to look at this output for clues.
511

EXAMPLES

513       While obviously Inkscape is primarily intended as a GUI application, it
514       can be used for doing SVG processing on the command line as well.
515
516       Open an SVG file in the GUI:
517
518           inkscape filename.svg
519
520       Export an SVG file into PNG with the default resolution of 96 dpi (one
521       SVG user unit translates to one bitmap pixel):
522
523           inkscape --export-filename=filename.png filename.svg
524
525       Same, but force the PNG file to be 600x400 pixels:
526
527           inkscape --export-filename=filename.png -w 600 -h 400 filename.svg
528
529       Same, but export the drawing (bounding box of all objects), not the
530       page:
531
532           inkscape --export-filename=filename.png --export-area-drawing filename.svg
533
534       Export two different files into four distinct file formats each:
535
536           inkscape --export-type=png,ps,eps,pdf filename1.svg filename2.svg
537
538       Export to PNG the object with id="text1555", using the output filename
539       and the resolution that were used for that object last time when it was
540       exported from the GUI:
541
542           inkscape --export-id=text1555 --export-use-hints filename.svg
543
544       Same, but use the default 96 dpi resolution, specify the filename, and
545       snap the exported area outwards to the nearest whole SVG user unit
546       values (to preserve pixel-alignment of objects and thus minimize
547       aliasing):
548
549           inkscape --export-id=text1555 --export-filename=text.png --export-area-snap filename.svg
550
551       Convert an Inkscape SVG document to plain SVG:
552
553           inkscape --export-plain-svg --export-filename=filename2.svg filename1.svg
554
555       Convert an SVG document to EPS, converting all texts to paths:
556
557           inkscape --export-filename=filename.eps --export-text-to-path filename.svg
558
559       Query the width of the object with id="text1555":
560
561           inkscape --query-width --query-id=text1555 filename.svg
562
563       Duplicate the objects with id="path1555" and id="rect835", rotate the
564       duplicates 90 degrees, save SVG, and quit:
565
566           inkscape --select=path1555,rect835 --actions="duplicate;object-rotate-90-cw" --export-overwrite filename.svg
567
568       Select all objects with ellipse tag, rotate them 30 degrees, save the
569       file, and quit.
570
571           inkscape --actions="select-by-element:ellipse;transform-rotate:30" --export-overwrite filename.svg
572
573       Export the object with the ID MyTriangle with a semi transparent purple
574       background to the file triangle_purple.png and with a red background to
575       the file triangle_red.png.
576
577           inkscape --actions="export-id:MyTriangle; export-id-only; export-background:purple; export-background-opacity:0.5;export-filename:triangle_purple.png; export-do; export-background:red; export-background-opacity:1; export-filename:triangle_red.png; export-do" filename.svg
578
579       Read an SVG from standard input (stdin) and export it to PDF format:
580
581           cat filename.svg | inkscape --pipe --export-filename=filename.pdf
582
583       Export an SVG to PNG format and write it to standard output (stdout),
584       then convert it to JPG format with ImageMagick's convert program:
585
586           inkscape --export-type=png --export-filename=- filename.svg | convert - filename.jpg
587
588       Same as above, but also reading from a pipe (--export-filename can be
589       omitted in this case)
590
591           cat filename.svg | inkscape --pipe --export-type=png | convert - filename.jpg
592

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

594       INKSCAPE_PROFILE_DIR
595               Set a custom location for the user profile directory.
596
597       INKSCAPE_DATADIR
598               Set a custom location for the Inkscape data directory (e.g.
599               $PREFIX/share if Inkscape's shared files are in
600               $PREFIX/share/inkscape).
601
602       INKSCAPE_LOCALEDIR
603               Set a custom location for the translation catalog.
604
605       For more details see also
606       <http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/Environment_variables>
607

THEMES

609       To load different icons sets instead of the default
610       $PREFIX/share/inkscape/icons/icons.svg file, the directory
611       $HOME/.config/inkscape/icons/ is used.  Icons are loaded by name (e.g.
612       fill_none.svg), or if not found, then from icons.svg.  If the icon is
613       not loaded from either of those locations, it falls back to the default
614       system location.
615
616       The needed icons are loaded from SVG files by searching for the SVG id
617       with the matching icon name.  (For example, to load the "fill_none"
618       icon from a file, the bounding box seen for SVG id "fill_none" is
619       rendered as the icon, whether it comes from fill_none.svg or
620       icons.svg.)
621

OTHER INFO

623       The canonical place to find Inkscape info is at
624       <https://www.inkscape.org/>.  The website has news, documentation,
625       tutorials, examples, mailing list archives, the latest released version
626       of the program, bugs and feature requests databases, forums, and more.
627

SEE ALSO

629       potrace, cairo, rsvg, batik, ghostscript, pstoedit.
630
631       SVG compliance test suite:
632       <https://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/WG/wiki/Test_Suite_Overview>
633
634       SVG validator: <https://validator.w3.org/>
635
636       Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.1 Specification W3C Recommendation 16
637       August 2011 <https://www.w3.org/TR/SVG11/>
638
639       Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 1.2 Specification W3C Working Draft 13
640       April 2005 <https://www.w3.org/TR/SVG12/>
641
642       Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2 Specification W3C Candidate
643       Recommendation 15 September 2016 <https://www.w3.org/TR/SVG2/>
644
645       Document Object Model (DOM): Level 2 Core W3C Recommendation 13
646       November 2000 <https://www.w3.org/TR/DOM-Level-2-Core/>
647

GUI NOTES

649       To learn Inkscape's GUI operation, read the manual in Help > Inkscape
650       manual, and the tutorials in Help > Tutorials.
651
652       Apart from SVG, Inkscape can import (File > Import) most bitmap formats
653       (PNG, BMP, JPG, XPM, GIF, etc.), plain text (requires Perl), PS and EPS
654       (requires Ghostscript), PDF and AI format (AI version 9.0 or newer).
655
656       Inkscape exports 32-bit PNG images (File > Export PNG Image) as well as
657       AI, PS, EPS, PDF, DXF, and several other formats via File > Save as.
658
659       Inkscape can use the pressure and tilt of a graphic tablet pen for
660       width, angle, and force of action of several tools, including the
661       Calligraphic pen.
662
663       Inkscape includes a GUI front-end to the Potrace bitmap tracing engine
664       (<http://potrace.sf.net>) which is embedded into Inkscape.
665
666       Inkscape can use external scripts (stdin-to-stdout filters) that are
667       represented by commands in the Extensions menu. A script can have a GUI
668       dialog for setting various parameters and can get the IDs of the
669       selected objects on which to act via the command line. Inkscape comes
670       with an assortment of effects written in Python.
671

KEYBINDINGS

673       To get a complete list of keyboard and mouse shortcuts, view
674       doc/keys.html, or use the Keys and Mouse command in Help menu.
675

BUGS

677       Many bugs are known; please refer to the website
678       (<https://www.inkscape.org/>) for reviewing the reported ones and to
679       report newly found issues.  See also the Known Issues section in the
680       Release Notes for your version (file `NEWS').
681

HISTORY

683       The codebase that would become Inkscape began life in 1999 as the
684       program Gill, the GNOME Illustrator application, created by Raph
685       Levien.  The stated objective for Gill was to eventually support all of
686       SVG.  Raph implemented the PostScript bezier imaging model, including
687       stroking and filling, line cap style, line join style, text, etc.
688       Raph's Gill page is at <http://www.levien.com/svg/>.  Work on Gill
689       appears to have slowed or ceased in 2000.
690
691       The next incarnation of the codebase was to become the highly popular
692       program Sodipodi, led by Lauris Kaplinski.  The codebase was turned
693       into a powerful illustration program over the course of several year's
694       work, adding several new features, multi-lingual support, porting to
695       Windows and other operating systems, and eliminating dependencies.
696
697       Inkscape was formed in 2003 by four active Sodipodi developers, Bryce
698       Harrington, MenTaLguY, Nathan Hurst, and Ted Gould, wanting to take a
699       different direction with the codebase in terms of focus on SVG
700       compliance, interface look-and-feel, and a desire to open development
701       opportunities to more participants.  The project progressed rapidly,
702       gaining a number of very active contributors and features.
703
704       Much work in the early days of the project focused on code
705       stabilization and internationalization.  The original renderer
706       inherited from Sodipodi was laced with a number of mathematical corner
707       cases which led to unexpected crashes when the program was pushed
708       beyond routine uses; this renderer was replaced with Livarot which,
709       while not perfect either, was significantly less error prone.  The
710       project also adopted a practice of committing code frequently, and
711       encouraging users to run developmental snapshots of the program; this
712       helped identify new bugs swiftly, and ensure it was easy for users to
713       verify the fixes.  As a result, Inkscape releases have generally earned
714       a reputation for being robust and reliable.
715
716       Similarly, efforts were taken to internationalize and localize the
717       interface, which has helped the program gain contributors worldwide.
718
719       Inkscape has had a beneficial impact on the visual attractiveness of
720       Open Source in general, by providing a tool for creating and sharing
721       icons, splash screens, website art, and so on.  In a way, despite being
722       "just an drawing program", Inkscape has played an important role in
723       making Open Source more visually stimulating to larger audiences.
724

AUTHORS

726       This codebase owes its existence to a large number of contributors
727       throughout its various incarnations.  The following list is certainly
728       incomplete, but serves to recognize the many shoulders on which this
729       application sits:
730
731       Maximilian Albert, Joshua A. Andler, Tavmjong Bah, Pierre Barbry-Blot,
732       Jean-François Barraud, Campbell Barton, Bill Baxter, John Beard, John
733       Bintz, Arpad Biro, Nicholas Bishop, Joshua L. Blocher, Hanno Böck,
734       Tomasz Boczkowski, Adrian Boguszewski, Henrik Bohre, Boldewyn, Daniel
735       Borgmann, Bastien Bouclet, Hans Breuer, Gustav Broberg, Christopher
736       Brown, Marcus Brubaker, Luca Bruno, Brynn, Nicu Buculei, Bulia Byak,
737       Pierre Caclin, Ian Caldwell, Gail Carmichael, Ed Catmur, Chema Celorio,
738       Jabiertxo Arraiza Cenoz, Johan Ceuppens, Zbigniew Chyla, Alexander
739       Clausen, John Cliff, Kees Cook, Ben Cromwell, Jon Cruz, Aurélie De-
740       Cooman, Kris De Gussem, Milosz Derezynski, Daniel Díaz, Bruno Dilly,
741       Larry Doolittle, Nicolas Dufour, Tim Dwyer, Maxim V. Dziumanenko,
742       Moritz Eberl, Johan Engelen, Miklos Erdelyi, Ulf Erikson, Noé Falzon,
743       Sebastian Faubel, Frank Felfe, Andrew Fitzsimon, Edward Flick, Marcin
744       Floryan, Fred, Ben Fowler, Cedric Gemy, Steren Giannini, Olivier
745       Gondouin, Ted Gould, Toine de Greef, Michael Grosberg, Bryce
746       Harrington, Dale Harvey, Aurélio Adnauer Heckert, René de Hesselle,
747       Carl Hetherington, Jos Hirth, Hannes Hochreiner, Thomas Holder, Joel
748       Holdsworth, Christoffer Holmstedt, Alan Horkan, Karl Ove Hufthammer,
749       Richard Hughes, Nathan Hurst, inductiveload, Thomas Ingham, Jean-
750       Olivier Irisson, Bob Jamison, Ted Janeczko, Marc Jeanmougin, jEsuSdA,
751       Lauris Kaplinski, Lynn Kerby, Niko Kiirala, James Kilfiger, Nikita
752       Kitaev, Jason Kivlighn, Adrian Knoth, Krzysztof Kosiński, Petr Kovar,
753       Benoît Lavorata, Alex Leone, Julien Leray, Raph Levien, Diederik van
754       Lierop, Nicklas Lindgren, Vitaly Lipatov, Ivan Louette, Fernando
755       Lucchesi Bastos Jurema, Pierre-Antoine Marc, Aurel-Aimé Marmion, Colin
756       Marquardt, Craig Marshall, Ivan Masár, Dmitry G. Mastrukov, David
757       Mathog, Matiphas, Patrick McDermott, Michael Meeks, Federico Mena,
758       MenTaLguY, Aubanel Monnier, Vincent Montagne, Tim Mooney, Derek P.
759       Moore, Chris Morgan, Peter Moulder, Jörg Müller, Yukihiro Nakai, Victor
760       Navez, Jonathan Neuhauser, Christian Neumair, Nick, Andreas Nilsson,
761       Mitsuru Oka, Vinícius dos Santos Oliveira, Martin Owens, Alvin Penner,
762       Matthew Petroff, Jon Phillips, Zdenko Podobny, Alexandre Prokoudine,
763       Jean-René Reinhard, Alexey Remizov, Frederic Rodrigo, Hugo Rodrigues,
764       Jean Franco Amoni Rodríguez, Juarez Rudsatz, Xavier Conde Rueda, Felipe
765       Corrêa da Silva Sanches, Christian Schaller, Marco Scholten, Tom von
766       Schwerdtner, Markus Schwienbacher, Danilo Šegan, Abhishek Sharma, Tim
767       Sheridan, Shivaken, Michael Sloan, John Smith, Sandra Snan, Boštjan
768       Špetič, Aaron Spike, Kaushik Sridharan, Ralf Stephan, Dariusz Stojek,
769       Patrick Storz, Martin Sucha, ~suv, Pat Suwalski, Adib Taraben, Parcly
770       Taxel, Hugh Tebby, Jonas Termeau, David Turner, Andre Twupack,
771       Aleksandar Urošević, Alex Valavanis, Joakim Verona, Lucas Vieites,
772       Daniel Wagenaar, Liam P. White, Sebastian Wüst, Michael Wybrow, Gellule
773       Xg, Daniel Yacob, Masatake Yamato, David Yip, Sushant A.A.
774
776       Copyright (C) 1999-2022 by Authors.
777
778       Inkscape is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
779       under the terms of the GPL version 2 or later.
780
781
782
7831.2.1                             2022-07-14                       INKSCAPE(1)
Impressum