Scribus 1.4.8

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jed7@cox.net

I have been a Scribus user for the past 4 or 5 years.  I made the mistake of downloading 1.4.8.
"Use this branch if you want to work with a thoroughly tested software without any unpleasant surprises."  This is a joke, right?
Just try to open a .pdf file.  You can get it into a Scribus document by treating it as an image file but the result is useless.  It's ragged and blurry.
Also, can't get postscript to load properly.  The pdf standard has been around since 2008 and Postscript has been around for 30 years.
I also can't get Inkscape .svg files to load correctly.  A beautiful Inkscape file is reduce to useless rubbish.
Is there any hope?
I think I hear the violins in the background!
regards,
jd

Nermander

It sounds as if you are trying to use Scribus in ways it is not intended to be used.

Scribus is not designed to edit PDF files, it is designed to create them.

There is support to use a PDF as "image" (i.e. import it into an image frame). This is intented to for example place ads in magazines. I think it may also be possible to import postscript in the same way, but I am not sure.

And SVGs should be imported as vectors. The problem is that Inkscape may use features that Scribus does not support.

jed7@cox.net

I am NOT trying to  edit a pdf file.  It was produced by different software.  pdf is a variation on Postscript.  It was specifically designed for page layout and as such is vector oriented .  I just wanted to load the information contained in the file into Scribus.  I was basically doing what you described.  Just loading a small bit of text and an image into a Scribus document, not magazine ad but close.  I always import .svg files as vectors using the IMPORT tool.  Used to work great.  Now, not so much.  As for unsupported .svg features, all I can do is use the Inkscape save as "plain SVG" .  Is there software available that generates .svg files that Scribus is capable of using properly?  I should very much like to know the name of it.  Also, is there any software out there that is capable of printing a Scribus document directly, preserving the quality?  Scribus has difficulty with printing.  I can sometimes let Scribus generate a .pdf and then print it with another program; however, sometime items get lost (they are in the Scribus document but when exported as a .pdf and then printed by say Foxxit or Gimp they disappear). 
Scribus is excellent at type setting and pretty good at document layout.   Read the first three sentences of the original post again.
Thanks,
jd             

RodneyLee

.PDF looks great in 1.5.5 I don't import just open, text not editable of couse but its there and inkscape .svg load perfectly also (linux mint 19.3)

utnik

hi jed7

Quote from: jed7@cox.net on January 15, 2020, 08:42:24 PM...Just try to open a .pdf file.  You can get it into a Scribus document by treating it as an image file but the result is useless.  It's ragged and blurry.

the blurry look on screen depends on the preview settings.
if it looks blurry in the exported .pdf file, you have two options:

  • check 'embed pdf & eps files' to keep the placed file untouched (it's called 'experimental' because it's not color managed...)
  • increase the 'resolution for eps graphics'
QuoteI also can't get Inkscape .svg files to load correctly.  A beautiful Inkscape file is reduce to useless rubbish.

could you provide such an .svg file for testing? – most .svg files work well for me.

utnik

jed7@cox.net

One file attached.  The server is having a problem with uploads so check separate message for remaining two files.
This is not the best example of the problem but it demonstrates a text only aspect.
Original was a .docx file.  Rather than type the recreate the entire layout again I saved the docx document as a pdf and then loaded the .pdf into inkscape.  One cannot load a pdf into Scribus directly and inserting it in an image box creates another whole set of problems.  So, have the page layout in Inkscape.  Looks OK on the screen.  Save it as a either an Inkscape .svg or a plain .svg.  Both have the same problem.
Run up Scribus 1.4.8 and do a FILE - IMPORT - GET vector file.  Deposit on the Scribus page.   Adjust boundaries.  Two serious problems are easily seen.
1. The text runs over the bounding box.  See the attached bad_import.pdf also included my .sla file
2. The text kerning is terrible.
3. Some text runs over other text.
The file looks perfect in Inkscape and if I open it with Firefox it is perfect and if I open it with Gimp it is perfect and File Monitor opens it perfectly.  File monitor is a neat little program for viewing most any disk file.
Now, before you say it, this is NOT the recommended way to get a text file into Scribus.  It is just an example of the Scribus problem with loading a .SVG file.  In the past I frequently used Inkscape to make .svg files and layouts.  I don't know which program (maybe both) are having the problem.  I do a fair amount of graphic design for everything from newsletter to posters & flyers.  Scribus is better than Inkscape because of superb type setting abilities.  It's great at multipage layouts.  It drives me crazy.  I do a nice layout and then when I print it it is a disaster.  The standing view is you can't print with either Scribus or Inkscape.  Use Gimp or some other program.  This is filled with land mines.  Often the Gimp printout will have lost one object that the original contained.  Maybe an object will have been rotated/scaled.  Hours and hours spent on these problems...
Anway, enough of this rant.

[attachment deleted by admin]

jed7@cox.net

the .pdf is attached.

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jed7@cox.net

Here is the .sla file for this example.  It's ZIPPED.

[attachment deleted by admin]

a.l.e

one of two cases: my inskcape can (i guess) not correctly import "P1_plain.svg" or you are doing a very funky layout.
firefox is slightly better in the text import but misses some glyphs

scribus does a very bad job with it, but i fear that the SVG must have a few issues, too...

can it be, that you used multiline text in inkscape?

personally, i never import text from inkscape without outlining it on export...
but you're free to do as as you feel... as long as it works well : - )

jed7@cox.net

Quote from: a.l.e on January 16, 2020, 06:42:18 PM
one of two cases: my inskcape can (i guess) not correctly import "P1_plain.svg" or you are doing a very funky layout.
firefox is slightly better in the text import but misses some glyphs
The file was generated by Inkscape in the "plain" mode.  Other software packages seem to be able to import it correctly so I assume that there can not be much wrong with it.

utnik

see what 'P1_plain.svg' looks here in inkscape:



[attachment deleted by admin]

jed7@cox.net

Fascinating!  Attached is a screen shot from the file (P1_plain.svg) loaded into my copy of Inkscape v. 0.92.
I could fix all my problems by using Adobe Illustrator or InDesign; however, only on-site software is allowed - no cloud.

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utnik

well, as the fonts aren't embedded, i'm  not that surprised about the difference. but this might be part of the problem...

...and i don't understand your workflow anyway. (what do you need inkscape and scribus for, when you do your layout in ms word?)

utnik

jed7@cox.net

The fonts are TrueType Algerian and Arial.  Embedded fonts?  This is an interesting comment.  I have been assuming that Inkscape is using system fonts.  If you look at the ,svg file the font is  not embedded.  Only the font name appears which implies that Inkscape is depending on the system to  supply the font.  The Inkscape manual says that if Inkscape cannot find the font on the system blank space is inserted in the document.  So, I am puzzled.

As to the workflow, I never use Word.  The .docx file was supplied by an associate and I was too lazy to redo the entire layout.  I used LibreOffice to generate a .pdf from the docx which I loaded into Inkscape cause Scribus is hopeless with pdf files.

Thanks,
jd 

a.l.e

jd, you're new to this forum...

a small hint from my side: would you mind asking questions, instead of spreading rage all around?

you are talking to experts in here, and i'm pretty sure that there are a few things you could learn on how your wishes can turn into a result that you can send to a print shop.
and be confident that it will be printed exactly as you see it in the pdf created by scribus.

in this specific case, i would:

- open the docx in LO
- produce a pdf (making sure that fonts are embedded: it's in file > properties > fonts)
- load the pdf in a scribus 1.4 image frame
- depending on your needs produce a pdf with out without pdf embedding (experimental)
- check the pdf and then send it to the print shop

if one of the steps above does not work, fix it. if you can't fix it, ask for help.
or just use a high res png image.

ciao
a.l.e

p.s.: until the now here are the questions you have asked in here:

- Embedded fonts?
- Is there software available that generates .svg files that Scribus is capable of using properly?
- is there any software out there that is capable of printing a Scribus document directly, preserving the quality?
- This is a joke, right?
- Is there any hope?

the answers are:
- yes.
- inkscape (but you have to take care that not all svg features are supported by scribus; and you should not use svg for this).
- yes. adobe acrobat in primis.
- no. look around: nobody is laughing.
- no, everybody will die at the end. sorry for the spoiler.

i'm confident that you can ask better questions.