Inkscape

Saves without text

Asked by mattman0

I have a logo that I have developed it contains some graphics and some text on a path which sits on the graphics.
When saved in .svg only the graphic part is saved, the text is not there!
When saved as a .pdf it is OK
I am at a loss as to how to get this to save correctly.

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Inkscape Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
su_v
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
su_v (suv-lp) said : 		#1

> When saved in .svg only the graphic part is saved, the text is not there!

In Inkscape or in other SVG viewers (web browsers, image viewers or thumbnail browsers)?

If the text is missing in external SVG viewers, you probably used 'Flowed Text' or 'Text > Flow into frame' instead of regular text: Please read
- Inkscape FAQ: What about flowed text?
  <http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/FAQ#What_about_flowed_text.3F>
- Inkscape Manual > Creating Text: SVG and Flowed Text
  <http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL_v16/html/Text-Creating.html#Text-Enter-Flow>

Best practices if you intend to publish your drawing as SVG (and not as PNG, or PDF):
- Don't use flowed text unless really needed (i.e. don't click-drag and create a text frame before entering text, just click once with the text tool and enter the text right away). Logos usually have short texts (a word or a sentence) and no need for flowed text at all.
- if you need flowed text for better formatting a larger paragraph of text or a special effect [1], save a copy of the SVG file (intended for publishing), and convert the flowed text in the copy to regular text using menu 'Text > Convert to Text'. Keep the original unchanged to allow later editing without losing the feature of automatically adjusted line breaks for flowed text or text flowed into a frame or shape.

[1] <http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL_v16/html/Text-Flow.html>

Revision history for this message
mattman0 (matt-mjcj) said : 		#2

I have tried the one click method of creating the text and then putting it on to the path and it has the same result, the text is not there in other .svg viewers.
Any further help would be appreciated.
Thanks

Revision history for this message
Best su_v (suv-lp) said : 		#3

oops - my mistake! How could I miss the 'on a path' bit...

Which software do you use to render / view the SVG file [1]? If it fails to support the SVG feature 'text on path', you could convert the text object into paths (in the copy to be viewed externally):

1) select the text object you had put on a path
2) apply menu 'Path > Object to Path'

This will convert the text into a group of paths, preserving the shape as rendered in Inkscape. Note that the converted text will no longer be editable as text - it is recommended to keep the original unconverted and save a copy for external use.

[1] AFAICT text-on-path is well supported by web browsers, but in my quick tests it seems that the SVG viewer based on librsvg fails to render the text (librsvg is used e.g. for the image preview in nautilus and other linux-based image viewers supporting SVG).

Revision history for this message
su_v (suv-lp) said : 		#4

~suv said 9 minutes ago:
> it seems that the SVG viewer based on librsvg fails to
> render the text (librsvg is used e.g. for the image
> preview in nautilus and other linux-based image
> viewers supporting SVG)

See for example this report:
Bug #693778 in eog (Ubuntu): “Image Viewer fails to render text curved along a path in an SVG file”:
<https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/eog/+bug/693778>

Revision history for this message
mattman0 (matt-mjcj) said : 		#5

Thanks ~suv, that solved my question.