how do you get rid of lines in a pattern?

On 2014-02-07 22:21 +0100, Robyn Wood wrote:
> Also, when I print the pattern by exporting to bitmap, it makes a png
> file, not a bmp file. Is that right?

Yes, that is right. Recommended reading:
<http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/File-Export.html>
<http://tavmjong.free.fr/INKSCAPE/MANUAL/html/File-Export.html#File-Export-PNG>

(Note: the menu item will be renamed in the next major version to 'File > Export PNG Image').

Likely the original issue is related to a known problem with the old renderer in current stable Inkscape versions, as tracked e.g. in
- Bug #165780 (sf980785) “Pattern Gaps”
  <https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/165780>
- Bug #167900 (sf1539029) “Tiled imported bitmap textures have errors, also exported”
  <https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/167900>
but it is rather difficult to confirm based on a text-only description of the actual file content.

Maybe you could upload a sample SVG file to a free image hosting service (<http://imagebin.org/> and <http://imgh.us> for example accept and serve SVG files); or use a file sharing service (Dropbox, etc), and post the link here, so that the actual problem (at least wrt rendering and bitmap export) can be looked at closer on other systems, and with different versions of Inkscape.

> (…) forgetting that I was not supposed to be able to do that

You seem to refer to either some conversation elsewhere, or a known bug - could you share more information what this is about?

I thought you had to have a special printer to print svg files from inkscape. I don't have that kind of printer, but somehow I managed to print from inkscape to my Hp all in one 8500 printer. I don't understand how that happened. I can't print the new pattern I created.

I uploaded the file to imagebin. It is under woodaggies

> I uploaded the file to imagebin. It is under woodaggies

Just for convenience in case someone else has time to help with this question: Here is the direct link to the SVG file (save to disk and open in Inkscape - the file renders empty in browser since all visible content is off-page):
<http://imagebin.org/index.php?mode=image&id=291537>

Just a quick comment after having opened the document both in current stable Inkscape 0.48, and in a recent development snapshot build: the file 'six.svg' is affected by the bug mentioned earlier (pattern gaps), however there are also gaps in the pattern fill 'as designed' - because some of the shapes in the original groups extend beyond the rectangles underneath them, thus causing the 'gaps' because the pattern is tiled based on the bounding box of all groups selected, without negative overlapping.

Make sure that the selection bounding box tightly fits the intended area before converting objects to pattern, and that none of the smaller shapes extend beyond the colored background. It is also important that all colored rectangles are precisely aligned (same width, aligned to the same x coordinate). With current stable Inkscape 0.48 though, there is no real fix for the pattern gap problem - it can be mitigated e.g. by placed a filled rectangle underneath the large one which uses the pattern. IIRC there are other possible workarounds mentioned in the comments of the related bug reports (and duplicates).

The next major release of Inkscape, with a new renderer, will render the pattern-filled rectangle without gaps (but only after the original groups have been adjusted with more precision, e.g. with the help of node snapping and guides).