Inkscape

Problem with losing gradient when converting to pdf

Asked by Kate

I have a new laptop, running Windows 8.1. I installed the latest version of Inkscape (48.5) and designed a simple brochure (no layers). I have two boxes with gradient color. When I converted to pdf, the gradient is lost and the boxes are a solid color. Additionally, one box shrinks to about 1/3 the size. Oddly, when I sent the .svg file to my old laptop, it converted the files to pdfs with any trouble (running Windows 7, version 48.4 of Inkscape).

What might be going on? Some setting I need to change in my new version of Inkscape?

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Hachmann (marenhachmann) said : 		#1

Hi Kate,

what kind of pdf file are you creating?

I suspect you are creating a pdf-X (which is still often required for printing companies), which does not support partial transparency AND that your gradients go from solid color to (partially) transparent color.

You can use gradients with pdf-X, but you need to use solid colors for both ends of the gradient, no alpha, no partial transparency.

Or, if possible, you could use another pdf file format, for example 1.4 or 1.5.

You could also just 'print to file' from inkscape instead of converting your svg with another program, then you will get a pdf file (if you choose that format) which does support partial transparency (but which is NOT pdf-X).

Hope this helps!

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Hachmann (marenhachmann) said : 		#2

About the shrinking: Does it help to choose different base units for your file?

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