How do I Convert a PDF to SVG for Inkscape

charlie. · 11:20 AM

I have a PDF file with a single page containing vector graphics. This page contains loads of cruft and a small, highly-detailed graphics (a map of a campus) in the corner. I want to remove the cruft and print only this map. Better still, this map is a vector graphics so I should be able to expand it to exploit the free space.

One way to do this would be to open the PDF file in a vector graphics program, like Inkscape, delete the cruft and scale up the map. There's only one problem. Inkscape won't load a PDF file.

How do I convert the PDF file into a format that Inkscape can read, ideally SVG?

I have tried GhostScript, and managed to convert it into a Postscript (.ps) file. This is not very useful.

I pushed the Postscript file through a utility called "ps2eps" and created an EPS file, thinking that Incscape would be able to read that, but Inkscape cannot read EPS files. It cannot import them either, despite what the documentation says.

I tried a utility called "pstoedit" and, with the following command...

Code:

pstoedit -f plot-svg NMMU.pdf NMMU.svg

... I managed to create an SVG file. This file DID load in Inkscape, but it displays tons of graphics corruption - i.e. things that should NOT be filled are filled with black - including the bodies of letters like 'D'. (You guessed it, this is not useful.)

I am out of ideas. Please help.

mightyteegar

OpenOffice Draw can read EPS files. Try importing your EPS into that, then saving back out as a SVG.

gurlyburlyman

This response is probably too late for you to care, but the inkscape website suggests using gsview to convert pdf files to svg:

http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index...._of_Gnulibplot

Unfortunately, gsview is not in the Ubuntu repositories, but you can download it easily enough (just do a quick google search).

hreker · 09:31 AM

I've had good results using (a demo version of) the PDF2SVG utility by a company called PDFTron.

furyy

SVG to PDF

Code:

git-clone git://cgit.freedesktop.org/~cworth/svg2pdf
cd svg2pdf
make
./svg2pdf in.svg out.pdf

and join multiple PDFs to one

Code:

gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=finished.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

February 6th, 2007	#1
charlie. A Carafe of Ubuntu Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: South Africa Beans: 148 Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala	How do I Convert a PDF to SVG for Inkscape I have a PDF file with a single page containing vector graphics. This page contains loads of cruft and a small, highly-detailed graphics (a map of a campus) in the corner. I want to remove the cruft and print only this map. Better still, this map is a vector graphics so I should be able to expand it to exploit the free space. One way to do this would be to open the PDF file in a vector graphics program, like Inkscape, delete the cruft and scale up the map. There's only one problem. Inkscape won't load a PDF file. How do I convert the PDF file into a format that Inkscape can read, ideally SVG? I have tried GhostScript, and managed to convert it into a Postscript (.ps) file. This is not very useful. I pushed the Postscript file through a utility called "ps2eps" and created an EPS file, thinking that Incscape would be able to read that, but Inkscape cannot read EPS files. It cannot import them either, despite what the documentation says. I tried a utility called "pstoedit" and, with the following command... Code: pstoedit -f plot-svg NMMU.pdf NMMU.svg ... I managed to create an SVG file. This file DID load in Inkscape, but it displays tons of graphics corruption - i.e. things that should NOT be filled are filled with black - including the bodies of letters like 'D'. (You guessed it, this is not useful.) I am out of ideas. Please help. Last edited by charlie.; February 6th, 2007 at 11:20 AM.. Reason: Missed close to [code] section.

February 6th, 2007	#2
mightyteegar 5 Cups of Ubuntu Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Asheville, NC Beans: 28 Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon	Re: How do I Convert a PDF to SVG for Inkscape OpenOffice Draw can read EPS files. Try importing your EPS into that, then saving back out as a SVG. __________________ Debian/Cent OS/Windows XP "I am amazed at radio DJs today. I am firmly convinced that AM on my radio stands for Absolute Moron. I will not begin to tell you what FM stands for." -Jasper Carrott

May 8th, 2007	#3
gurlyburlyman First Cup of Ubuntu Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Cambridge, MA Beans: 5 Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn	Re: How do I Convert a PDF to SVG for Inkscape This response is probably too late for you to care, but the inkscape website suggests using gsview to convert pdf files to svg: http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index...._of_Gnulibplot Unfortunately, gsview is not in the Ubuntu repositories, but you can download it easily enough (just do a quick google search).

July 14th, 2007	#4
hreker First Cup of Ubuntu Join Date: Apr 2005 Beans: 3	Re: How do I Convert a PDF to SVG for Inkscape I've had good results using (a demo version of) the PDF2SVG utility by a company called PDFTron. Last edited by hreker; July 22nd, 2007 at 09:31 AM..

April 1st, 2008	#5
furyy Spilled the Beans Join Date: Sep 2006 Beans: 12	Re: How do I Convert a PDF to SVG for Inkscape SVG to PDF Code: git-clone git://cgit.freedesktop.org/~cworth/svg2pdf cd svg2pdf make ./svg2pdf in.svg out.pdf and join multiple PDFs to one Code: gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=finished.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf file3.pdf

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