Do I need to install Inkscape?

General discussion about Inkscape
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scrapinn4me
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:43 am

Do I need to install Inkscape?

Post by scrapinn4me »

Do I need this program? If so where can I get it? What is it used for?
Sweetness4713
Posts: 4918
Joined: Sun May 24, 2009 5:35 pm
Location: Timmins Ontario Canada Shania Twains hometown.. SCAL 1,2,3,4 Silhouette, Inkscape.47 Vista

Re: Do I need to install Inkscape?

Post by Sweetness4713 »

The only time you would need top install it is if you have other drawing programs that can't convert to svg which is required by SCAL ... Unless you are only using the trace option in SCAL2 you wouldnt need inkscape..
firstcut
Posts: 1822
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2008 6:19 pm
Location: FL; SCAL1, SCAL2; Mac; Ink .47, AI CS4
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Re: Do I need to install Inkscape?

Post by firstcut »

Scrappin,
Here is a list I made for SCAL1 vs Inkscape. If you have SCAL2, some of this is no longer applicable, but maybe it will help anyway.

When to use SCAL and when to use Inkscape

Use SCAL when
-you have a .scut file (OPEN it)
-you have an svg file that was designed for cutting and doesn't need to be edited (IMPORT it)
-your design is words or a phrase that fit on the mat when typed and kerned (adjusting spacing of the letters)
-your image is relatively simple and made of basic shapes
-the artwork you'd like to cut is a character in a TTF dingbat font and is suitable for cutting without cleanup
-you want to cut part of an svg that can be placed such that the rest is hanging out of the cuttable area
-you do not need to print your design beyond what can be accomplished with screen shots
-the design you want multiple copies of on the mat is a separate svg, or welded word
-the design you want to flip is not welded or lengthy text

Use Inkscape when
-you do not want to worry about having the font in the future should you revisit the file or you want to share the file with others who may not have the font
-you want to include non-cutting annotations with the design
-you want to share your work outside the Cricut community
-you will need multiple copies of a welded design (more than a word) on the mat
-you want to use layers to prepare your artwork or keep your cutfile organized
-you want to create a design from scratch beyond what can be done with basic shapes
-you want to edit a dingbat character or need to clean it up for cutting
-you want to edit an SVG or need to clean it up for cutting
-you only want to cut part of an existing SVG that is not conveniently placed
-your original image is a bitmap (screenshots, photos and other images in .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tiff and .png as well as some pdfs)
-your image is a vector in .ai, .wmf or .pdf format
-the blackout/shadow feature in SCAL is not producing the desired result
-you want to print a high resolution copy of your design
-you want to flip (mirror) a design that includes multiple characters/shapes
talanhart
Posts: 3911
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:39 am

Re: Do I need to install Inkscape?

Post by talanhart »

Kay,
What a great post. I am going to copy this and put it into my notes. When I show people SCAL, now I will have something to show them about the program.

Thanks!!
Todd
jasenj1
Posts: 364
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2009 3:06 am
Location: Newport News, VA, USA; SCAL 2.044-Expression; SCAL 3-Cameo; Mac; Inkscape 0.48; GIMP 2.6

Re: Do I need to install Inkscape?

Post by jasenj1 »

scrapinn4me wrote:Do I need this program? If so where can I get it? What is it used for?
It is a free, advanced and sophisticated drawing program useful for creating SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format drawings that can be cut with SCAL.

From the official website (where you can download the software):
"An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development."

- Jasen.
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