Laying Out With Inkscape
Pros
- Reasonable text control for jobs with moderate amounts of text
- Blur can be applied to editable text and objects
Cons
- No option for multiple pages
- Limited kerning control
Applications like Inkscape aren't intended for use as desktop publishing (DTP) software, but there are occasions when it makes sense to produce complete projects in a vector-based editor, such as posters or simple leaflets with little text. Inkscape can accomplish such tasks quite well. It doesn't have the option to insert more than one page, so if you're working on a double-sided leaflet, you'll either have to save two separate documents, or use layers to separate the two pages.
Inkscape offers just about enough control over text to make it feasible for laying out body copy, though if you need fine control of tabs, line insets or drop capitals, then you'll need to turn to your favoured DTP application, such as Adobe InDesign or Scribus. You can apply blur to text and other objects and still edit them as required.
My main gripe with Inkscape in this aspect centers on its capabilities for applying tracking and kerning. To apply kerning to a letter, you need to select that letter and then hold down the Alt key and press the left or right arrow key to move the letter in the desired direction. You should note that other letters to the right of a kerned letter do not adjust their position in relation to it, and so these also need to be adjusted as required. You can select more than one letter and move them simultaneously, though that doesn't affect the kerning on any but the left hand letter. I personally couldn't get this technique to work on text within a frame. I also couldn't find any option to adjust tracking on text, which I think would be useful, even bearing in mind that this isn't a DTP application.
Sharing Your Files
By default, Inkscape saves its files using the open SVG format, meaning that theoretically it should be possible to share files created with Inkscape with anyone using an application that supports SVG files. Inkscape also supports saving documents to a wide range of alternative file formats, including PDF.
Conclusion
There aren't many options for free vector-based image editors, so Inkscape has little competition to keep pushing it forward. Nonetheless, it is an extremely accomplished application that continues to develop into a very real alternative to Adobe Illustrator. There are many things that I like about it, including:
- Clearly presented tools and options
- Good selection of tools for drawing and editing graphic objects
- Wide range of filters available
- Extensions to add new functionality
Looking at the negatives, they're not too major for me and include:
- No PMS color support
- No Gradient Mesh like tool
- Collapsing of side palettes a little buggy
- Limited kerning control
I'm an unashamed fan of Inkscape and really do believe that all those that play a part in its development have produced an extremely powerful application that anyone with an interest in graphics software should take a look at. It doesn't have the same broad feature set as Adobe Illustrator, so if you regularly use that application you may find Inkscape a little restrictive. However, for most users it has the tools to cover the most common requirements.
As mentioned earlier, the absence of PMS support may put some professional users off. While I grant that variations in different monitor outputs mean that selecting PMS colors onscreen shouldn't be trusted completely. Designers should turn to swatch books for greater certainty over their color selections, but not all designers can justify the expense of Pantone's swatch books. It would be great to see PMS included in future versions of Inkscape, but it may be that licensing issues mean it won't be feasible to include this feature in a free open-source project.
Version reviewed: 0.47
You can download this application for free from the Inkscape website.