Feature Request: "create package" to embed/collect fonts and bitmaps
Migrated from https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/170771
Steps to reproduce:
- create an Inkscape document involving linked graphics and fonts, such as a flyer or brochure
- share the file (bring it to the print shop, send to friend/client)
What happened?
The printer/client/friend calls and says, "There's a revision to be made/error but I can't see your file correctly...the fonts are all wrong/the graphics are missing!"
The Idea:
All of this could have been avoided by...
- saving to PDF...but PDF was never designed to be a collaborative format*, but an final uneditable output format.
- embedding external graphics resolves only half the problem...the easy half.
When an Inkscape creation changes hands, all external data should be included. So a "packager" feature would be a welcome addition, collecting all external data into a separate directory tree (mkdir -p ./pack/{fonts,png,etc}
) then into a compressed format (.zip? 7z? .ink?).
* although there are FOSS and/or online PDF solutions of varying ease-of-use and privacy concerns, only the Adobe Acrobat product "unlocks" the PDF format for true editing...and Adobe likes it that way.
Examples:
- Adobe InDesign (
File > Package...
) - Quark Express (
File > Collect for Output...
) - Scribus (
File > Collect for Output
) - Adobe After Effects (
File > Collect for Output
) - Blender also has an implementation and while thorough, doesn't collect fonts
Notes:
- Apparently Inkview does (did?) pack everything in a .jar file but as I've always used Inkscape on the Mac, I've never used it. 1.0beta doesn't even include it (macOS). It was/is a type of slideshow application? .jar?...that's a security nightmare.
- Issue was assigned to Aaron C Spike but no further action since 2007-12-18