Book Image

Inkscape Starter

By : Bethany Hiitola
Book Image

Inkscape Starter

By: Bethany Hiitola

Overview of this book

Inkscape is a free Open Source program that allows you to create vibrant vector graphics in all manner of shapes and sizes. From creating designs for the web or for print, to creating your own personal logo or interfaces, Inkscape gives you the power to shape what people will see when it comes to your personal projects. If you are new to Inkscape this book is the perfect companion for getting you off to a flying start. No previous experience with Inkscape is required as you will be guided through downloading Inkscape and installing it on your system. The amount of things that you can do with Inkscape is overwhelming so this quick start guide will show you how to create your very first vector graphic. The resources in this book will help you to become familiar with the Inkscape community, which is a valuable part of any Open Source project. Finally, you will see how to use seven key features of Inkscape ñusing paths and layers, combining shapes, creating and editing text tools, importing and embedding images, and a list of keyboard shortcuts for text styling - which will give you the knowledge to perform simple tasks and set off on your own.
Table of Contents (9 chapters)

Installation

In three easy steps, you can install Inkscape 0.48 and get it set up on your system.

1—What do I need?

Inkscape is available for download for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, or Solaris operating systems. Before you install Inkscape, you will need to check that you have all of the required elements, as listed below:

  • Operating system: Windows Me, NT, or XP and Vista. Mac OS X version 10.3 (Panther) or higher. Most Linux distributions are supported.
  • Disk space: A minimum of 200MB free. More free space is required to store your graphics projects.
  • Inkscape requires an internet connection if you plan to use the Open Clip Art Library.

Note

To run on the Mac OS X operating system, Inkscape typically runs under X11—an implementation of the X Window System software that makes it possible to run X11-based applications in Mac OS X. The X11 application has shipped with the Mac OS X since version 10.5.

When you open Inkscape on a Mac, it will first open X11 and run Inkscape within that...