[Scribus] Comment about object tag names and xml file format

[Timothy Boyden]

Craig,

No big deal.

At this point, the point is moot as Pierre discovered the piece I was
missing within the current file format for my purposes.

I would like to see Scribus move to using an implementation of SVG as
it's file format and I think there a lot of good reasons for doing so -
industry support, extensibility, numerous applications to manipulate it,
it's fully documented, etc...

The Hex values I provided were from Pantone CMYK reference color charts
that we use in our daily printing. We take these reference charts and
print them on our presses. We then use a color matching hardware tool
(I'm unsure of the name or brand we use) to generate values from these
printed charts that we then use to build a custom color swatch set for
use within InDesign. It also produces an ICC profile file that we can
use to get hardcopy proofs off of our color copiers that are visually
accurate.

I think you are confusing the default screen nature of SVG which is
generally limited to 72 DPI and web safe colors which are 8-bit in
nature. There is nothing in the SVG spec that limits SVG to that, it's
as you say, a limitation of the current implementations of SVG which to
date have primarily involved web based uses as a browser plug-in.
However if someone wanted to implement SVG in a DTP application, all of
the pieces are there in the specification to do so. This is a quote from
the current W3C SVG Print working draft
(http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/WD-SVGPrintPrimer12-20071221/):

"Because of its scalable, geometric nature, SVG is inherently better
suited to print than raster image formats. The same geometry can be
displayed on screen and on a printer, with identical layout in both but
taking advantage of the higher resolution of print media. The same
colors can be output, using an ICC-based color managed workflow on the
printer and an sRGB fallback approximation on screen. This has been true
since SVG 1.0, and so SVG has been used in print workflows (for example,
in combination with XSL FO) as well as on screen."

As you can see SVG (the original not just the newer SVG Print extension)
was designed for print purposes. It only uses sRGB as a fallback when
displaying the SVG document on screen. The newer SVG Print 1.2
specification is meant to allow the SVG document type to integrate with
other print industry standards such as JDF.

Basically the W3C is doing all the work to develop an open, well
documented format, that is designed for print. It's just a matter of
someone picking up from there and developing the ultimate DTP
application to take advantage of that. Unfortunately that's not me, I am
not a programmer. But if such a tool was available, I would influence my
peers to use it and would contribute in any way that I could whether it
was testing, documenting, or providing support.

Adobe is a huge backer of SVG, but they won't use it for DTP because
then their market share for InDesign would be vulnerable from
applications like Scribus that could take advantage of the open nature
of SVG. It's in their best interest to keep InDesign a proprietary file
format, same as Microsoft with it's document formats. Scribus is in a
position where it could turn the DTP industry on their heads by adopting
a file format that everyone had access to with a well built front-end
application that allows ease of use with standard DTP layout tools. The
only thing that is holding SVG back from being the defacto DTP file
format is a DTP application that uses it as such, and a marketing
blitzkrieg to push the advantages that it would provide.
 

-----Original Message-----
From: scribus-bounces at kirsche.altmuehlnet.de
[mailto:scribus-bounces at kirsche.altmuehlnet.de] On Behalf Of Craig
Ringer
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 11:57 PM
To: scribus at kirsche.altmuehlnet.de
Cc: scribus at kirsche.altmuehlnet.de
Subject: Re: [Scribus] Comment about object tag names and xml file
format

Hmm, that came out grumpier than intended.

Sorry.

I'm dealing with drooling morons with the phone system at work right
now, as well as trying to figure out what some "support consultants" 
have done to my production machines to prevent Quark from printing
landscape all of a sudden. Argh. I suspect some of that frustration
carried over into my general manner.

*goes for a nice, relaxing walk*

--
Craig Ringer
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