[scribus] PDF Opening Problem

["Christoph Schäfer"]

> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 07. September 2017 um 18:47 Uhr
> Von: "Matthew Lybanon" <lybanon at earthlink.net>
> An: scribus at lists.scribus.net
> Betreff: [scribus] PDF Opening Problem
>
> I just installed Scribus and am learning how to use it.  When I open a PDF file in Scribus it displays as a blank page.  I’m using a Mac and I don’t have GhostScript installed.  Is this the reason or is the problem something else?
> 
> Scribus 1.4.6
> Macintosh OS X 10.11.6
> 
> I apologize if this question has been asked and answered many times.
> ___


Hi Matthew,



To summarise the replies you have received so far, as well as adding my own two pennies or cents:


1) You really need to have Ghostscript installed. It's *the* indispensable external programme you need if you are working with Scribus;


2) Opening PDF files in Scribus 1.4.x may or may not work. It's hard to tell what your problem may be without a recent version of Ghostscript being installed on your computer;


3) You can, however, import any PostScript, EPS, PDF and AI file into an image frame in 1.4.x, but, again, you need Ghostscript for this. When you export your file as PDF you have the choice between rasterising the imported PDF or embedding it. More information on this in Scribus Online Help;


4) The stable development version 1.5.3 will load or import most PDF files (99%) with the layout intact. I've done a lot of testing, including files with extreme requirements (among them PDF files from architects and their specialised software). I've also sent the "troublemakers" to one of the authors of the latest PDF spec in Switzerland, and the reply was that the PDF spec is still ambiguous in some cases. Other problematic PDF files are the ones created by OpenStreetMap, because they are incredibly complex and can take many minutes to import.


5) The one option you'll be losing by importing or opening a PDF (or PostScript or AI) file in 1.5.3 is the ability to edit text, because text will be imported as vector graphics.



HTH
Christoph