Using Inkscape instead of Illustrator for eps figures in a free physics textbook

[mtmt]

For many years I have used Adobe Illustrator CS 11 (yes, quite an old edition) on OSX to produce all the .eps figures that appear in the free physics textbook at http://www.motionmountain.net . Many people advised me to switch to Inkscape and I indeed would like to do so. But I have a simple problem to start with, in the present Inkscape version 0.92.2, when runningon OSX 10.12.

I just want to open an eps file produced by Illustrator in Inkscape, and save it again, unchanged, with Inkscape, as an .eps, under a different name. Inkscape asks many questions and then tells me that it is going to save in a format that loses information.

I attach the original .eps file as an example. What is the correct way to open and save the file in Inkscape so that no information is missed? This is a simple question, but since I have hundreds of figures drawn over many years, I do not want to make mistakes. Thank you in advance for your help!

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, I'm unable to help very much with EPS.  For Windows, we have to install and configure Ghostscript, to be able to open EPS files.  Since I don't use EPS, I've never taken those steps.  So I can't open your test file. 

Have you tried it with a test file, and investigated as to whether anything has actually been lost?  And also what's being lost? 

(I don't know this for sure, and certainly I'm not expert.  But I have the impression that is sort of a standard warning, which may or may not actually apply to any given file.  I have that impression, because I've seen that warning myself, in other situations besides EPS.  But I've never actually seen where anything is lost.  I'm guessing it refers to to code behind the image.  But the image always looks fine to me.) (Although of course I understand your need to be sure.)

Since SVG is Inkscape's native format, I would probably try saving as SVG, and then save as EPS.  Maybe that would avoid the loss?

[Moini]

The warning is mostly about losing svg-specific data and inkscape-specific data. No matter which file format different from 'Inkscape SVG' you select, you will lose some data (guides, Live Path effects, ...).

EPS even loses more than just the editor data.
EPS does not support filters (as far as I know), so you would lose any blurs, unless you rasterize them. It also doesn't support (partial) transparency, so that would be lost, too.

[brynn]

Moini, do you think if he saved as SVG first, and then EPS, it might avoid the loss?

[Moini]

No, the EPS file will still only contain the data that the EPS file format can hold. (the SVG file will be complete, of course, but this won't help here)