Pattern fill word import problem

[Rayspekt]

Hello,

I've got a problem with a drawing in which I used a pattern fill for some objects. When I try to import it in my Word document the patterns are missing and the objects are blank. How can I get this to work? I am using the inkscape svg format and would like to stay on that or the standard svg.

Best regards,
Ray

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not very familiar with how well Word supports SVG.  But when you convert something to a pattern (or use one of Inkscape's stock patterns) it becomes more like raster content, than vector.  I have no idea why Word would have a problem with it.

Have you tried a few different patterns?   Like maybe try a couple of stock patterns and a custom pattern too.  I would do that, just to be sure it's the pattern which is the culprit.  Although you do sound fairly certain 

If it does look like the pattern is the problem, then I would think the best solution would be to draw the pattern as a vector object.  But it depends on what kind of pattern.  Like for example, a photo could be converted to a pattern, and it would not be very easy to draw a photo.

Can you show us the SVG file?  Or a screenshot?  Or just something to give us an idea of what you have, so we can offer the most realistic suggestions.

[Moini]

Do wmf or emf work? Or pdf?

[Rayspekt]

Unfortunately, any of them work properly. Wmf and emf show a wierd red-lined checkered pattern and pdf shows the diagonally lined pattern desired, but is no vector graphic when inserted in word. I had this specific error with all graphics I created with various patterns available in Inkscape.

Gladly I will provide my svg data for you to inspect.

[brynn]

The patterns in this file should be very easy to draw just with simple paths.  Do you have other files, with more complex patterns?

pdf shows the diagonally lined pattern desired, but is no vector graphic when inserted in word

Because I don't have much experience with this, I can only guess.  But I guess, because in Inkscape, the pattern is a raster ("bitmap") object, when it is converted to PDF, it becomes a raster object, not vector.

But again, these patterns are so simple, you could easily draw them with Pen or Pencil tools.  Probably will take a few more minutes to draw, but they should remain as vector paths, that way.

[Rayspekt]

It might be that they are drawn easily in this example, but if have had other more complex geometries in the past, too. So I am looking for the most elegant way to realise the hatching without drawin the pattern myself.

The problem with the pdf is not that the only the hatching is not vectorised but the whole drawing.


Might there be any system or document option which saves the data properly so the hatching will remain?

[brynn]

When you save the SVG as PDF, is the whole drawing rasterized?  Or does it only get rasterized after it is in Word?  It should remain as vector (except for the patterns) after saving as PDF.  But I don't know what effect it has when the PDF goes into Word.

Maybe the means of putting the PDF into Word matters?  How do you do it?  Is it imported?  Or embedded?  Or something else?

Would it work for you if only the pattern part is rasterized, while everything else remains vector?  I wonder if, instead of patterns, if you select the pattern filled objects, and use Edit menu > Make a Bitmap Copy (makes the selection into PNG image) - would that work?  I wonder if converting the pattern into PNG would allow them to be displayed, when saving the file as SVG?

It looks like the only way to have the hatch fill as vector, is to draw it as vector.  I don't know why the pattern fill is not showing in Word.  But maybe using Bitmap Copy in the SVG file, they would be displayed?

[Moini]

Or another idea (cannot test with MS software, I'm on Linux): why don't you use Libre Office? As far as I know, it's able to import SVG just fine. It's not Inkscape's fault that MS Word cannot properly read SVG files... Adobe staff says something similar (https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1780558).

As for the pattern: the selected ones are actually vector rectangles. You can see this when you do Object > Pattern > Pattern to object with an object that you don't need anymore .

For hatch patterns, there's also an extension that draws them as real vector objects:
https://github.com/evil-mad/EggBot/blob/master/inkscape_driver/eggbot_hatch.py
https://github.com/evil-mad/EggBot/blob/master/inkscape_driver/eggbot_hatch.inx

(requires plot_utils : https://github.com/evil-mad/plotink)

[Rayspekt]

For hatch patterns, there's also an extension that draws them as real vector objects:
https://github.com/evil-mad/EggBot/blob/master/inkscape_driver/eggbot_hatch.py
https://github.com/evil-mad/EggBot/blob/master/inkscape_driver/eggbot_hatch.inx

(requires plot_utils : https://github.com/evil-mad/plotink)

Could you please specify how to install and use those plug-ins as I have no experience with that? I understand that MS Office seems to be the problem but unfortunately there is no way around using it in my situation. The solution with creating proper hatchings could be the way to go anyways.

[Moini]

On this page, you'll find some general instructions for installing extensions in Inkscape:
https://inkscape.org/de/gallery/%3Dextension/

In addition to this, you need to put the three plotink files (that end with .py) into the same folder.

[Moini]

These: https://github.com/evil-mad/plotink/tree/master/libraries