Hi,

I'm trying to open a file .eps with Inkscape (0.48) + GhostScript (9.07 64-bit), but I have this message "ps2pdf failed:" when I open the file.

I already tried the following solutions :
1 - Add in "Path" : "C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.07\lib;C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.07\bin"
2 - Edit file "gssetgs.bat" and replace the content by

@echo off
@rem $Id$

rem Set default values for GS (gs with graphics window) and GSC
rem (console mode gs) if the user hasn't set them.

if %GS%/==/ set GS=gswin64
if %GSC%/==/ set GSC=gswin64c

Thanks for your help !

hi,
Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid that I'm not the right person to walk you through this, however, I finally did figure out how to view EPS files via Inkscape directly, because some kind soul pointed me to this thread, so hoping it will help you too. At least something to look at until more knowledgeable people come on to help. here's the link:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=797&hilit=eelke&start=25#p19457

I used GhostScript AND Ghostview prior to this. Both are open source, and you can at least view EPS's in Ghostview until you get the Inkscape fix worked out.
good luck. If nothing works, at least I'll have bumped the thread up for you.
dee

Hi,

I had the same problem with the same versions of inkscape (0.48r4) and ghostscript (9.07). I eventually track the problem down to the fact that "ps2pdf" is not working when called from the command prompt. You can see if your ps2pdf is working by opening up a DOS prompt and type in 'ps2pdf'. If it is working, you should get some help messages on how to use ps2pdf. If not, you will get nothing. My solution is to rewrite the "ps2pdf-ext.py" script, which does the conversion of ps to pdf for importing, in the %Inkscape\share\extensions directory to call ghostscript instead of ps2pdf. You will need administrative permission to modify this file.

Below is my version of ps2pdf-ext.py, only the last few lines have been changed. I also copied 'gswin64c.exe' and named it 'gs' in the the ghostscript bin directory so that the script will work on other platforms.
##################################################################
#!/usr/bin/env python

"""
ps2pdf-ext.py
Python script for running ps2pdf in Inkscape extensions

Copyright (C) 2008 Stephen Silver

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA
"""

import sys
from run_command import run

#cmd = 'ps2pdf'
#if (sys.argv[1] == "--dEPSCrop=true"): cmd += ' -dEPSCrop '

cmd = "gs -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dBATCH -sOutputFile=%%s"

run((cmd+' "%s" ') % sys.argv[-1].replace("%","%%"), "gs")

# vim: expandtab shiftwidth=4 tabstop=8 softtabstop=4 encoding=utf-8 textwidth=99

##########################################################################################################

Hope this helps.

I just did a clean install of both InkScape and Ghostscript and the only modification you need is to add 3 GS paths to the system PATH variable, not the 2 as previously mentioned. If you changed scripts then restore them or reinstall.
Of course you restart after adding to the PATH variable.
I was able to open, edit and save EPS files and PDFs.
C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.07
C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.07\bin
C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.07\lib

Hi,

in Windows 7 64-bit, inkscape will not let me import .eps files and also not .ai files.
I have added the lib and bin for my 64-bit ghostscrips addresses in PATH
D:\Programmer\Gimp-2.8.1\bin;C:\Programmer (x86)\gs\gs9.07\bin;C:\Programmer (x86)\gs\gs9.07\lib

the Gimp path is in order to have Gimp import .ai and .eps files, and it does function in Gimp. I have also tried to have the path to the inkscape program file written in the path, but no success with that either.

error screens I have seen:
ps2pdf failed
could not open the chosen file (maybe not the precise words as I do not have the English version installed, English is my third language)

Help will be appreciated

Hi there,

rename the .ai extension to pdf, and it will hopefully open in inkscape.

No such luck. Tried to rename both a .ai and a .eps file to pdf :
Kunne ikke indlæse den valgte fil D:\kalender\WorldForum_Planner.pdf.eps
in English:
Could not read the chosen file D: e.t.c.
I have today made a dual boot with LinuxMint with my W7 64-bit Ultimate just to see if that could help me having Gimp / Inkscape / Scribus to function without having to finish in one program, save the file and reboot to the other OS and continue working my files in another program.
I Windows Gimp and Scribus function OK
In LinuxMunt Inkscape and Scribus function well enough, not perfect but tolerably enough, as the Adobe CS package is too expensive.

.ai is the same as the .pdf format technically, unless it was made with a very old version of illustrator.
After renaming the .ai to .pdf, does acrobat/foxit reader open the file?

Tried with several .ai files and some of them opened; very slow and the color transitions were replaced with a solid color. The ones I tried before might have been from a pre-2000 Illustrator.
Still no luck opening .eps files. I tried some made with the Illustrator in CS6 which is I think the latest Illustrator. I have several from older Photoshop and Illustrator and having tried a lot of these also I am almost ready to accept that I cannot work with Inkscape.
Maybe I will have to pay for Xara DesignerPro X9 which is a great program, but unfortunately not as free as Inkscape, yet a lot more affordable than the Adobe programs.
Funny enough in Linux, Inkscape can open all the files I have, without color transitions though, but in Windows Inkscape can not open any .eps and not all .ai files, while Gimp can open all my files in Windows showing color transitions correct and in Linux Gimp can not open .eps files. Xara Designer opens the transitions correct in Windows and is extremely fast compared to both Inkscape in Linux and Gimp in Windows.

I gave up. Too much to use Inkscape for some things, Gimp for others and Scribus to finish a project. Especially when Inkscape only function on a Linux installation, Gimp in Windows and Scribus in both, so I bought Xara Designer Pro X9. All the things the Adobe programs Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop can do, and in only one program for less than one of the programs did cost some years ago.
I know now why the free programs are not having success. They just do not do the job.
Thank you all for trying to help.

Sad to hear that inkscape couldn't succeed.
Better luck with xara!

Thank you Lazur,
I have had Xara in a week and can already do most of what I could in Illustrator, masking is slower but equal good, all the other things faster; furthermore Illustrator uses much more PC power than Xara. Xara files are only 20% of the size of similar quality Illustrator files and saving a file is 4 - 5 times faster.
I already made a leaflet inside just one program instead of using first Photoshop, then Illustrator and finally InDesign.
Impressed, yeah.