Format compatibility

How good is support for industry-standard vector formats?

In publishing and vector graphics there are a few core file formats that are essential for reliable data storage and file interchange. You need Portable Document Format (PDF) and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) for saving preprint page layouts, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) for storing curves and outlines, and the proprietary AI and CDR formats for handling Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW files.

PDF and SVG formats look like the must-haves. Except for sK1, each editor has PDF import support, but Karbon failed to parse our test PDF file and XaraXtreme imported it as a bitmap picture (everything was merged and rasterised). LibreOfficeDraw has a very decent PDF importer and exporter.

SVG support is perfect in Inkscape and quite good in LibreOfficeDraw, Karbon and sK1 (although the latter three support only basic SVG features). XaraXtreme doesn’t have any support for SVG and generally has rather weak format support.

Some time ago, the sK1 project produced UniConvertor, a tool that can read many proprietary formats, including AI up to v9, EPS, CorelDRAW X3 and X4, and more (see http://bit. ly/UniConvertor). UniConvertor is the best open source solution for reading these formats. It’s used by default in the sK1 editor and is automatically detected by Inkscape.XaraXtreme has its own implementation of AI and EPS support and can securely write in these formats, though reading is less reliable.