I find the "Show Page Border" and "Shadow" very annoying. So, I turn them off each time I start up Inkscape. How do I make it always start with those off?

When I save, is there a way to make it default to something other than SVG? Like PDF for example? I already defaulted it to 300 dpi every time I select PDF, but I still have to manually select PDF.

Yes, you can make a custom default doc. Just open Inkscape, and set it up so that it looks like you want. Then save as "default.svg" and save in Inkscape\share\templates.

I don't think there's a way to make it save as PDF by default, short of changing the code. I guess it would be possible to write a script that would save as PDF, like for a batch operation. But not using the interface/canvas.

brynn wrote: Then save as "default.svg" and save in Inkscape\share\templates.

Not really recommended (at least not without mentioning that overwriting the default template installed with Inkscape without creating a backup copy first makes it difficult to restore the default (in case you messed up your edits)).

IMHO it is better to save the modified file as user default template (which overrides the system template) into the user Inkscape profile (this also works on Windows, not only on Linux/OSX) - see also e.g. this earlier comment.

Recommended reading: Using templates in Inkscape

~suv, I've seen that you suggest saving in the username\AppData\etc folder before. When I learned how to do this, the instructions were very sketchy. (I later wrote a tutorial, because it was hard to find the info later, if someone else was asking how.) It seemed to work to put it where I did (Inkscape directory). But when I look at the AppData\...templates folder, it's empty. And I thought if I was creating just another template among many, many templates, then it seems reasonable that I should be putting it in a folder with all the other templates.

So my question is, why is the AppData\....templates folder empty?

brynn wrote:So my question is, why is the AppData\....templates folder empty?

As long as the user has not added custom user templates, why should there be anything in that folder?

brynn wrote: And I thought if I was creating just another template among many, many templates, then it seems reasonable that I should be putting it in a folder with all the other templates.

If you prefer to replace the shared default templates installed by Inkscape, it's probably ok too - but I'd still recommend to create a backup of an original one before overwriting it with custom template … ;)

~suv wrote:

brynn wrote:So my question is, why is the AppData\....templates folder empty?

As long as the user has not added custom user templates, why should there be anything in that folder?

~suv wrote:

brynn wrote: And I thought if I was creating just another template among many, many templates, then it seems reasonable that I should be putting it in a folder with all the other templates.

If you prefer to replace the shared default templates installed by Inkscape, it's probably ok too - but I'd still recommend to create a backup of an original one before overwriting it with custom template …

Well ~suv, as it turns out, I'm not all that knowledgeable about all the parts of my computer. In fact, there are probably many, many programs that I don't know how to use, or even what they're used for. (sandbox, toolkit, rootkit, runtime -- all mysteries to me, plus many, many, many more, lol) And that's just the software, lol. To me, it's just an empty folder. I didn't know that it was made to be sitting there empty, and waiting for me to add things to it. Now, if the name of the folder was "custom user templates" I might have had a clue, and tried putting it there.

Umm....yes, I do know that the folder that starts with the computer username, is for things specifically related to the user. I know that game scores are stored there, recent Inkscape work that I've done is there, I know Inkscape prefs file is in there, and recently downloaded programs are there, probably internet history, I guess. I thought it was the place that the computer puts things for me, not the place where I put things. But I thought I was literally changing the default file, overwriting it, as you said. I didn't understand that a custom user template would override, not overwrite it.

I really appreciate knowing all this now, though. Because now I can suggest the proper way for others, in the future. And also because now it sounds like I really don't have a default template, the way it was written. It sounds like my only default template is my custom one.

I was just telling someone the other day, in another forum, how difficult and frustrating it is for someone with little to no education or training with computers, to buy a pc and learn how to use it. I was 40 when I got my first pc! I walk a very fine line between enjoying it, and wanting to heave it out the window ! Usually I learn things by trial and error.....and as far as Inkscape goes, by reading the forum, or anything with a manual; but for how my computer works....like I say, a very fine line _______________......

Anyway, thanks again