This is a read-only archive of the inkscapeforum.com site. You can search for info here or post new questions and comments at I'm trying to export an EPS file from Inkscape for use as vector image in MS Word 2010.
Word imports most EPS files from the web fine - opening them with a text editor, one can see that most of them were generated with Adobe Illustrator.
However, when a successful EPS export from Inkscape is done, the image will not be displayed in Word and a hint is shown: "This image cannot currently be displayed".
I also tried importing the original SVG to Scribus and do the EPS export there, with the same result.
What is wrong with Inkscape's EPS export?
Another issue is that not all SVGs can be exported to EPS in the first place, e.g. when too many objects are contained.
Any ideas what to do?
Inkscape EPS Export to MS Word
Re: Inkscape EPS Export to MS Word
Welcome to InkscapeForum!
Well, I guess all I can really say is that Inkscape is very much a program under development. It seems there are a LOT of issues with EPS and Inkscape, whose native format of course, is SVG. I know there are a few topics about importing Inkscape images into MS Word. I can't remember if those topics were solved or not, and I honestly can't remember if they were about EPS or not. But it shouldn't be too hard to search out those messages, to find out. And there are many, many topics about EPS, if you care to search. That would give you a general idea about the many issues with EPS. I'm not sure if the manual will have any helpful info, in this case, but it can't hurt to have a look
I think I'd also look into the MS Word documentation, to find out if that error message has any clues which might be helpfuil. The word "currently" is interesting to me. I'd probably want to know "when" or under what circumstance it can be displayed.
The problem about files with a lot of content not exporting to EPS, may have to do with your system's memory. It's hard to say for sure, without more info. How large is the image, and how much RAM on your computer?
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Re: Inkscape EPS Export to MS Word
Ok, one of the (maybe more) issues has to do with gradients as I found out.
This is the most basic drawing that breaks Word import:
When I remove the linear gradient of the object with a solid one, Word imports fine.
I read that EPS does not support gradients. Importing the generated EPS to Illustrator works fine, one can see there that the gradient fill was replaced with a bitmap image. But still, Word seems to have a problem with that. Can't be the size, the EPS is only 3.5KB.
Note that when importing this simple SVG to Illustrator and exporting it as EPS, the import to Word works fine. (For more complex SVGs, this does not work, I guess there are several other issues then)
This is the most basic drawing that breaks Word import:
Code: Select all
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<!-- Created with Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) -->
<svg
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#"
xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
xmlns:sodipodi="http://sodipodi.sourceforge.net/DTD/sodipodi-0.dtd"
xmlns:inkscape="http://www.inkscape.org/namespaces/inkscape"
width="744.09448819"
height="1052.3622047"
id="svg4890"
version="1.1"
inkscape:version="0.48.4 r9939"
sodipodi:docname="drawing-2.eps">
<defs
id="defs4892">
<linearGradient
x1="676.01752"
y1="574.23352"
x2="676.01752"
y2="641.47052"
gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"
id="linearGradient4025">
<stop
style="stop-opacity:1;stop-color:#35a7ff"
offset="0"
id="stop4027" />
<stop
style="stop-opacity:1;stop-color:#3fc8ff"
offset="1"
id="stop4029" />
</linearGradient>
<linearGradient
inkscape:collect="always"
xlink:href="#linearGradient4025"
id="linearGradient5465"
gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"
x1="676.01752"
y1="574.23352"
x2="676.01752"
y2="641.47052"
gradientTransform="matrix(1.25,0,0,-1.25,-840.84251,807.0927)" />
</defs>
<sodipodi:namedview
id="base"
pagecolor="#ffffff"
bordercolor="#666666"
borderopacity="1.0"
inkscape:pageopacity="0.0"
inkscape:pageshadow="2"
inkscape:zoom="0.87517398"
inkscape:cx="325.19941"
inkscape:cy="526.18109"
inkscape:document-units="px"
inkscape:current-layer="layer1"
showgrid="false"
inkscape:window-width="1920"
inkscape:window-height="1138"
inkscape:window-x="-8"
inkscape:window-y="32"
inkscape:window-maximized="1" />
<metadata
id="metadata4895">
<rdf:RDF>
<cc:Work
rdf:about="">
<dc:format>image/svg+xml</dc:format>
<dc:type
rdf:resource="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/StillImage" />
<dc:title></dc:title>
</cc:Work>
</rdf:RDF>
</metadata>
<g
inkscape:label="Layer 1"
inkscape:groupmode="layer"
id="layer1">
<path
id="path4031"
style="fill:url(#linearGradient5465);fill-opacity:1;fill-rule:nonzero;stroke:#3096e5;stroke-width:1.25;stroke-linecap:butt;stroke-linejoin:miter;stroke-miterlimit:10;stroke-opacity:1;stroke-dasharray:none"
d="m 34.179365,89.300825 99.661255,0 c 16.5685,0 30,-13.4315 30,-30 l 0,-24.04625 c 0,-16.5685 -13.4315,-30 -30,-30 l -99.661255,0 c -16.5685,0 -30,13.4315 -30,30 l 0,24.04625 c 0,16.5685 13.4315,30 30,30"
inkscape:connector-curvature="0" />
</g>
</svg>
When I remove the linear gradient of the object with a solid one, Word imports fine.
I read that EPS does not support gradients. Importing the generated EPS to Illustrator works fine, one can see there that the gradient fill was replaced with a bitmap image. But still, Word seems to have a problem with that. Can't be the size, the EPS is only 3.5KB.
Note that when importing this simple SVG to Illustrator and exporting it as EPS, the import to Word works fine. (For more complex SVGs, this does not work, I guess there are several other issues then)