With the new window open, here are some ways to get started with Inkscape: You can start by opening one of the dozens of templates available with Inkscape (select File C New and choose from web banner, business card, DVD cover, or other templates). Figure 5-8 shows an example of the Inkscape window.įIGURE 5-8 Inkscape enables you to manipulate graphics and text. With the inkscape and openclipart packages installed, select Applications O Graphics O Inkscape Vector Graphics Editor to open an Inkscape window.

I recommend you also install the openclipart package, which gives you access to hundreds of clipart items to use in your Inkscape creations. If you are using a Linux distribution such as Fedora, install the inkscape package to get Inkscape. Inkscape creates images in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format-an open standard from the W3C ( Thousands of SVG graphics and clipart elements are available in the public domain or under Creative Commons licenses. With Inkscape, you have an application with features similar to those you would find in commercial products such as Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw. Inkscape ( is a popular vector graphics editor that is available with most Linux systems. As a result, you usually get cleaner edges on your fonts and graphics and the ability to bend and shape those elements as you like. When you need to have maximum flexibility working with graphics and text, a vector graphic editor can let you deal with geometric elements (such as lines, curves, and boxes) instead of dots (as you do with image editors).

Inkscape vector graphics