inkscape printing

[Brokentone]

I have been printing from inkscape for years. I did a couple of intersecting word signs in October, November I drew up a sign and it printed blank page, reloaded inkscape and printer software, same result. I saved as PDF, opened the PDF it looked as it should tried to print got blank page there was nothing showing in the print preview box. I started a new file, when I finished the large letters it printed fine so I continued when finished i got a blank page. Any Ideas what I can do?

Thanks for any help you can provide Bob

[don in brooklin on]

Can you post the svg and I will give a try. 

I never gat a preview on either of my printers but I haven't had any problems lately 

[Brokentone]

arik.svgarik.svgthis is half of it I think, Sometimes blank page sometimes just the larger font sometimes the smaller, Thanks for your help.  Bob

arik.pdf

[don in brooklin on]

I downloaded and opened no problem but I could not do anything as the layer 1 was locked. I then unlocked and good to go.

I could print the top half as I do not have a large format printer. I would have to print top and bottom and glue together.

I then saved as PDF and then I could use the poster feature and print on 4 pages.

Never got blank.  

It must be a print driver issue with Inkscape.  You could always go and ask at Inkscape.

 

Don

 

[Scrappile]

REALLY NO REASON TO READ THIS.  I AMY JUST IN A RANTING MOOD.  I am just curious.  Why do you go to all this trouble to print a PDF or JEPG pattern?   For PDF, I go to Adobe "free version" and poster print.  You can select the size or percent of the size you want.  If it goes to multiple pages, you can tape pages together with cut marks.  "Split Print" is a downloadable  that will accept PDF, JPG, and others.  You can select size by pages, inches, and other options.

  Only asking the question because I do not understand Inkscape or Gimp.  Those two softwares, in my opinion, try to make things as complicated as possible.  Now, before you think, I know nothing about computer systems.  That was my working environment.   I started in the 1960s when I got out of the service as a computer operator.  Not an analyst or programmer.  I knew nothing about programming a Mainframe computer. I just operated one.  They took up rooms in those days.  However, I dealt with the system analysts and programmers.  Requesting ways to make things operator and user-friendly.  I later wrote requirements for computer programs as a project manager.  I demanded and wrote my requirements to make every user friendly.  Now, the analysts would always take the simplest way for them, but it was most important to me that it had to be the simplest for the end user.  They were the least technical in knowledge but the ones that would use it.  I look at Gimp and Inkscape, and I see system analysts technology, not user-friendly technology. Way back in my day, the system analyst could be user-friendly if someone insisted.  Nowadays, wow, computers are so far advanced, a cell phone has more computer power than any computer I have ever worked with, but they all seem much less user-friendly.  I see my wife struggling with her cell phone. I think, why should it be so hard.  Tap this button to do this and one to do that.  Okay, end of my rant.  Means nothing and I do not even own a cell phone, I am too dumb to figure one out!  

 

[Wichman]

57 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

REALLY NO REASON TO READ THIS.  I AMY JUST IN A RANTING MOOD.  I am just curious.  Why do you go to all this trouble to print a PDF or JEPG pattern?   For PDF, I go to Adobe "free version" and poster print.  You can select the size or percent of the size you want.  If it goes to multiple pages, you can tape pages together with cut marks.  "Split Print" is a downloadable  that will accept PDF, JPG, and others.  You can select size by pages, inches, and other options.

  Only asking the question because I do not understand Inkscape or Gimp.  Those two softwares, in my opinion, try to make things as complicated as possible.  

If we were just down loading and printing black and white .pdf's, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

The OP has a custom pattern he has developed and is having problems printing it.

Inkscape and GIMP are not printer friendly, most likely because the programers have little interest in something so mundane as printing on paper. This is probably why inkscape cannot print larger than 8 1/2 by 11. Anything larger has to be saved as .PDF and a PDF reader used to print. ( I have an 11 X 17 printer/scanner, that's why I know ).

 

[Wichman]

Back to the OP.

I suspect what is going on is that you locked the layer when it was other than the top " printing " layer. I have adjusted the pattern to fit diagonally on a single 11 X 17 page, it's just a tad smaller but one page.

arik[1].pdf

[Scrappile]

24 minutes ago, Wichman said:

Inkscape and GIMP are not printer friendly, most likely because the programers have little interest in something so mundane as printing on paper. This is probably why inkscape cannot print larger than 8 1/2 by 11. Anything larger has to be saved as .PDF and a PDF reader used to print. ( I have an 11 X 17 printer/scanner, that's why I know )

My argument exactly. I it is for dumb general public, like me, it should be, to me that is the audience they are targeting,

[jollyred]

49 minutes ago, Wichman said:

This is probably why inkscape cannot print larger than 8 1/2 by 11.

8 1/2 x 11 is the default size in Inkscape; you can set the page size to 11 x 17 in "Document properties" and it will print to that size.  Has a lot of other sizes, so you have to look through the list of sizes to find it. 

[Wichman]

1 hour ago, jollyred said:

8 1/2 x 11 is the default size in Inkscape; you can set the page size to 11 x 17 in "Document properties" and it will print to that size.  Has a lot of other sizes, so you have to look through the list of sizes to find it. 

Though at least the last two versions, Inkscape will not print larger. It will reduce the size to 8 1/2 X 11. Even if forced to use an 11 X 17 sheets it reduces the size to 8 1/2 X 11. I've been over this with the official guru's at inkscape.org and the official fix is to save as a .PDF and print from outside Inkscape. This happens in both the Windows 10 and 11 and Linux computers.

[Brokentone]

Thanks to all who have replied. What I have been doing in the past was to put the image in the 8 !/2 by 11 frame, print then move image so the rest fit in the frame and print, tape together no problem. I think Don has the clue for me layers are locked. How do I unlock?

[Wichman]

Select the image you want to lock or unlock.

Open the layers and objects dialogue box, select image and or layer. While the curser is on top of the image or layer a lock icon will be visible, click on the icon to lock or unlock the layer. 

[Brokentone]

Update on printing, My son came to visit and i put the problem to him,he cleaned the print heads and magically it works as it always had. Thanks for all the hints. Bob

[Dan]

That's the problem,your son doesn't visit often enough.  Glad your problem is fixed.