Text is deformed in PDF files saved with 'convert text to paths' option

[dopelover]

Saving files as PDF with 'convert text to paths' option checked results in deformed text. In attachment there are three files:
1) original SVG
2) exported PNG
3) saved PDF

The problem affects inkscape revno: 8928 on Ubuntu 9.10

[su_v (suv-lp)]

In parts reproduced with Inkscape 0.47+devel r9828 on OS X 10.5.8: this seems to be a problem with a particular font.

'Convert texts to paths' fails for the font 'League Gothic' [1] (OTF), but not for the fallback font 'Bitstream Vera Sans' nor for other randomly chosen fonts (TTF, OTF, Type1).

[1] http://www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/fonts/7-league-gothic

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

could you provide details of how the output was produced. I cannot reproduce this using Windows XP and Inkscape 0.47 r22583 (Nov 21 2009)

attached is pdf output using 300 dpi, export area is page, and "no text to paths"

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

and with "text to paths"
sorry I'm too late, ~suv beat me there!

[dopelover (dopelover)]

Chosen options were: 300dpi, export area was page, "text to paths"
checked. As ~suv wrote it seems to be problem with the particular font.

Dnia 2009-12-31, o godz. 00:51:49
Alvin Penner <email address hidden> napisał(a):

> could you provide details of how the output was produced. I cannot
> reproduce this using Windows XP and Inkscape 0.47 r22583 (Nov 21 2009)
>
> attached is pdf output using 300 dpi, export area is page, and "no
> text to paths"
>
> ** Attachment added: "rethink_A4_no.pdf"
> http://launchpadlibrarian.net/37301611/rethink_A4_no.pdf
>

[Alvin Penner (apenner)]

yes, I saw that the horizontal scaling of your font was significantly smaller than the default font that I was using, since I do not have 'League Gothic'

[su_v (suv-lp)]

not reproduced with Inkscape 0.46-2 on OS X 10.5.8 (with cairo 1.5.14)

Save a copy as 'PDF via Cairo (*.pdf)' with the option 'convert text to path' checked creates a PDF file which renders the (converted) font [*] as expected and as displayed in Inkscape 0.46 and 0.47 on-canvas.
(ignore the old 0.46-bug where clipping paths are ignored in PDF output)

[*] 'League Gothic.otf' installed in '~/.fonts'

[su_v (suv-lp)]

strange - bug not reproduced in a new document created with Inkscape 0.47+devel r8930 on OS X 10.5.8 using the fonts
- League Gothic
- Fontin Sans
- Bitstream Vera Serif
- Times New Roman
in text objects (flowed into frame and then converted to text)

PDF export options:
 Restrict to PDF version PDF 1.4
 [x] Convert texts to paths
 [x] Rasterize filter effects
 Resolution for rasterization (dpi) 300
 [ ] Export area is drawing
 [ ] Export area is page

[su_v (suv-lp)]

style="...;font-weight:bold;..." triggers the bug with this font. Maybe because it only has a 'Regular' variant font file.

The 'font-weight' is added to the the style attributes either with the 'Bold' button on the text tool controls bar or when choosing the font face 'Bold' in the 'Text and Font' dialog. Inkscape 0.47 on OS X does not render the bold style on-canvas, but the attribute seems to be (incorrectly) considered when converting texts to paths for or by the Cairo PDF renderer.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

... exported as Cairo PNG it shows the same deformation as the exported PDF.

[jazzynico (jazzynico)]

Reproduced on Windows XP, Inkcape trunk revision 11652.

[jazzynico (jazzynico)]

Tested again on Debian testing (cairo 1.12.2), Inkscape 0.48.3.1 and trunk revision 11946.

The exported text is still bold in the PDF file (while it's not on canvas), but no longer deformed.

[Cengiz Gunay (cengique)]

This bug still exists in Inscape 0.91 for both exports to EPS and PDF when "convert text to outline" is chosen. The bolding makes some fonts unreadable or really ugly looking. My workaround is to select the top-level group in Inkscape and choose Path->Object to Path to convert all text to outline *before* exporting. The resulting EPS/PDF look identical to original.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

@Cengiz Gunay - with Inkscape 0.91 (and sufficiently recent versions of the dependencies), you are likely observing bug #1396582 - this bug (bug #501772) is fixed and will not be reopened.

[su_v (suv-lp)]

Correction:
With Inkscape 0.91 (and sufficiently recent versions of the dependencies), you are likely observing bug #1396582.

(This bug #501772 so far has not been confirmed fixed, and currently is still open, too - sorry for the mistake).

[Ivan Sudakov (siv313)]

Still, in 2020, the same problem here, has anyone found a solution?