How to Use This Book

Inkscape » Introduction » How to Use This Book

Following this introduction, there is a set of tutorials. The tutorials are designed to cover the basics of all the important features found in Inkscape and to lead the reader from the beginning to end of the drawing process.

The bulk of the book is devoted to a detailed discussion of all of Inkscape's features, including examples of solving common drawing problems. Both the strengths and weaknesses of Inkscape are pointed out.

Depending on one's background, one may use the book as a reference or read the book from front to back. In general, the more fundamental topics are covered first. Novices are encouraged to work through each of the tutorials sitting in front of their computer. At the end of the book are a few drawing challenges.

Conventions:

Click: Click on icon, object, and so forth with the Left Mouse button (unless another mouse button is indicated) with immediate release.
Click-drag: Click on icon, object, and so forth with the Left Mouse button (unless another mouse button is indicated) and hold the button down while moving the mouse.
Select the option in the pull-down menu. Example: File → Document Properties... ( Shift+Ctrl+D ): Select “Document Properties...” under the “File” pull-down menu. Shift+Ctrl+D is the keyboard shortcut corresponding to this option.

	One-button Mice
	Users of one-button mice might want to upgrade to a multi-button mouse. Inkscape makes good use of a three-button mouse with a scroll wheel. (Inkscape also makes good use of graphics tablets.) In the meantime, the button on a one-button mouse corresponds to the Left Mouse button.

	Icons
	The icons used in this book are in general those provided by Inkscape's default icon theme. Some icons, however, are provided by the operating system. It is possible that the icons you see in your version of Inkscape are different depending upon the source of your version. Regardless of what icons are used, the functionality remains the same.

	Book Website and Color Addendum
The book has a website with some SVG examples and tests as well as graphics for use with the tutorials. Being a drawing program, color is very important in Inkscape. If you have a printed version of the book in black and white, you can download from the website a color addendum, which has many of the book's figures in color. Figures in the book that have a color version in the addendum are marked with the symbol ✪. Being a drawing program, color is very important in Inkscape. You can download from the website a color addendum, which has many of the book's figures in color. Figures in the book that have a color version in the addendum are marked with the symbol ✪.

Book Website and Color Addendum

The book has a website with some SVG examples and tests as well as graphics for use with the tutorials.

Being a drawing program, color is very important in Inkscape. If you have a printed version of the book in black and white, you can download from the website a color addendum, which has many of the book's figures in color. Figures in the book that have a color version in the addendum are marked with the symbol ✪.

Being a drawing program, color is very important in Inkscape. You can download from the website a color addendum, which has many of the book's figures in color. Figures in the book that have a color version in the addendum are marked with the symbol ✪.


Introduction		Vector Graphics