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I am trying to gain understanding of some of the nuances of the workflow described in Inkscape SVG → print-ready EPS/PDF workflow.

The general approach is to ensure that an SVG document generated by Inkscape represents colors using a printer-ready color model, then to generate a PDF/X document using the export feature of Scribus. Generating the PDF/X file in Scribus is a process with two major steps, to complete after opening the file in the application. The first is activating color management for the document, and the second is exporting to a PDF document.

A few questions emerge:

  1. In Color Management under Document Setup an option appears labeled "Convert all colors to printer space". While it may be unwise to accept an automatic conversion from an RGB representation of black, in many cases automatic conversation may be agreeable. Does use of this option have the same effect as the use of the CMS tab in Inkscape to give a color representation according to the target profile, if the default CMYK values for conversion by Inkscape would have been used? That is, would this option allow me to bypass using the CMS tab for certain colors, without harmful effects, by allowing Scribus to convert the colors from an RGB representation given by Inkscape?
  2. A color profile called ISO Coated v2 300% appears abundantly in the default values for options in Color Management as well as in the default value for Output Intent in the Prepress section of the PDF export settings. Is this choice appropriate for use with documents originating in Inkscape with the the color profile eciCMYK (which was recommended to me for use with Inkscape documents targeting a CMYK printer target)? Should I instead select eciCMYK for any of these options in Scribus, to match the original Inkscape document?
  3. Related to the above, the default value for options related to the RGB color model is sRGB display profile. Is this value normally preferred over the alternative, also available, labelled simply sRGB?

As may be apparent, these topics are new to me, part of a recreational project rather than a career. Hopefully answers would avoid a large amount of unnecessary detail, and explain, or provide references to explanations for, any topics mentioned that may be unfamiliar.

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    You need to talk to your printer. When you do a CMYK conversion then your designing for a specific printer in mind.
    – joojaa
    Dec 1 '20 at 9:21
  • Yes, information from the printer may be needed to resolve which options I would choose, but the principle object of the question is to clarify how to apply such information with respect to use of the software. if the printer is familiar with processing PDF documents, but ignorant of generating them through this workflow, then communication with the printer is unlikely to resolve fully for me how to proceed.
    – epl
    Dec 1 '20 at 10:02
  • (For reference, the information directly and currently made available from the printer is the following: "All spot, RGB, and PMS colors must be converted to CMYK. Remove all ICC profiles before creating your PDF.")
    – epl
    Dec 1 '20 at 10:08
  • For clarification, a simplified version of this question might be, respecting the preferred values of the various options, what information must I ask from the printer, and how should I use the answer to select the values.
    – epl
    Dec 2 '20 at 0:55
  • @epl welcome here, please edit this extra information from your own comments into your question; it will help members to provide a better answer
    – Martin Zaske
    Dec 3 '20 at 17:37

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