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If I set a Desk background as indicated in the Where is the white inkscape background? answer, I see it in Inkscape. But, when I select all objects, and then export it like this:

enter image description here

I still end up with a .png file with "checkered" background.

I know I can add a separate Layer object, such as a big fat rectangle, with a fill color or pattern, but that is an egregious hassle for my time/energy. Is there a way to do this common operation in Inkscape version 1.2?

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  • There is no such thing as a background in the SVG format (or in Inkscape). It doesn't exist. The background Inkscape displays is only for viewing purposes, it's not really there. If you want a real background you'll need to add a rectangle and fill it white and move to the bottom.
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Feb 13, 2023 at 23:15
  • @BillyKerr I would have agreed with you, but what you are suggesting I do is the very workflow I'm striving to optimize away because it is more effort than what I desire to do. However, I see Xrott's answer that is very close to what I want because it bypasses the need to have to add extra rectangles in the background of the objects just to have a background color.
    – bgoodr
    Commented Feb 16, 2023 at 21:56
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    Yes it will work for exporting PNG, but remember Inkscape is an SVG editor so if you ever need a real background in SVG, relying on the page colour will not work, because it's not part of the SVG format. Inkscape will still display the page colour if you save an Inkscape SVG, but if you save a plain or optimised SVG for output, the page colour will not be preserved or displayed as a background.
    – Billy Kerr
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 10:28

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Exporting uses the 'Page' color, not the 'Desk' color, even if your selection is outside the page. You can change it in the same place as the button for the desk color. Also make sure to set the alpha value to full.

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  • Bingo! that is exactly what I was looking for. The language used in the Settings of 'Page' tripped me up because there is a "page" of white area in the drawing area which implies the area that will print if I were to print the SVG to a printer using Inkscape.
    – bgoodr
    Commented Feb 16, 2023 at 21:58
  • i.sstatic.net/gh5B1.png is a mockup of this answer for visual reference.
    – bgoodr
    Commented Feb 16, 2023 at 23:08

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