Tommi: Fix broken link

2025-11-14T15:16:50Z

Fix broken link

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:16, 14 November 2025
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	[https://inkscape.org Inkscape] can either [[#Save HPGL files\|save HPGL files]] or [[Plot directly from Inkscape\|directly connect to a pen plotter]]. The following instructions have been tested and are valid for Inkscape v1.4.2.		[https://inkscape.org Inkscape] can either [[#Save HPGL files\|save HPGL files]] or [[#Plot directly from Inkscape\|directly connect to a pen plotter]]. The following instructions have been tested and are valid for Inkscape v1.4.2.

	== Save HPGL files ==		== Save HPGL files ==

Tommi: Moved Inkscape section of Pen plotters to a sub-page. Also added: difference between exporting HPGL and directly plotting.

2025-11-14T15:16:22Z

Moved Inkscape section of Pen plotters to a sub-page. Also added: difference between exporting HPGL and directly plotting.

New page

<noinclude>
This page contains instructions, tips, notes, and troubleshooting support for using pen plotters with Inkscape. Please, '''refer to [[Pen plotters|the dedicated page]]''' for an introduction to pen plotters.
</noinclude>

[https://inkscape.org Inkscape] can either [[#Save HPGL files|save HPGL files]] or [[Plot directly from Inkscape|directly connect to a pen plotter]]. The following instructions have been tested and are valid for Inkscape v1.4.2.

== Save HPGL files ==

[[File:Penplot.png|thumb|right|Example settings of a A3 landscape .hpgl file. However, the resolution is something you need to figure out for each plotter. Also, each plotter places the center point differently, sometimes really in the middle, sometimes in the bottom right corner. So it depends if you should enable this here or not… To be figured out :).]]

# Create a vector file
# Save it as a <code>HPGL</code> file. See the image on the right for the settings. For example: A3 landscape
#* '''Note''': '''A landscape document is plotted in portrait orientation on the plotter'''. (It’s weird but it works)

<div style='clear:both;'></div>

== Plot directly from Inkscape ==

[[Image:Inkscape window for the Plot extension.png|thumb|right|alt=The settings window that Inkscape provides to configure the plotting functionality.|These default settings should work. Otherwise, try to edit them]]

The plot functionality is under: <code>Extensions</code> → <code>Export</code> → <code>Plot</code>

=== <code>Error: pySerial is not installed.</code> ===

Note that, at the time of writing, the following solution works only if Inkscape is ''not'' installed via Flatpak.

Please follow these steps:

# Download and extract (unzip) this file to your local harddisk: https://pypi.python.org/packages/source/p/pyserial/pyserial-2.7.tar.gz
# Copy the "serial" folder (Can be found inside the just extracted folder) into the following Inkscape folder: <code>/usr/????????</code>
# Close and restart Inkscape

<div style='clear:both;'></div>

== Documentation to write ==

* How to determine if <code>Centre origin</code> should be checked or not
* Plotting orientation and sizes
* Resizing, reframing and trimming of a plotted vector

Pen plotters/Plotting in Inkscape - Revision history

Tommi: Fix broken link

Tommi: Moved Inkscape section of Pen plotters to a sub-page. Also added: difference between exporting HPGL and directly plotting.