[Scribus] Embedding a PDF inside a page

[Michael Petroni]

ok, I finally could solve my problem with pdftk.

thx for your support & best rg,
michael


Michael Petroni wrote:
> I'm trying the pdftk way and the first thing that I found out is, that
> 
> $ pdftk input.pdf burst
> 
> produces the following error when input.pdf is a scribus 1.3.3.3 
> generated 1.4 pdf file:
> 
> Internal Error: invalid top_outline_p in ReportOnPdf()
> 
> has somebody any idea about that?
> 
> thx & rg.
> michael
> 
> 
> Craig Ringer wrote:
>> Gregory Pittman wrote:
>>> Michael Petroni wrote:
>>>> The problem by placing the pdf inside an image frame is, that it is 
>>>> automatically converted to a bitmap (settings seem to be the same as for 
>>>> eps graphics in preferences, default 300dpi) by ghostscript.
>>>>
>>>> I'm planning to produce an ezine with contributed pages by other people 
>>>> which I will receive as pdf files. By placing inside an image frame, all 
>>>> text will be converted to bitmaps. This means not only loosing quality, 
>>>> the text is not markable in the pdf reader in the final output pdf any more.
>>>>   
>>> One of the things we keep seeing is an apparent obsession with the idea 
>>> that:
>>>     bitmap = bad
>>>     vector graphics = good
>> Yep, and while it's certainly not that black and white, ther's some 
>> truth in it:
>>
>> 	- When targeting a press, bitmaps leave the RIP little leeway
>> 	  for clever halftoning and other processes to ensure crisp
>> 	  text;
>> 	- Bitmaps usually result in bigger files, which while rarely an
>> 	  issue for sending to a press, can be a problem for online
>> 	  publication;
>> 	- As noted earlier, when working with the electronic document,
>> 	  you can't select a bitmap as text and copy it (you need an OCR
>> 	  tool that understands PDF, and then the results are iffy
>> 	  at best).
>>
>> So, overall, I do think output paths that avoid rasterising inputs in 
>> favour of retaining the original form are preferable in most situations. 
>>   Not all, and it's never black and white, but more often than not I'd 
>> rather not use a bitmap if I can include the original vector/mixed form.
>>
>>> If what you are trying to do is to take PDFs and disassemble-reassemble 
>>> to a larger PDF, Scribus is not the right tool. Adobe Acrobat will do 
>>> this, or you might try pdftk for a free program to do this job.
>> Yep. Hopefully Scribus will be able to do it one day, though I've not 
>> yet done much in that direction personally, but right now it's not the 
>> way to go. HOWEVER, you can sometimes get good results by converting the 
>> PDFs to EPS files, then using those in Scribus using the PostScript 
>> output path and an external PS to PDF conversion tool. Unfortunately the 
>> best results are obtained by the Save as EPS tool from Acrobat and 
>> Adobe's Distiller (gs is pretty darn good for PS -> PDF, but not so 
>> great for PDF -> EPS unfortunately). It's still worth a try if you 
>> REALLY need to avoid bitmaps, but you'll run into a whole extra set of 
>> issues, and there's no guarantee you'll retain editable text (nor any 
>> guarantee about how much of the PDF might be rasterised during 
>> conversion to EPS anyway).
>>
>> --
>> Craig Ringer
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