[scribus] Fitting page dimensions to an imported PDF.

[John Culleton]

On Wednesday 08 September 2010 00:51:00 Peter Nermander wrote:
> > If I import a pdf file with an unknown horizontal dimension is
> > there a way (other than hand-fitting it) to change the Scribus
> > page dimensions to the exact measurements of the imported pdf
> > file? In other words I want the Scribus page and the imported pdf
> > to be exactly congruent.
>
> I can not really understand the use here, if you want the page of a
> PDF to exactly fit a page in Scribus, why even bother to pull it
> into Scribus to create a new PDF?
>
> And then why not open the PDF in Adobe Reader first to find out the
> dimensions?
>
> I guess you could also import the PDF into an image frame and Fit
> to image, then you can see the dimensions in the properties of the
> image frame. Maybe you can even see the properties of the imported
> page in properties palette (I haven't tried)?
>
> /Peter
>
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Obviously I can pull the PDF into Acroread, get the dimensions there, 
and then fiddle to get the PDF import page and the Scribus page 
congruent. I was hoping for a simpler and more mistake proof process.

Here is the deal. I create a pdf of a book cover image in Inkscape 
using all its neat features, including a perfect bound book template 
and vector output. But Inkscape has two major limitations. It won't 
create a true CMYK file and it won't produce PDF X/1-a.  So the plan is 
to create book covers in Inkscape and then import the resulting PDF 
into Scribus just to create a proper PDF X/1-a file in CMYK color 
model. 

This process will be described in a companion volume to the one below.  
I am seeking a process that I can describe in simple terms to a 
reader. What I can do and you can do may seem impossibly complex to a 
reader. 

Once a program has been built around RGB it is a big deal to have it 
produce a file in CMYK color model. Scribus can CMYK and so can Krita.
Gimp can't, after years of campaigning to get it to produce a CMYK 
PDF. Inkscape can't.  Hence my question.

Let me take another tack. If the pdf is imported and placed in an 
image frame, and the image frame is fitted to the imported pdf, is 
there an easy way to then fit the page to the image frame? I know about 
looking up the dimensions under properties and then changing page 
properties. I am looking for a simpler method that I can describe to 
readers.



How do I import a pdf and have the Scribus page fit its dimensions?
-- 
John Culleton
Wexford Press
"Create Book Covers with Scribus"
Printable E-book 38 pages $5.95
http://www.booklocker.com/books/4055.html