QCAD --> LaTeX

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a_kaldenhoven
Registered Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 9:46 am

QCAD --> LaTeX

Post by a_kaldenhoven » Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:15 am

Hello everyone,

I recently discovered QCAD as an alternative to xfig to make some technical drawings to use in LaTeX.

When my drawing is complete, I print it into a postscript (.ps) file which I transform using "ps2eps" on the Linux command line.

After that I include the .eps file in my LaTeX document. I generate the final result (.pdf) using the chain: LaTex --> dvips --> ps2pdf

Here comes my question:

When I use a linewidth of 0.09 in QCAD I get a perfect result when I print my generated .pdf file but on the screen the linewidth in the .pdf is very thin and weak.

When I use a linewidth of 0.13 (ISO) the .pdf is perfect on my screen but when printing, the lines in my drawings are too thick.

Darn, there is nothing in between 0.09 en 0.13...

I tried several things as:
* generating pdf files from my drawing and use pdflatex --> same result
* using Inkscape to open a drawing (.dxf) and save it as .ps --> Inkscape does a very nice job. The drawing is perfectly antialiased when opened and looks perfect on screen and in print. But the problem is, it is not 100% compatible with .dxf, so my drawing changes considerably.
* ....

Is there someone who knows how to use QCAD for LaTeX with perfect results on the screen and in print without continually switching the linewidth?

Thanks for your advice.

PS: I could still use xfig which does a good job, but I like the extended possibilities of QCAD very much...

Lorenzo
Junior Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:09 pm

Re: QCAD --> LaTeX

Post by Lorenzo » Sun Jul 31, 2011 3:19 pm

a_kaldenhoven wrote:Hello everyone,

I recently discovered QCAD as an alternative to xfig to make some technical drawings to use in LaTeX.

When my drawing is complete, I print it into a postscript (.ps) file which I transform using "ps2eps" on the Linux command line.

After that I include the .eps file in my LaTeX document. I generate the final result (.pdf) using the chain: LaTex --> dvips --> ps2pdf

Here comes my question:

When I use a linewidth of 0.09 in QCAD I get a perfect result when I print my generated .pdf file but on the screen the linewidth in the .pdf is very thin and weak.

When I use a linewidth of 0.13 (ISO) the .pdf is perfect on my screen but when printing, the lines in my drawings are too thick.

Darn, there is nothing in between 0.09 en 0.13...

I tried several things as:
* generating pdf files from my drawing and use pdflatex --> same result
* using Inkscape to open a drawing (.dxf) and save it as .ps --> Inkscape does a very nice job. The drawing is perfectly antialiased when opened and looks perfect on screen and in print. But the problem is, it is not 100% compatible with .dxf, so my drawing changes considerably.
* ....

Is there someone who knows how to use QCAD for LaTeX with perfect results on the screen and in print without continually switching the linewidth?

Thanks for your advice.

PS: I could still use xfig which does a good job, but I like the extended possibilities of QCAD very much...
Welcome to this forum.

The quality of your prints can be improved acting on settings of your PS printer. For sure, PostScript is a very good way of of printing in high quality. What is your PostScript printer?

About LaTeX: you can generate your .ps (or .eps) file, convert it using ps2pdf and then include your .pdf drawing in your LaTeX document using pdfLaTeX: this is simpler than the chain dvi -> ps -> pdf in my opinion.

Lorenzo

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hungerburg
Premier Member
Posts: 160
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 7:35 pm

Scale?

Post by hungerburg » Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:13 am

If I understand correctly, the PDF file itself, depending on stroke weight, looks either good on the screen or good on paper, but never both.

LaTex does not change stroke-weight of paths in pdf/eps. I do not know of an utility to do that.

Possibly just toggle the "enhance thin lines" property in Adobe Reader preferences?

Or maybe print to a different scale from QCAD?

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