File formats that should be supported by Scribus (wish list)
Below is a list of file formats users think should be supported by Scribus. This doesn't mean that they will be actually supported, but the list will save numerous bug reports/RFEs. Feel free to add your suggestions. Please also see the Scribus FAQ on propietary imports
Note: Some of these formats may impossible to support for patent (in the U.S) and/or other practical reasons. Notably, no public documentation or mis-matches where a program X has a feature or vice versa. I have added some comments with * to indicate status or existing request --mrdocs 00:24, 17 March 2007 (CET)
Import
DTP
- PageStream (file format spec is available here)
- InDesign Exchange files (inx)
- FrameMaker Interchange Format (MIF). The spec is available (PDF) from Adobe.
- QuarkXPress Xtag files – documentation available here and here (PDF)
- Quark QXML files
- VivaDesigner XML files.
Text
- AbiWord (initial, but maybe outdated info here and here. Contact the AbiWord developers for further information) IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- AmiPro/WordPro (KWord has an import filter for sam files, OO.o can import lwp files). See also here.
- Apple Pages *Basic documentation that may be sufficient for useable text import filters can be found here).
- AppleWorks (AbiWord has an import filter for cwk files). IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- Applix Word (KWord and AbiWord have an import filter for aw files). See also here and here. IN PROGRESS
- DocBook (AbiWord has an import filter for xml and dbk files). References can be found here and here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- KWord *Kword is moving to Open Document - already supported by Scribus. (AbiWord has an import filter for kwd files). See also here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- LaTeX
- LyX
- MHTML (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHTML, http://people.dsv.su.se/~jpalme/ietf/mhtml.html)
- MS Word 95 *Partly supported via antiword. If Antiword is installed, Scribus will automatically detect this. The Windows versions of Scribus have this already installed with the installer. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- MS Works (OO.o has an msw importer)
- MS Write (AbiWord has an import filter for wri files.) See also here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- Papyrus: No public spec available. Ask R.O.M. Logicware for the necessary information.
- RTF (Cf. librtf) IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- StarOffice Writer 3x-5x (AbiWord has an import filter for sdw files). Basic information can be obtained here and here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
- TextMaker No public spec available. Ask Softmaker for the necessary information.
- WordPerfect *A library for that purpose already exists: libwpd IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
Bitmap
- Corel Photopaint – CPT files are based on TIFF, so that an import filter shouldn't be hard to write, according to Boudewijn Rempt.
- GIMP - The GIMP developers have specifically recommended against using XCF as an interchange or import as some of the format relies on GIMP internals. Export TIFF or PNG.
- IMG/IMG GEM (still used by Corel Ventura Publisher)
- Kodak Photo CD See here.
- Krita: According to Boudewijn Rempt from Krita, "the pixel data is 64x64 blocks of as many bytes as needed for a pixel, and the rest is xml and self-explanatory."
- Mac Pict PICT tech doc from Apple. XaraLX has a PICT import filter.
- PaintBrush Image (PCX) (See: http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt)
- PaintShop Pro (GIMP has an import filter), See here, here and here.
- Photoline
- Picture Publisher
- Sun Rasterfile File Format Doc ImageMagick can convert it
- Truevision Targa (TGA/VDA/ICB/VST) – TGA v1 specification, TGA v2 specification
- Windows Bitmap (BMP, RLE)
Vector
- Acorn Draw (Cf. http://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=112) UniConvertor can convert AFF to SVG and EPS. The spec is available here.
- Adobe Illustrator - The native format of Illustrator 9.0+ is actually PDF. PARTIALLY DONE FOR 9+ IN 1.3.5
A closer look at ai2svg, an Illustrator to SVG converter written in Python might be useful. Moreover, skencil and sK1 have native ai support.
- Corel Draw – UniConvertor can convert CDR 7-X4 files to SVG and EPS.
- Corel Presentation Exchange Format *UniConvertor can convert CMX to SVG and EPS.
- Dia (See http://svn.gnome.org/viewvc/dia/trunk/doc/)
- Enhanced Metafile - libEMF is a LGPL library.
- Karbon14 from KOffice
- Kivio
- Macromedia Freehand
- Micrografx/Corel Designer (DSF)
- Micrografx Draw (DRW)
- StarOffice Draw 3x-5x – Use OO.o code? --C schaefer 02:19, 16 February 2008 (CET)
- MS Visio (vsd) and Visio XML (vdx). See vdxtosvg and the vdx spec. See also: http://www.redferni.uklinux.net/dia/vdx/
- Windows Metafile *Cf. libwmf MOSTLY DONE IN 1.3.5
- WordPerfect Graphics *Cf. libwpg-
- Xara Xtreme – The spec is available here
- Xfig MOSTLY DONE IN 1.3.5
- XPS (The spec is available from MS).
Other
- Acorn !Impression (Cf. http://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=115). A spec (sort of) can be found here.
- OpenOffice.org Presentation
- OpenDocument Presentation
- PowerPoint 95
- PowerPoint 97-2003
- StarOffice Impress 3x-5x
The difficulty with presentation file formats is they often have embedded objects beyond the native graphics.
- ChordPro (see http://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=3408)
Export
- PDF/X-1a
- PDF/X-4
- XPS