Scribus An Introduction

ABSTRACT
Scribus is a popular open source Desktop

Publishing software. Users who want to get
their work published and who wants to have a
full control of the layout of their manuscript
should read this book. This book covers all
the basic concepts involved in creating Page
Layout using Desktop Publishing software.
Even though the software used is Scribus, the
concept is rather universal and can be applied
to other software like Adobe in Design also.
Balasubramanian Thiagarajan
SCRIBUS AN
INTRODUCTION
A complete book with screenshots and videos
1
Scribus an Introduction By Prof Balasubramanian Thiagarajan (drtbalu)
About the Author Online ventures of the author include:
1. www.drtbalu.com
2. www.drtbalu.co
3. Android apps
This book will be distributed among various

teaching faculty to ensure that they stay
abreast of the technology.
The author can be contacted at E mail.
Prof Dr Balasubramanian Thiagarajan MS DLO
Former Head
Department of Otolaryngology
Stanley Medical College
Former
Registrar
The Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University
A passionate teacher who believes knowledge

should flow freely. Proponent of online
teaching he has created webpages and mobile
applications to help the students to learn
Otolaryngology.
Sound knowledge on computing and data bases

has prompted the author to pen a number of
books outside his professional domain. One
such venture happens to be this book which he
hopes will deliver a good learning material for
all the teachers who want to create their own
learning material.
An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

2
About This Book As is the case of the software this book will also
be given out free of cost as it would help
millions out there to use this software rather
Scribus has been the most popular Desktop efficiently.
Publishing software ranking next only to Adobe
Topics in this book are organized into various
In Design in popularity. It is an open source
chapters enabling the reader to learn the
software which can be downloaded and made
nuances of this tool in a structured manner.
use of free of cost. The source code of this
Each of these chapters have been designed as
wonderful software is available in public
separate modules ensuring that readers can
domain and can easily be reconfigured to suit
enjoy reading each one of them separately. In
individual needs.
fact, a reader can also skip a few chapters
As is the case for every open source software learning only those that are useful to him.
the support literature is very frugal and very
The version of Scribus used for creating the
little knowledge is available as tutorial.
screenshots and videos is Scribus 1.4.8 which is
The aim of the author in writing this book is to the current stable version. At the end of the
help the novice out there to lay his / her hands book installation of the current version which is
on the software and use it for creating 1.5.5 alongside the older version is also
worthwhile literature and books. This book has discussed. The entire publishing process is
been authored with a beginner in mind. It almost the same in both these versions and
explains the various concepts involved in major changes have happened under the hood.
desktop publishing to ensure that the potential
authors out there reading this work will not
miss out on them. Comments any can be mailed to the author at:
This book is supported by scores of screenshots Email
which would help the reader to understand this
software better. Video clippings showing
various tasks performed using this software is
also embedded in portions of the book.
This book begins with the installation of this

software on a windows machine. Installation
process has been explained in detail in simple
language with the help of a number of screen
shots and a video clipping showing the real time
installation process.
Inclusion of video clippings to explain various

concepts used in DTP technology makes this
book rather unique. The reader needs to be
connected to the net while reading this book
then only the embedded videos will start to
play as they are hosted in YouTube.

3
Contents Bleeds ...................................................... 33

About the Author ............................................... 1 Fonts Tab ................................................. 34
About This Book ................................................. 2 Guides Tab ............................................... 34
Introduction ....................................................... 6 Grab Radius.............................................. 35
Chapter 1 ........................................................... 8 Typography Tab ....................................... 35
Basics of Scribus ............................................. 8 Tools Tab .................................................. 35
Installing Scribus in Windows: ....................... 9 Hyphenation and Spelling tab.................. 35
Chapter 2 ......................................................... 13 Preflight Verifier Tab................................ 36
New Document Window .......................... 14 PDF Export Tab ........................................ 36
Main Scribus Window: ............................. 17 Preferences / Display ............................... 40
Inserting Text frame to the page layout: . 18 Plugins ...................................................... 41
Documents preferences ........................... 18 Edit Menu ................................................ 41
Document set up window ........................ 18 Page Menu ............................................... 42
Preferences: General Tab......................... 19 Insert Menu ............................................. 43
Adjusting scratch space............................ 20 Item Menu ............................................... 44
Keyboard short cuts ................................. 20 View Menu ............................................... 45
Creation of a new document ................... 20 Extras Menu ............................................. 45
Zoom in and Zoom out of Scribus Tool Bar .................................................... 45
document ................................................. 24 Story Editor .............................................. 48
Preferences .............................................. 25 Properties Palette .................................... 49
Navigating between pages of documents25 Grids and Guides...................................... 56
Adding / Deleting Pages ........................... 26 Chapter 4 ......................................................... 60
Deleting pages.......................................... 26 Using Text Frames and Font management
Arranging Pages ....................................... 27 ................................................................. 60
Rules and Guides ...................................... 27 Frame Options ......................................... 62
Layers an introduction ............................. 28 Introduction to Nodes ............................. 65
Chapter 3.......................................................... 30 Editing text frames................................... 68
Workspace ................................................... 30 Importing text into the text frame .......... 69
Menu Bar.................................................. 30 Inserting text using Story Editor .............. 69
File Menu: Preferences ............................ 31 Using Sample Text ................................... 69
Preferences: The General Tab .................. 32 Importing files .......................................... 69
Document Tab .......................................... 32 Importing Word document inside Scribus
................................................................. 70
Multipage layouts .................................... 33
Indenting Text .......................................... 70

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Adding Frame Margin .............................. 71 Working with Image effects settings in

Overflowing Text ...................................... 71 Scribus...................................................... 93
Story Editor .............................................. 72 List of effects available in Scribus ............ 94
Text alignment ......................................... 72 Flipping the Image ................................... 95
Text Tab.................................................... 73 Image formats.......................................... 95
Text wrapping around a Quote ................ 74 JPEG Image formats: ................................ 96
Kerning & Tracking ................................... 75 TIFF Format .............................................. 96
Drop Caps ................................................. 76 PNG Format ............................................. 96
Baseline grid ............................................. 76 GIF Format ............................................... 97
Creating text over semitransparent Vector Images .......................................... 97

background .............................................. 77 Importing a Vector Image ........................ 97
Creating text on a Path ............................ 78 SVG Image ................................................ 97
Paragraph Alignment and Formatting ..... 79 EPS Image format .................................... 98
Tabs .......................................................... 79 Shapes, Lines and Paths ........................... 98
Scaling the Text Size ................................. 80 Drawing Polygons .................................... 99
Inline objects in Scribus ........................... 82 Mesh Distortion ..................................... 100
Fonts in Scribus ........................................ 82 Working with Lines and Arrows ............. 101
Font Families ............................................ 83 Arrows.................................................... 101
Font Management in Scribus ................... 83 Clipping Paths ........................................ 102
Letter Spacing .......................................... 84 The Bezier Tool ...................................... 102
Superscripts and Subscripts ..................... 85 Pen tool .................................................. 103
Drop shadow ............................................ 85 Chapter 6 ....................................................... 104
Adding a new font to Scribus ................... 85 Use of Colors in Scribus ............................. 104
Special Characters .................................... 86 Color theory in Scribus........................... 104
Hyphenator .............................................. 86 Color Models and Color Space ............... 104
Chapter 5 ......................................................... 88 RGB Color Model ................................... 104
Use of Graphics in Scribus ............................ 88 RGB color model .................................... 105
Loading Image into image frame ............. 89 Color compatibility issues faced by DTP
Resizing / Rescaling Image to the frame .. 89 software ................................................. 105
Framing an Image..................................... 90 Ink types used in Printing ...................... 106
Collecting for Output ............................... 91 Choosing Colors ..................................... 108
Manage Images in Scribus........................ 92 Composing Color Palette ....................... 111
Info box .................................................... 93 Applying Colors in Scribus...................... 112

Fill color.................................................. 113

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Background color ................................... 114

Shade and Transparency ........................ 114
Creating custom colors in Scribus .......... 115
Color sampling using the Eyedropper tool
............................................................... 115
Gradients ................................................ 115
Using Patterns ........................................ 117
Chapter 7 ....................................................... 118
Exporting and Printing the Documents ...... 118
Checking the document for errors ......... 118
Spell checking......................................... 118
Search and Replace ................................ 120
Preflight Verifier ..................................... 121
Setting up Preflight Verifier ................... 122
Print Preview .......................................... 122
Exporting to EPS or SVG format ............. 122
Exporting as PDF .................................... 123
Differences between various PDF versions
............................................................... 123
Chapter 8 ....................................................... 131
Automating Scribus .................................... 131
Consistency in Documents ..................... 131
Styles ...................................................... 131
Templates............................................... 134
Master Pages.......................................... 134
Scripting with Python ............................. 138
Chapter 9 ....................................................... 140
Interactive PDFs ......................................... 140
Adding Hyperlinks .................................. 140
Text Annotations .................................... 141
Interactive Forms ................................... 142
Chapter 10 ..................................................... 144
Upgrading Scribus ...................................... 144

6
Introduction some spare time working with Scribus can

master the use of this software. While
authoring this book the author has assumed
Scribus is an open source Desk top Publishing that the reader has absolutely no knowledge
software which provides lots of advanced about this software.
features which are commonly seen in paid
All the tasks, steps and concepts discussed in
software like Adobe in Design. The problem
this book is supported by illustrations and
with open source software is there is very little
screenshots. The author has also embedded
training resources available. There are not
videos inside this book to ensure better
many books available that can be used for
understanding of the concept. In order to
training purposes. This book has been authored
reduce the file size of the book all the
with the intention of creating one such vital
embedded videos are hosted in YouTube and
resource which will serve the purpose of
the reader will be able to view them if they are
knowledge dissemination.
connected to the net.
Desktop publishing software Is not the same as
The first chapter is devoted to installation of the
word processors which has lots of inbuilt
software and its dependencies in a Windows
default formatting options available. The spell
machine. Since Windows happens to be the
check feature found in DTP (Desktop Publishing
most common operating system author is
software) are not advanced as that seen in
focusing on installation of Scribus in Windows.
word processors. It is advisable to import
Some screenshots covering installation in Linux
formatted text material from word processors
is included. Video clipping on installation will
or any other source like notepad, WordPad etc.
describe installation on Windows machine.
into DTP software where page layout and page
design can be implemented which would make The user interface of Scribus is described in
the resource pleasing to read. Chapter 2. Chapter 3 is devoted to
manipulation of text in Scribus. The
Scribus is a page layout program which can be
typographical effects available in Scribus are
installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating
also described in this chapter.
system. It has grown into an excellent and
potent DTP software since its humble Chapter 4 discusses in detail the use of images
beginnings of 2001. and formatting images in Scribus. Modification
of lines, shapes and creation of Bezier curve is
It is not only user friendly, but also supports
also included in this chapter.
professional grade Desktop Publishing features
like CMYK colors, spot colors, ICC color Chapter 5 discusses color management and use
management and the ability to create Image of color palates in Scribus. A brief description
files of the page. It can also generate PDF files. of color management inside Scribus software
It also contains powerful illustration tools, and has been included.
emulation tools to serve color blind persons. It
can also render mark up languages like LaTeX or Chapter 6 discusses the preflight checks that
Lilypond. has been built into this software. This chapter
describes how to export the content into PDF
This book has been authored for novice as well format which can be sent to the printer.
as professionals in mind. Almost anyone who is
reading this book and is prepared to spend

7
Chapter 7 discusses creation of styles,

templates and master pages using which
repetitive tasks can be automated inside Scribus
environment.
Chapter 8 discusses an introduction to the

basics of scripting which can be used to create
interactive PDF’s using Scribus.
Exercises under each chapter will kindle the

interest of the Reader to start using the
software. The author does not claim that
without this software books cannot be written.
The author is simply using Scribus to expose the
reader to the concept of publishing books.
There are multiple ways of publishing a book
provided the reader actually understands the
underlying concepts which are necessary to do
the same.
The major advantage of DTP software is that it

offers excellent customization possibilities
giving total document control in the hands of
the user. There is absolutely no limitation
enforced by the software by its default settings
to scuttle the artistic skill of the user. Plus, DTP
software helps the author to perform page
settings and layout according to his vision and
send it across to the printer for printing and
publishing. This software can also be used to
create engaging E books.
At the end of each chapter a summary box

could be seen providing a synopsis of the
chapter.

8
` very well if combined with other open source

programs like Open office (word processor),
Chapter 1
Basics of Scribus
Scribus is a cross platform desktop publishing

software that can be installed in a variety of google docs (word processor), Gimp (image
operating systems like Windows, Mac and manipulator), Inkscape (raster image editor).
Linux. This software could be used for Documents created with word processors can
designing pages of a book, manuscript, be imported into Scribus without difficulty.
newspaper, fliers and brochures. People have Files that can be imported into Scribus include
also found other innovative uses for this .text, .html, .csv (comma separated value), .odt
software like designing a Letter pad template (open document format). This import features
and a Business card template. adds flexibility to this software as chapters
written by various authors saved in any of these
As far as the concept of page design it offers lot
above said format can easily be imported to
of flexibility like provision of various types of
Scribus to facilitate typesetting a multiauthor
fonts, colors, visual effects and the ability to
book.
position objects in various locations of the page
layout fulfilling the esthetic requirement of the This soft ware is free to download and is
document. licensed under GNU (General Public License)
and is free to use, distribute, copy and modify
The designed document can be exported into
even the source code of the software. The
different formats like image format, postscript
original source code of this program is available
tile and PDF format. Image files come out well
for all users to improve, develop and distribute.
when printed provided the page resolution is
optimal and suited for printing. The current stable branch can be downloaded
from :
Prospective author who intends to use this
https://www.scribus.net/downloads/stable-
software needs to remember that this is not a
branch/
replacement for a good word processing
program because it lacks the inherent spell One should take care to download the correct
checker and automatic page formatting version to suit their operating system as it is
features word processors provide. Similarly, available in both 32 bit and 64-bit versions. A
image editors need to be used to spruce up the video explaining the process of installation has
images that need to be included in the been included in this book. Readers can view
document. Hence this software would work the video in order to get detailed installation

9
instructions which could prove useful if they get the user to install Ghost script as it would
stuck during the installation process. enable other useful features in Scribus.
Downloading Scribus
and its Installation
The correct version of Scribus can be
downloaded from
https://www.scribus.net/downloads/stable-
branch/.
At the time of writing Scribus 1.5.5 has been

released and the more stable version happens
to be Scribus 1.4.8. Author recommends the
user to use the stable version of Scribus as it
would contain fewer bugs as it has been in use Image of Ghost script download page
for some time. Some of the adventures among
the readers can try out the new version which
could be a little buggy.
Installing Scribus in Windows:
From the link given above the optimal version

to suit the operating system environment
should be downloaded. Before actually jumping
into installation of Scribus a supplementary
software “Ghost script” needs to be installed.
Care should be taken to install the version
which is suitable for the operating system
environment (32 bit or 64 bit versions) of the
program.
This link
Image showing Scribus download page
https://www.ghostscript.com/download/gsdnld
.html contains different flavors of the program,
and the same may be downloaded and installed
first. Even though Scribus will work without the
installation of Ghost script, some of its features
may not work in its absence which include Print
preview of the document and rasterization of
EPS files in image frames. Author recommends

10
be double clicked for the installation process to

start. At the start of the installation process
default language of Scribus needs to be chosen.
Image showing Ghost script install screen

Screenshot showing selection of language
Scribus installation welcome screen

Screen shot showing completion of Ghost script
installation
On the completion screen of Ghost script

installer ensure that the box in front of
Generate cidfmap for windows CJK TrueType
fonts is checked as this step would ensure that
true type fonts included in Windows operating
system can be mapped into Ghost script which
can then be used by Scribus.
After installation of Ghost script, the Scribus Screenshot showing component selection
executable file that has been downloaded can

11
After completion of installation process of

Scribus a shortcut would be found placed on
the Desktop resembling a pen nib. The same
can be double clicked to start the program.
Screenshot showing destination folder for

installation which need not be changed from
the default
Video clipping showing the entire installation

process of Scribus including installation of Ghost
script. Internet connection is needed for
running this video.
Screenshot showing installation process
Screenshot showing completion of installation

12
1. Ghost script should be installed before proceeding 5. After completion of Ghost script installer ensure that
With installation of Scribus. Box in front of Generate cidfmap for windows CJK
2. Appropriate version of Ghost script that would True type fonts is checked
Suit the operating system environment i.e.
32 bit / 64 bit version as the case may be.
3. Stable version of Scribus should be downloaded
4. 32 bit / 64 bit version of Scribus to be chosen as

Per local operating system environment

13
Some of the best practices that need to be

followed while using Scribus software include:
Chapter 2 1. Use of separate folder and subfolder to

hold the contents
2. Use of separate image subfolders
3. Use of separate subfolders for tables
4. It is useful to hold all the resources in a
single folder which houses subfolders in
order to be efficient with data
General overview
Scribus is a frame-based software. Separate It is possible to use Microsoft word to create

frames need to be added to include text and documents. Scribus does not have an import filter
images into a page layout. The contents of a for MS word. However, text from a word document
page in Scribus can be laid out as frames and can be imported into a text frame of Scribus but the
image and text files can be placed appropriately imported text will lose all the formatting. It is
better to open the word document using
inside these frames. Scribus should not be OpenOffice Writer software and then saving the
considered as an all in one tool for authoring document as ODT files. This document format can
books. Author recommends the following be handled by Scribus rather efficiently.
software for creating books and manuscripts: management
1. Scribus – DTP software Features of Scribus files:

2. Plain text editor to compose text –
After creation of page layout Scribus saves the
Notepad, WordPad, Libre office, Google
3. doc etc.
4. Image editor (GIMP)
document using the assigned name with. sla
5. Vector graphic editor to create Logos
(Inkscape) extension. The default location for saving the
6. Adobe acrobat reader to view the file is my documents.
completed work Preview of the completed document can be
Scribus should be used to create the final lay seen within Scribus on clicking the eye icon at
out of the document. Content creation is done the bottom right of the Scribus window.
by the above software. There should be an Preflight verifier can be used to verify the
document for errors if any.
optimal separation between content creation
and layout formation. The entire process User before jumping into Scribus should do so
beginning from content creation up to the after getting a rough idea of the sort of
creation of layout is known as Publishing document that needs to be created.
workflow. A meticulously organized workflow
will make the job of content creation that much
simpler.

14
1. New document
2. New from template
3. Open existing document
4. Open recent document
New Document Window
On double clicking the Scribus icon the first This window also enables the user to select the
window to open is the New document window. layout, setting the default unit of measurement,
This window is the default window that opens number of pages that the user wants to add,
on executing the software. size, width and orientation of those added
pages. On giving OK this window will take the
user back to the main Scribus window.
Document layout:
The top left corner of the New document

window provides options for document layout.
Choice can be made from single page, Double
sided, 3-fold and 4-fold layouts.
Image showing new document window that

opens when Scribus icon is double clicked
Image showing Document layout window
If the user does not want this default window to
open every time the program is executed, then Single page option – This option will create
the box in front of do not show this dialog box is pages in a single column with one page
checked. following the other. This is an ideal format of
creating certificates, letters, CVs and business
This window presents the user with options and cards.
presets for creation of a document. A choice
should be made only after deciding on the size Double sided option – This option produces two
and the type of the page layout. pages that sit side by side with a fold in the
middle. This is the ideal format for publications
There are four tabs running horizontally along like books, newspapers and magazines.
the top of the window. They are:

15
Three-fold & four fold option – are used to Page size:

design brochures.
Just to the right of the Document layout section
is a section devoted to page size options which
can be used to set the size of the page, its
orientation and the width of the indented
document. Size of the layout can be set by
clicking at the drop down list where a number
of paper sizes are included. Custom size of the
page can also be created by choosing custom
from the drop down list.
Image showing single page layout
Image showing double sided layout
Image showing where page size and orientation

of the document can be set.
Image showing three-fold layout Orientation:
Two choices are available under orientation i.e.

Portrait and Landscape. Portrait is the standard
used for most of the documents. Landscape is
used for designing picture atlas and rarely some
brochures.
Image showing four-fold layout

16
Default units: user can also set the number of text columns as
well as the gap between the columns.
Just under the size and orientation setting is a
options section which allows the user to set the
number of pages the user requires in the
document and the default unit of measurement
which can be set like points (which is the
default unit) in Scribus to mm, inches,
centimeters, Picas etc.
Image showing automatic text frame setting

check box
Open recent documents:
If the user has opened a document recently

then it will find an entry in the open recent
documents tab.
Creating documents from templates:
This is actually the second tab in the new

document window. This tab helps the user to
create a document from a set of templates
Image showing the margin guide provided inside the Scribus. This tab can also be
accessed by using File New from Template
Margin guides: menu.
This section as seen above allows the user to If the user wants to open a document that is
set the left, right, top and bottom alignments based on the predefined templates, then
for margins. Margins are spaces between the choices regarding the size of the page and other
edge of the paper and the printable area. This layout features will automatically be set by
space is necessary for the printer to grip the Scribus. This software contains many
paper when the document is being printed. predefined templates to choose from. These
Automatic text frames: template based documents already have some
graphical, textual and other contents added.
This is another options section in the new
document window. There is a check box for The left side of the template dialog box gives a
creating automatic text frames. When this box list of all available template categories. The
is checked Scribus inserts necessary number of thumbnails of the templates are displayed in
pages and text frames when large amounts of the middle column and the right side column.
text is imported into Scribus. In this menu the The user can also save a document as a

17
template by using the File / Save as / select a

template as the option before clicking ok
button.
Image showing the Scribus window layout.

Black box – Title bar
Green box – Menu bar
Red box – Tool bar
Image showing various templates available

inside Scribus
Image showing tool bar with its handles. These

handles can be used to detach the tool bar to a
Main Scribus Window: new place inside the document.
Workspace of Scribus contains a title bar, Menu

bar, a tool bar, document window and scratch
space.
The tool bar can be detached and placed

Image showing the bottom portion of the
anywhere inside the layout to suit the
Scribus window layout.
convenience of the user.
At the bottom of the main window are controls
for selecting the default unit of measurement,
image preview quality and the current zoom
level. There are also three other zoom controls
and four arrows to facilitate page navigation.
To the right is seen the control to enable /
disable color management, and controls that
enable and disable the preview mode and
controls that alter the visual appearance of the
display.

18
Inserting Text frame to the page layout: Note:
Changes made in preferences window will not

This can be achieved by clicking on the insert take effect until a new document is created.
menu bar. On the visible submenu insert a new Some changes like those that are made for
text box should be chosen. The mouse cursor spelling and short words are carried out rather
will immediately take the form of a text frame immediate. Other changes such as those for
icon. There will also be a cross hair added to font family and size will take effect only when a
the cursor. Using this cursor, a rectangle can be new document is created.
drawn on the page. Rectangle is the default
shape of text frame as well as an image frame.
The text frame on being clicked will become

selected. Then on going to the Edit menu and
on selecting Edit / Text submenu Story editor
will be displayed. This story editor is helpful in Document set up window
editing texts contained within the text box.
On right clicking the selected a submenu will This window allows the user to change the
appear. On choosing the properties submenu properties of the document that is being
the properties window for the text frame will currently worked on. This window can be
open up. opened by selecting the Document Setup from
the File menu. It allows the user to change
many things pertaining to the document that is
being worked on. Most important of them all
Documents preferences
happens to be the document layout, page size
and fonts.
Use of preferences and Document setup
The options found in the Document Setup
windows should be mastered. For any beginner
window is similar to the ones found in the
who wants to use this software should spend
Preferences window. The main difference
some time doing this. These two settings are
between them is that the setup options refers to
closely related and are crucial for establishing a
the active document, whereas the preferences
successful workflow.
can be set only for all the future documents.
Both these windows allow the user to change
the default Scribus settings. The preferences
window represents the application wide
settings that allows the user to change the
default settings for future documents that they
wish to create using the software. On the other
hand, changes that are made in the Document
settings window will only affect the document
that is currently being worked on.

19
Important settings in Preferences window:
There are three important tabs in the

preferences window that one needs to know
before starting to work on Scribus. They are the
Documents tab, Tools tab and the Fonts tab. In
the documents tab, the user can choose a
default setting for units of measurement as well
as the size of the document (page size). If a
custom size is desired it can be set here.
Image showing document setup window In the Tools tab, type, size, and color of the font
can be set. The Fonts tab provides a list of the
fonts available to Scribus. It allows the user to
de-select those fonts that is not going to be
used. Font substitutions can also be
automated. It also enables the user to set the
path to the font files if the desired fonts are not
installed into the default folder.
Image showing preferences window
Preferences: General Tab
In the user interface section of the General tab

in the preferences window settings are Document tab in preferences window
available for the GUI (graphical user interface),
language, Themes, Font size and a setting that
allows the user to alter the number of
documents available to view in the Recent
Documents tab.
Theme setting allows the user to chose

different themes for the Scribus GUI which
include windows, Motif, Plastique and
Cleanlooks. As a windows user windows theme
would be more familiar and hence it can be
preferred.
Tools tab in preferences window

20
Keyboard short cuts
To find a keyboard shortcut or to set a new

shortcut Keyboard shortcuts tab is clicked.
Fonts tab in preferences window
Adjusting scratch space
Scratch space is the white space seen on either

side of the document window. This space is
useful to keep resources like image files, text
files etc. The quantum of this space can be Image showing Keyboard Shortcuts tab open
adjusted from the Display tab in the
preferences window.
Creation of a new document
The distance between single pages in a
document can be adjusted by altering the gap
between the page’s settings. Adjust display size When OK button is clicked in the settings
area allows the user to adjust the Scribus window new document window is displayed. It
display so that 100% zoom is the same as the can also be created by going to File and clicking
size printed. on the submenu New.
Image showing new document window open
Image showing display tab of preferences

window

21
A good workflow practice requires text and

pictures to be held in place by a frame. These
frames are like invisible bounding boxes that
are used to house an object on the page.
Frames in Scribus can be made to any shape or
size. These frames can be moved across the
page. Contents can be locked in position to the
frame by right clicking them and selecting
LockFrame from the context menu. The
boundaries of the frames can be made visible
by using the Line tab of the property’s palette.
Exercise 1:
Reader is requested to perform this exercise

Image showing new text frame created
after completion of the above chapter.
1. Open the Scribus by clicking on the pen

and nib icon on the Desktop.
2. New document window will open.
3. Choose A4 as the default paper size
4. On clicking ok white page with a grey
background (the scratch space) will
open.
5. Try out another way of opening up the
workspace by clicking on the insert text
frame icon on the tool bar and draw a
rectangular shape on the page. Along
the border of the text frame control
handles would be visible. Use them to
drag the text box to the desired size and
shape.
6. Insert sample text which is available
within Scribus by right clicking inside Text box being resized by pulling the handle
the text frame and choose sample text.
Choose the language of text of choice
to insert them into the text frame.
Image showing new text frame creation tool in

the tool bar

22
Image showing completion of sample text

Right click submenu when clicked inside the import.
text box. Sample text should be chosen
Exercise 2:
To complete this exercise the reader should

click on the image frame icon in the tool bar
and draw a rectangular shape below the text
frame already drawn. Cursor is then placed
inside the image frame and right clicked. In the
ensuing menu the Get image should be selected
and it will be placed within the image frame.
Exercise 3:
Saving a Document:
On completion of the above stated tasks the file

can be saved. By default, Scribus saves the
document in a format known as .sla file.
Caution:
English chosen as the language
This file format saves the textual content of the
file created but the images are not saved. Only
the links to the images are saved. These links

23
refer to the original location of the image file. It

is always best practice to save all these image
resources in the same folder as the .sla file. If
this .sla file is moved / renamed the links will
have to be recreated. The file also contains
other things like color definition, patterns etc.
Save options:
Save – Saves the document in .sla format. If the

document is already named it just saves the
document to the file.
Save as – Gives the option to name and save the

file in .sla format.
Image showing save as dialog box where the file
Save as template can be named and the folder to which it should
be saved can be set. If the compress file check
Collect for output – This option gathers all the
box is checked then the file itself will be
elements of the document together in one
compressed before saving.
folder. This creates a folder with all the
document files inside ready for export. This
folder can be moved to another computer to
Autosave function:
proceed with the work.
Scribus has a feature of autosaving the
If the document has not been named selection
document that is being created. The autosave
of save option will bring up the save as dialog
interval can be set from
box.
File/Preferences/Document.
Export option:
Document can be exported to the following

format:
1. EPG
2. PDF
3. Image
4. SVG
Video clipping showing how to solve the

exercises given above

24
The magnification can also be increased or

decreased by clicking on the spin box that is
present in the lower left corner of the GUI.
Zoom in and Zoom out of Scribus document
It is better to get a complete overview of the

document that one is working on. In other
words, the entire page layout should be visible
on the screen with no portion of the layout
hidden. This can be achieved by adjusting the
zoom levels. Setting up a zoom level depends
on the size of the monitor.
Figure showing the zoom tool in the lower left
For creating text and image frames and portion of the screen. The spin box that can be
positioning them in the desired area the ideal used to increase the size of the workspace is
zoom level should be around 75%. For moving indicated with a red circle.
around these frames, the ideal zoom level is
Another way of fitting the screen within your
100%. For more detailed work the zoom level
monitor is to go to view menu at the menu bar
can be increased up to 200%.
and choose the submenu Fit to Height. The
workspace on choosing this option fits
completely into the screen. This view menu
also has zoom tool which can be used if so
desired. It is indicated by a magnifying lens
Image showing the zoom tool in the tool bar. icon.
Zoom level can be increased / decreased by
using the zoom tool in the tool bar. On clicking
the tool bar the cursor assumes the shape of a
magnifying lens. On clicking the left mouse
button the size of the workspace increases, and
when the right mouse button is clicked the
workspace size decreases.
Other methods of changing the zoom levels is

by using a tool placed at the lower portion of
the screen on the left side. It shows three
magnifying lenses. On clicking the lens with a
minus sign the screen space decreases in size,
while if the lens with one written on it is clicked
it restores the magnification to 100%. Clicking
on the lens with plus written over it increases Screenshot showing view and its submenus.
the magnification in steps. Grids can be enabled here by using the toggle.
If show grid is clicked the tick mark will vanish
and the grid (green lines) will not be visible. If

25
the same show grid is clicked again the tick

mark will become visible and the green lined
grid also will be visible on the workspace.
When the preview mode submenu is clicked

form the view menu it will reveal how the
finished document will look like. This can be
enabled by clicking on the preview submenu
listed under view menu of the Menu bar.
Another way to enable preview mode is by

clicking the eye icon on the lower right side of
the screen.
Image showing preferences window where
Scratch space settings and Gaps between Pages
can be set.
Navigating between pages of documents
Simple way of navigating between pages of a

document is using the page list which is located
on the status bar as shown below. User can
jump between pages by clicking the arrow next
to the drop-down list at the bottom of the
screen.
Image showing the eye icon that will enable the

preview mode.
Next to the eye icon there is a drop-down menu

includes:
Normal vision – How the colors will look to

someone with normal vision. The other options Image showing page list in the Navigation Bar
will show how the color will look to someone Page can also be chosen by selecting the
with defective vision. Windows / Outline dialog.
Preferences
The white space between the borders of each

page and the canvas can be adjusted in the
preferences window. Minimum Scratch space
can also be adjusted in the preferences /
Display tab. The gap between the pages can
also be altered here.

26
Image showing Page outline dialog box
Adding / Deleting Pages Insert page dialog box showing settings for
inserting pages.
Additional pages can be inserted by going to the
Page menu and Insert submenu. In this menu
Scribus offers the option of choosing how many
pages to insert and where to insert them within
the document. This software also offers the
user the ability to move and copy pages. Going
to the Menu Page / Copy option is good way to
edit pages. This process of copying a page for
editing purposes ensures that if the edit goes
wrong there is the option of the original page to
fall back on. Image showing copy page dialog box
Deleting pages
Pages can be deleted using the Page menu.

Open Delete submenu from the Page menu.
Easiest way is to select the page that needs to
be deleted choose Delete submenu from the
Page menu. The selected page along with its
contents will be deleted.
Multiple pages can be deleted by opening the

Image showing Page menu from where Insert Delete dialog box from Page / Delete. The
page can be chosen

27
range of pages that needs to be deleted is

entered and the delete button is clicked.
Image showing page to be deleted selected.

Delete submenu under Page Menu is selected
Image showing confirmation window for

deleting the selected page
Arranging Pages
The user can rearrange the sequence of pages
inside the document by using Arrange Pages
submenu which is listed under the Menu
Windows. Inside the arrange pages window the
page that needs to be rearranged can be
dragged and dropped into the desired position. Image showing arrange pages dialog box. The
lay out of the selected page can be adjusted
The top of the arrange pages window displays
from the document layout section in this
the list of available master pages. The area
window.
below the available master pages displays the
pages inside the document in a numbered Rules and Guides
sequence. Main Scribus window has a ruler running along
The layout of the document can also be the top of the page and another one running
changed from this window. down the left side. These rules can be toggled
on and off from the View menu and checking or
unchecking the entry for the rules. These rules
can be used to create guides.
Guides are horizontal and vertical lines that can

be dragged onto the page in order to help the

28
user to position objects on the page with a high

degree of precision. These rules and guides are
not seen when the document is exported to
PDF format.
Guides can be created by right clicking on the

page and selecting manage guides from the
context menu. This brings out the Guide
manager. Using guide manager guide lines can
be created by clicking ADD beneath the
horizontal or vertical guide areas.
Guide manager using which guides, columns

and rows can be created inside a document.
The grids act like a sheet of graph paper,

enabling the user to align, distribute the objects
on the page. If grids are not visible on the page,
it can be viewed by selecting View / Show Grid.
Frames can be snapped to the grid system by
selecting Page / Snap to Grid.
Layers an introduction
Each document created has a minimum of one

layer associated with it. Layers can be added /
deleted. Many layers can be added.
Uses of layers:
1. It aids in the layout process (cannot be

used to align and distribute objects on
Image showing submenu that appears on right
different layers)
clicking on the page
2. To add guides that can be hidden during
printing process
3. Adjust transparency of a layer so that it
appears partially visible over whatever
is behind it
4. Overlap the graphics

29
5. To facilitate editing of certain objects

without affecting others
Layers can be added from Windows / Layers

menu. This will open layers dialog box.
Video summary. Internet connection is needed

for playing the video clipping
Image showing Windows menu along with its
submenu with the submenu Layers highlighted
Video showing the concept and use of layers in

Scribus. Internet connection is needed for
playing this video
Image showing layers window. Clicking on the

plus sign will add a new layer.

30
3. Tool bar – Includes all the frequently

used tools
4. Canvas – This includes the scratch space
which is the grey area surrounding the
page which can be used as a storage
area where text elements and images
can be stored
5. Status bar
Menu Bar
This bar is laid out across the top of the Scribus

application window and contains ten menus
which include:
1. File
2. Edit
3. Item
4. Insert
Chapter 3 5. Page
6. View
7. Extras
8. Script
9. Windows
Workspace 10. Help
In order to display a menu, the user should hold

A good knowledge of workspace is imperative down the mouse button and slide down the list
to make productive use of this software. As a of submenu commands. Inactive menu
first step the user should make all attempts to commands will have grayed-out letters.
familiarize himself / herself with the elements
of the workspace. Initially for the first user the
workspace could appear to be too daunting, but
it is easy to familiarize oneself with it. More
frequently one uses this software more familiar
they tend to become.
Scribus workspace is made up of the following

elements:
1. Title bar – is the topmost element of Image showing the Menu bar with the submenu
the application and bears the name of under the Edit menu tab displayed
the active document.
2. Menu bar – which includes all the menu In order to create a new document, the user
need to select the New command from the File

31
submenu (File / New). This will bring up a new File menu displayed with preferences submenu
dialog box in which one can set the size, and highlighted.
orientation of the document. In order to
Preferences for document can be accessed from
change how the documents and their
the file menu and it contains the following set
associated tools are displayed then one needs
of tabs that allows the user to make permanent
to use the View menu.
changes to the following categories:
Other commands that are listed under the File
General
menu include:
Document
File Open – Enables the user to browse the
Documents folder in order to locate the file that Typography
has been saved. One can edit multiple
documents using Scribus provided the system Tools
has adequate resources like processing power Hyphenator
and memory.
Fonts
File Save – Saves the document in the native
.sla format. Preflight Verifier
File Import – This can be used to import text, Color Management

image or vector files. PDF Export
File Export – Saves the document as an EPS, Document Item Attributes
PDF, Image or SVG file
Table of contents & Indexes
File Print – Brings up the printer setup dialog
box to help the user to print the document Keyboard shortcuts
File Close - Closes the document Display
File Quit – Closes Scribus Miscellaneous
Plugins
File Menu: Preferences Short words
Scripter

32
Preferences: The General Tab The Theme setting refers to the appearance of
Scribus inside the operating system. Different
themes are available, and they can be used as
per the tastes of the user as these themes are
applied to the menu and lay out of the
software.
The wheel jump setting refers to the number of

pixels Scribus will scroll for each move of the
mouse wheel.
The recent document setting allows the user to

adjust the number of recently edited
documents available in the File menu.
Image showing the General Tab in the
Preferences window Paths setting enables the user to set the default
path for documents, templates, ICC profiles,
In the General tab interface settings are
and scripts. ICC profile is a set of international
available to set language, themes, and font size.
standards for the representation of color.
This setting also allows the user to alter the
number of documents available to view in the Document Tab
Recent Documents tab.
It is advisable for the user to become familiar This tab in the preferences window helps the
with the tools tab of the preferences panel. The user to make changes to the default settings for
tools tab lets the user to select the type, size, document layers, page size and margin guides.
and color of the font to be used when a new a
new document is created. It this tab is
overlooked the default settings will take over
which happens to be 12 point Arial Regular
every time a new document is created.
Image showing the document tab in the

preferences window
On the left side of the Document lay out section

settings are available that could let the user to
Image shows the tools window inside choose between single page, double sided, 3-
Preferences fold, and 4-fold layouts. It also allows the user
to choose between right or left page as the first
The language settings refer to the languages page.
available in Scribus menus and dialogs. There is
a wide choice of languages available in Scribus.

33
The page size section allows the author can inconsistencies. Artwork and background colors
choose whether to have the portrait or often extend into the bleed area. After the
landscape orientation as a default setting. trimming process this bleed area ensures that
no unprinted edges occur in the final trimmed
Units setting column allows the user to choose
document.
the default setting from typographical units of
measures as points, picas, millimeters, inches, This setting can be adjusted when the
and centimeters. document is set for the first time. The default
value of bleed is about 3-5mm. This value
The default selections could vary margin guides
depends on the printing process. The printer
vary according to the size of the document
must be consulted if possible before setting up
layout. If the user has opted for a single page
this value. In order to show bleed guidelines,
layout, the guide margins for inside, outside,
this setting should be enabled from View /
top and bottom should be adjusted manually as
Show Bleed.
there are no preset layouts available. Preset
layouts are available only for multipage
documents.
Multipage layouts
Preset layouts are available if the user selects a

double-sided, 3-fold, or 4-fold layout. The user
can choose from preset layouts such as
Gutenberg, Magazine, Fibonacci, Golden Mean
and Nine Parts.
If printer drivers are installed, the printer

margins button lets the user choose between
the printers available and gets the margin
values for the printers themselves.
Image showing Bleed value being set. Ideal
value is 3 – 5 mm or 10 – 15 points.
Bleeds
This is a relevant issue / concept if the user

decides to print an image / background color
right up to the page edge, then this printed area
should extend over the edge of the current
document to an area that will eventually be cut
off. This area is known as the bleed. In other
words bleed is printing that goes beyond the
edge of where the sheet will be trimmed. This
is the area that will be trimmed off. This space
gives a small amount of space to account for
the movement of paper, and design

34
system. This tab also allows the user to set the

path for the font files. If the author has fonts
stored in a directory other than the standard
fonts directory, then additional paths option
can be used to enable Scribus to locate these
fonts.
View bleed setting set in View menu. Bleed

area becomes visible after enabling this setting
Image showing the Fonts tab
Guides Tab
The guides tab in the preferences window

allows the user to choose whether guides and
margins are to be displayed and whether they
Image showing Scribus document where the should be displayed in the foreground /
Bleed area is marked with a Blue arrow (Double background.
head)
Fonts Tab
This tab which is listed under the preferences

screen provides a list of fonts that is available
inside the system. This tab also allows
automation of font substitutions allowing the
user to nominate serif and non-serif fonts in
place of those that are unavailable in the

35
Typography Tab
This tab provides the ability to adjust the

default settings for subscript, superscript,
underline, strike through, small capitals and
automatic line spacing.
Tools Tab
This tab allows the user to select the type, size,

and color of font to be used when a new text
Image showing Guides tab in Preferences frame is created. User should take every effort
window to familiarize themselves with this setting in
order to achieve a good-looking layout. At this
point the author advices the user to spend
This Guides tab provides an option for some time viewing the video which is attached
displaying page grids (both major and minor) by to this document to ensure that all these
default, as well as the distance between the settings become familiar.
baseline grids which can be used to align text to
the baseline.
Hyphenation and Spelling tab
The baseline is the line on which each
character, glyph or line of text is based.
Sometimes it becomes imperative to align text This tab is useful if the user desires to use
to a baseline in order to ensure that two hyphenation to occur spontaneously while
columns of text are level with each other. typing. This setting should be enabled as
hyphenation is not enabled by default. The
There is also a setting to set up the snap
user can also set the length of the smallest
distance (the distance within which an object
word that needs to be hyphenated. The
will snap to the guides, which is useful when
hyphenator hyphenates the text into text
snapping objects to a grid).
frames, but one needs to configure the tab
carefully in order to be able to use it.
Grab Radius Hyphenator settings can be enabled for the

current document by going to Document setup
/ Hyphenation. For all future documents this
The grab radius is the radius of the area where setting can be enabled from the preferences
Scribus will allow the user to grab an object’s window.
handle. This setting determines the size of the
area in which the user can select the handles.

36
It includes the settings for crop marks, printer

marks, bleed settings and registration marks.
There is also an option to compress the text and
images before exporting as PDF in order to
reduce the file size.
There are also other options to export the file

suitable for printing, web viewing and also to
set the maximum image resolution.
Image showing Hyphenation window in the

Preferences tab
Preflight Verifier Tab
This setting enables Scribus to automatically run

checks when the file is exported as a PDF. It
performs automatic check on the document for
certain types of errors before exporting the file
as PDF. This tab contains default settings for
the items that are to be checked.
Image showing various export options under

File Menu
Image showing Preflight verifier window
PDF Export Tab
When the option to export the file as PDF is

chosen then various options will be displayed.

37
user is producing transparencies then the

minimum PDF version should be at least 1.4.
Another issue the user will have to contend

with is if X-3 is chosen there are virtually no
security option available. Only some fonts can
be embedded inside the document while the
other fonts may be unavailable for use.
There is also another option for setting the

default margin and the default setting left
margin is ideal for English texts.
Other check boxes give the option of including

navigation aids such as thumbnails, PDF articles
and Bookmarks. If the minimum PDF version
Image showing Save as PDF window chosen is 1.5 and above, then there is an option
of including Scribus layers to create watermarks
that are visible only when printing.
The General tab gives out the options for If the user desires to use EPS graphics, then
exporting all pages into the PDF document or there is an option to set their default resolution
the user can choose certain specific pages for in the PDF. For purposes of printing default
export. This feature will help if the user desires image resolution should be a minimum of 300
to handout sample pages from the book. dpi. For outline use / proof reading purposes
the resolution can be reduced even up to 72 dpi
Pages can be rotated using the rotation setting.
the keep the file size small.
There is also an option for clipping the page to
suit printer margins. Fonts:
It also gives the option for choosing the image Normally, PDF files embed only a subset of
compression method, automatic is the default characters to save space. If the user is not so
choice. particular about the file size, then all the fonts
used within the document can be embedded
Compression quality can also be adjusted in this
making the process of rendering and printing
window. The default setting happens to be
more reliable.
Maximum.
Using the Font tab, the user can choose which
The user has also the option of setting the
fonts need to be embedded in the file. The rule
maximum resolution for images using this
of the thumb is to choose the font that is often
window.
used for the body of the text. In some
Under the file options the user can set the situations, choosing to embed only the outlines
compatibility for Acrobat PDF versions. Ideally of fonts will help if there are limitations of
speaking, lower the version chosen wider will metrics will prevent the fonts from being
be the compatibility of the output. If color embedded completely.
management is enabled then X-3 option should
be chosen in the compatibility setting. If the

38
Image showing Extras tab
Image showing Fonts tab open Viewer
In this tab the user can set the default display

for the PDF output. The default setting is a
single page, but the two-page layout is also
Extras tab quite popular. Continuous in which the
document scrolls is less commonly used.
This tab is for those users who intend to make
use of the PDF document generated for a In addition to the page spread, one can also
presentation. By selecting Enable Presentation choose what other features that need to be
Effects, the user can set transition animations displayed, like bookmarks and thumb nails. The
suitable for slideshow, selecting from a small setting to use the user’s default setting is an
set of effects and also setting the time that they excellent choice.
display and the timing between slides can also During online viewing the user has got the
be set. If the user plans to use the output for a choice to choose a JavaScript to be run when
slideshow then this tab can be ignored the document is open.
completely.

39
Image showing viewer tab open Image showing security tab open
Security
The default setting in PDF allows user to make Color

use of the file in anyway possible. The security
settings if enabled could prevent such misuse
by the user. If the user decides that the file generated is for
online display, then selecting screen/wen will
In order to ensure security of the document render the output using the RGB color mode. If
password can be set at two levels i.e. The first the PDF is for printing, then the printer should
one happens to be the owner. Setting a be selected. The size of the file can be reduced
password for this field will prevent users other if grayscale is chosen for the document in which
than the owner of the document to carry out color is not important.
changes in the document. Users password if set
will ensure that only authorized users with
password can open the document and view its
contents.
Image showing color tab open

40
Preferences / Display
Pre-Press
The Display panel enables the user to adjust the
This tab is of use only when the document default page display and scratch space options.
needs to be professionally printed. Mostly the The screen display size and the gaps between
setting under this tab is concerned with printing pages can be adjusted from this window.
crop, bleed, and registration marks that will
The color tab of the Display panel enables the
guide how the output file is printed and the
user to customize the colors used to represent
resulting pages are bound.
the features visible on the screen namely pages,
borders and frames. This tab also has a pages
section that lets the user play with fill color of
the document background as it appears on the
display. This color will not be visible on the
printed page if it is printed on a white paper. It
is an effort to visualize the look of the letters
when combined with background color if the
user decides to use a colored paper for printing.
Image showing Pre-Press tab
This tab gives the user the option of creating

on-the-fly bleeds. However, creating bleeds in Image showing the Display window under
this way means that in future the user could preferences
have trouble reproducing the same output. It is
advisable to check the box in front of the Use
Document Bleeds.
At the bottom of this tap are the options for X-3

options of PDF format. In this color
management profile can be set. It is always
better to set the color management within the
document and not while exporting it.

41
Video clipping shows setting preferences in

Scribus.
Edit Menu
Video clipping showing export of Scribus
document into PDF file
Edit menu can be used to undo the recent
actions in Scribus. The user can copy, cut and
Plugins paste frames and texts and images. Patterns
can be edited, and JavaScript code can also be
added.
Plugins panel contains column that allows the
user to load and deselect the plugins that came
with the Scribus installation. Plugins include
Scripter, Barcode generator and Calendar. The
Scripter plugin is a scripting engine. It can be
used with Python programming language as a
way of carrying out a series of operations within
Scribus.
Barcode Generator is a plugin that creates and

inserts barcodes in the documents.
The Calendar Wizard creates fairly professional

looking calendar layouts.
Scrapbook
This is a way of storing graphics, page objects

and page layouts in case there is a need to use
them again. In order to save the object into the
scrapbook the object is right clicked and the
send to Scrapbook submenu is chosen.

42
Edit Advanced Select All enables the user to

make qualified selection of objects that needs
to be selected
Edit Colors is where the user makes new

colors for the color palate
Edit Master Pages is where the user can

change the Master pages
Edit Styles is where the user goes to open

the style manager. Styles help to give a
consistent look the document
Item Action Mode
This menu when selected will filter the action

history to show only those actions done to the
currently selected object. With this menu
enabled, the user can undo an action done to
an object even after performing some other
action on another object. This feature is
automatically enabled when the user right clicks
on the object. The submenu undo in the right
click context will only undo the actions done to
the currently selected object.
Image showing Edit submenu Page Menu
Edit Undo – Undoes the last action and

takes the user back to the previous step
Edit Redo Undoes the previous undo

command
Edit Cut removes an object from the current

document and places it on the clipboard
Edit Copy copies an object in the open

document to the clipboard
Edit Paste pastes the previously cut / copied

element from the clipboard into the document
Edit Select All selects every object on the

Image showing page menu along with its
active layer on the active page
submenus

43
Page menu is used for arranging pages in a

document.
Page Insert inserts a new page
Page Apply Master Page enables the user to

specify which page is based on which master
page
Page Manage Guides enables the user to

apply guidelines to pages
Page Snap to Grid enables automatic

“snapping” of objects in relation to margins and
guidelines
Image showing Insert Menu and its submenus
Page Snap to Guides enables the user to
force the objects on the page to snap to their
guides
Insert Menu
Insert menu can be used to insert a text frame,

image frame, render frame, barcode or a
sample text. User can use this menu to insert
text frames / image frames into the active
document. It should be pointed out it is easier
to choose the appropriate tool from the tool
bar.
Video clipping showing the use of Insert menu

44
Item Menu Item Transform modifies an object through

scaling, rotation, skewing, or translation.
This menu contains options that enables the

user to manipulate the size and shape of an
image frame, alter the level of a frame, or group
or ungroup a set of frames.
Item Group allows the user to modify several

items in the same way at the same time.
Item Ungroup disperses the group. When

the user ungroups an object into its constituent
parts then they can be selected individually
again.
Item Level Moves an object up or down in

relation to other objects on the page using
levels. A level is a stacking order control for
objects that are in the same layer. Depending
on what level an object is the user can move it
up or down in the stacking order.
Item Send to layer Moves an object from

one layer to another.
Item Adjust frame to Image changes the

image frame so as to fit the size of the image.
Item Adjust Image to Frame changes the

size of the Image in order to fit the size of the
image frame.
Item Update Image updates an image in

Scribus after it has been edited in an image
editing program
Item Link Text Frames Links two text frames Image showing the Menu Item along with its
together so that any overflowing text will flow submenu
from one text frame into the other.
Item Send to Scrapbook sends a copy of the

active item to the Scrapbook.
Item Duplicate creates a copy of the

selected object.
Item Multiple Duplicates can make more

copies of the selected objects.

45
Extras Menu
This menu can be used to manage images,

hyphenate text, generate table of contents,
preview the fonts and use the color wheel.
Images can be managed from this menu by
using the Manage Images dialog box. This
displays the list of all the images imported into
the document, together with graphics data
about each image and a path to the stored
location of the image
Video clipping showing the Use of Item menu
along with its submenu
View Menu
View menu enables the user to display visual
aids like grids and guides. Alterations to how
the document is shown on the screen can also
be performed from this menu. The document
can be viewed under different zoom levels.
Image showing Extras menu along with its
submenu.
Tool Bar
Below the main menu of Scribus lies the

toolbar. After installation the toolbar could be
seen inserted across the top of the screen, but
this can be changed by the user as per their
preference. Toolbar in Scribus happens to be a
floating panel and it can be pulled and placed in
another area of the workspace.
The toolbar is divided into four groups of tools

indicated by faint dotted lines. They include
File commands
Edit commands
Tools
Image showing the View menu along with its
PDF features
submenu

46
It is possible to move these groups of tools onto Fourteenth tool – Opens the story editor to edit
another area of the canvas or against the left, text
right and bottom edge of the Scribus window.
Fifteenth tool – Link text frames
Sixteenth tool – Unlink text frames

Image of toolbar. Yellow bar indicates the
Seventeenth tool – Measurements
separating dotted line which indicates the
docking line. Eighteenth tool – Copy item properties
To relocate the group of tools the mouse cursor Nineteenth tool – Eye dropper that captures the
could be placed over the faint dotted line and color of an object and adds it to the swatch.
the tool bar can easily be disengaged and the
same can be placed in another area of the
canvas. If the group is moved to the right or left
margins of the canvas, then the items
themselves will group in as a vertical bar.
Image showing PDF tools seen in the tool bar
First tool - Inserts PDF Push button

Figure displaying toolbar tools
Second tool – Inserts PDF text field
First tool – Item select for selecting and moving
objects Third tool – Inserts PDF check box
Second tool – Insert text frame Fourth tool – Inserts PDF Combo box
Third tool – Insert Image frame Fifth tool – Inserts PDF List box
Fourth tool – Insert Renderer frame (Inserts Sixth tool – Inserts Text Annotation
vector object directly on the page)
Seventh tool – Inserts Link Annotation
Fifth tool – Insert table
Sixth tool – Insert shape
Seventh tool – Insert polygon
Eighth tool – Line tool Inserts a single line on

the page
Eye dropper tool:
Nineth tool – Insert Bezier curve
This is a very useful tool that lets the user to
Tenth tool – Inserts a free hand tool to draw sample colors from an image, document or
custom lines with mouse photo and add the same to the existing color
palette. This is a useful tool if the user desires
Eleventh tool – Rotate an item to match the background of a text / image
Twelfth tool – Zoom tool frame with the exact color used in an
accompanying photograph. As soon as the
Thirteenth tool – Edit contents of a Frame Eyedropper tool is placed over the desired color
and clicked a dialog box appears. Scribus

47
requires the user to supply a name for the color

and after the user does the same it will be
available for use inside Scribus.
On using the Eyedropper this dialog box will

open asking the user to name the color. On
providing a name the same will be added to the
list of colors available inside Scribus.
Image showing Tooltip being enabled
The select item tool shown above is an

important tool in Scribus. It is automatically
selected after using another tool unless Sticky
Tools has been selected in the insert menu.
This tool helps in selecting an object on the
canvas.
Tooltips
This helps a beginner to find his / her way when

using Scribus. Tooltips appear when the user
hovers the mouse over the icons / buttons in
Scribus. Video clipping showing the uses of Tool Bar
Status Bar
Status bar displays from left to right, a points

control, a layer selector and a zoom selector. It
Image showing tooltip display over insert
also displays the coordinates of the current
Freehand Line
mouse position, enabling the user to read the
Tooltip can be enabled by going to the Help location of the mouse and select the unit of
menu and the entry for Tooltips is marked with measurement to work on the canvas.
a tick.

48
It also has several zoom levels to let the user frame and select Edit Text from the context
work up close to the object on the page. It has menu.
also a button for activating color management
and another for activating the preview mode.
The status bar also enables the user to read the
location of the mouse and select the unit of
measurement they will be working in.
Image showing the status bar
Story Editor
This helps to edit the contents of a text frame.

The contents of the text frame can also be Right click menu when clicked inside a text
formatted using the story editor. frame showing Edit Text context menu.
This is where the beginner would start the

process of text editing. This is also the place
where most of the initial layout work will be
done.
Image showing Story Editor Window
This is a simple looking text editor. To open this

Video clipping showing the use of story editor
window the user needs to right click on the text

49
Using Story Editor the user can select the

desired type, size and color of font, and
applying superscript, shadowed text, and
paragraph styles etc. Most of the tools
available in the Story editor are self-
explanatory.
The underline tool underlines texts and spaces,

whereas the underline words only option leaves
the spaces blank and underlines the text alone.
The shadow tool produces a duplicate behind
the selected letter in order to create the effect
of a shadow. The kerning tool allows the user
to adjust the distance between individual
letters. The user also can format the texts to be
left justified, centre justified, right justified, fully
justified and enforced full justification where
even short words are fully justified.
The justification and style buttons are located

on the right side of the tool bar. If the user uses
full justification for a block of text, the words in
the final lines would look over-stretched. This
scenario can be remedied by using hyphenation
properly with the current justification setting.
Before the user closes the story editor window, Image showing right click contents menu of a
the Update text frame button which appears text frame
with a small red tick mark should be clicked to
finalize the changes made to the text within the
text box. This will ensure that the changes
made to the text using story editor is updated in
the selected text frame.
Properties Palette
This window can be evoked by right clicking on

the object within the canvas. The properties
palette window could be slightly different
depending on the type of object selected.

50
Image showing context menu for image frame

which can be displayed on right clicking over it Image showing properties window
The properties palette is known to be the
control center of the Scribus page layout
system. Using properties window, the user can As shown above the properties palette contains
control, refine, and embellish the look of the 7 tabs / panes. These tabs / panes which can be
text and image frames. Background color expanded and reshaped as the palette is moved
gradients can be changed, and images can also around the screen.
be rotated.
The user needs to practice using Properties

palette to make efficient use of it to enrich the
look of the document.

51
XYZ Tab provides a set of tools that lets the user

to manipulate the width, height, and rotation of
The tabs that are present in properties window
the frames on the page with a high degree of
include:
precision. The user can rotate an item on the
XYZ positioning line – Enables the user to locate page by entering a range of plus / minus values
and rotate objects with detailed precision. in the rotation box.
Color – This tab lets the user to change the fill / Grouping Frames:
stroke of a frame or shape.
Groups tab gives the user the control over a
Text – This tab allows the user to change the group of objects. If the user desires to preserve
settings for the font, text color, line spacing, the arrangement of frames on the paper,
styles, and number of columns. grouping them is the way to go. Grouping can
be performed by holding down the shift key,
Shape – Allows the user to edit the borders of a selecting all the frames that needs to be
frame shape and change how text flows around grouped and then selecting item / group or
an object. Control + G in the keyboard. To ungroup them,
Image – Lets the user edit the position and the entire group can be selected and ungrouped
scaling of images. by going to Item / Ungroup.
Group – This tab allows the user to modify

grouped objects at the same time.
Image showing Shape tab in properties window
Properties: The Shape Tab

Image showing X, Y, Z window
The shapes tab lets the user manipulate shapes
and edit the shapes of frames inside the canvas.
Allowing Text to flow around a frame
At the bottom of the Shape tab is an area that

controls the flow of text around a frame. This is

52
where the user can format the text in such a

way so that the text would flow around an
image. In order to make it function it should be
ensured that the image frame is positioned over
the text frame. If the image is behind the text
then it should be brought above by right clicking
on the image frame and selecting Level / Raise
to Top from the context menu in order to
restore it. Text can be made to flow around the
image in a precise way by manipulating the
contour line, or the bounding box of the image
can be made use of. Both the contour line and
bounding box are created when the user
creates an image frame, and initially they are of
the same size and occupy the same position.
The bounding box is rectangular in shape and Image showing the Line tab
this defines the boundary of a shape of the
image. The contour line can be defined in the
editing mode by checking the Edit contour line Properties: The Colors Tab
box. This lets the user add nodes and control This tab can be used to apply colors, shades and
points outside the bounding box. Selecting the patterns to the image and text frames. These
Contour Line control will affect the flow of text colors can include the custom colors that have
around the selected image. been collected using the eye dropper tool on
the tool bar or the colors created by the user by
using other methods.
Properties: The Line Tab
The line tab enables the user to select and

format various type of lines. It also enables the
user to add stroke colors to the frame borders.

53
Image showing the Color tab

Image showing various color gradient options
The color tab lets the user to create fill colors available under colors tab
using gradients of two / more colors. This very
impressive technique is used in creating glossy
magazines. Properties: The Image tab
The image tab enables the user to control the

size and scale of images. The scaling of the
images is also possible. There is a checkbox
that enables the user to scale the image to
frame size and another for keeping the image
scaling proportional.
Image showing use of horizontal gradient

54
actual DPI. Increasing the X-Scale will rescale

the image to stretch horizontally. Increasing Y-
Scale will scale the image vertically.
The actual X and Y-DPI fields are related to

magnification. The measurement of 143-50 DPI
refers to the final resolution to be exported to
PDF. Increasing the Actual X-DPI field rescales
the image in such a way that it squeezes to the
left within the frame.
Image tab of properties dialog box
If free scaling is selected, then scaling tools get

activated. Some of these tools can help the
user to offset the images to the left or right, up
or down within the frame. Other tools enable
the user to rescale the image within the frame.
The properties palette has two fields entitled

Scale to Frame size and Proportional. If the
Proportional field is left unchecked the image
would be stretched to fit the frame and would Video clipping showing properties window in
as a result appear distorted. When it is Scribus and its uses.
checked, the image is sized in proportion
according to its frame size. If Free scaling is
selected it will enable the user to crop the Properties: The Text Tab
edges, reposition the image or change the
scaling. At the top of the Text tab is a drop-down menu
for selecting the required font family and below
The image tab has a column of image that is another one for selecting the font styles
manipulation tools X-Pos and Y-Pos refer to the such as bold / italic. Below these settings are
relative positions of the upper left corner of the two columns of spin boxes that handles the font
image and the upper left corner of the frame. If size, line spacing, and the alignment of text on
X-Pos tool is increased by 10 points, then the the baseline grid.
image will move across to the right side of the
frame. If the Y-Pos value is increased by 10
points, then the image will move down within
the frame.
The X-Scale, Y-Scale, X-DPI and Y-DPI are linked

by default. X-scale and Y-Scale refer to the
magnification of the image compared to the

55
There are also boxes for scaling, stretching, and

shrinking the width of the font characters and
for scaling the height of the font.
At the bottom of the Text tab are a series of

expanders. The first ones are the Colors and
Effects buttons which provide the same tools as
found in the Story editor enabling the user to
select the fill color of the text.
The Advanced settings expander contains the

manual tracking control, which alters the letter
spacing that is applied within words. Kerning
adjusts the space between individual letters.
There are also two drop-down menus for
controlling the Font stroke color and Font fill
color if the text has been given an outline.
Image showing Advanced setting window
There are also buttons for underlining text, or

converting it to subscript, superscript, and
shadowed text. The user can select fonts and
font styles individually in the Text tab of
Image showing text properties window properties palette. The user can also do the
same thing using story editor.
Column and Text Distances

Line spacing was formerly known as leading
because typesetters in those days of hand The button marked Column and Text Distances
typesetting used thin strips of lead to space enables the user to set the number of columns
their lines of text. The line spacing spin box in the text frame as well as adjust the width of
offers a choice of fixed line spacing, automatic the gap that will separate them.
line spacing or aligning to the baseline grid.
Baseline grid is a document wide set of

horizontal lines that are used. If baseline grid
spacing is selected as a way of aligning to the
same line.

56
Solution to the Exercise “changing properties

of a text frame” Video clipping
Grids and Guides

Image showing Columns and text distances
This is a key ingredient for good document

Exercise: design is the accurate placement of content on
the page. Content should be positioned on the
Create a new document in Scribus.
page in such a way that it enhances the look of
Draw a text frame. the document and makes the information it
contains easy to assimilate. Grids and guides
Import some sample text into the text frame. provide a handy way of achieving the accurate
Use the Properties menu to create a two- placement of content.
column text box. Set the distance between the
column by 10 points.
Grids
Set the font to Ariel Black.
Grids provide a way of aligning the frames
Set the line spacing aligned to Baseline grid. accurately on the page. The user can organize
them so that the objects “snap” to them in an
organized and linear manner. Each grid
contains its own major and minor grids, which
are based on default settings, but these can
easily be change according to the needs.
In order to display a grid, the user can choose

View / show grid. The document will look like it
has been overlaid with a sheet of graph paper.

57
print. Guides are useful if there is a need to

position two or more frames along the same
line.
Easiest way to create guides is to click on the

ruler running below the tool bar and drag it on
to the page. In order to perform this action
guides should be selected in the view menu.
In order to create a vertical guideline, click and

drag the line from the left-hand ruler onto the
page. If the user desires to snap an object to a
guideline, one should first display the guide,
and then select snap to guides setting from the
page menu.
Image showing Baseline grid alone
Managing guides
If the user wishes to change the document

setting for the guides such as those for the snap
distance or grab radius, it can be done for the
current document from the document setup.
To change this setting for future documents
then it should be carried out by selecting File /
Preferences. Management of guides is done by
using Guide manager in the Page / Manage
guides menu. Using the Guide manager, the
Image showing Grids guides can be added, edited, and deleted.
Baseline Grid
This displays a baseline on which the text in the

text frame sits and this tool enables the user to
raise / lower the type relative to the baseline.
Adjustments to the height of font characters
from the baseline can be performed via
Document set up or preferences.
Guides Video clipping showing the use of Grids and

These are horizontal / vertical lines that helps Guides
the user with the alignment of the content.
These guides are not displayed in the pdf or

58
Scrap Book
The scrapbook has been designed as a place to

store objects that are used repeatedly within
the document. Use of this feature avoids the
hazzle of having to import frequently used
objects from other Scribus documents, which
can be really time consuming. Scrapbook dialog
can be viewed by using Windows / Scrapbook.
Scrapbook menu showing how to create a new

scrapbook page.
Image showing icons in the scrapbook window
Image showing menu icon for creating a new

page in scrapbook
Image showing menu icon for loading existing

scrapbook
Image showing Scrapbook menu under

Image showing menu icon for saving the
Windows menu
scrapbook

59
Image showing menu icon for importing

scrapbook from other versions of Scribus
Image showing menu icon for closing the

currently open scrapbook
Video clipping showing the use of Scrapbook in

Scribus

60
on the create new text frame / create new

image frame tools from the tool bar or from the
Insert submenu. The inserted text and image
frames can be resized by pulling the handles i.e.
red colored small squares around the frame.
Chapter 4
Using Text Frames and Font

management
In this chapter the following topics will be

discussed:
I. Text frame options – using them

effectively
II. Import and Edit text
III. Manipulation of text within text frame
IV. Selection & application of various fonts
V. Align text frames effectively
VI. Controlling placement of texts using
tabs and indents
VII. Creation and editing drop caps
Image showing Insert text frame submenu
under Insert menu
While creating a document balance should be

struck between achieving the aesthetic
preferences that the user is striving for and
producing a clear layout.
Using text frames
It should be stressed that Scribus is a frame-

based page layout system. This software uses
Image showing insert text frame tool in the tool
frames to position texts and images. These
bar
frames can be inserted into the page by clicking

61
Image showing the box automatic text frames

being checked
When the box in front of automatic text frames

is selected, Scribus lets the user specify the
position of the margins, and the number of
Image showing text frame inserted into the pages and columns that is required in the
Scribus document. Red dots are the handles frames, as well as the size of the gap between
which can be used to resize the text frame. them.
Grids and Guides are very useful in assisting in Right clicking inside a text frame brings up the
placing the text frames on the document. context menu:
These frames can be resized by using the width
and height spin boxes in the XYZ tab of the Info
Properties Palette. Undo
It is also possible to insert frames automatically Get Text
when a new document is created. This is done
by selecting the checkbox for Automatic Frame Append Text
Creation in the new document window. Edit Text
Sample Text
Attributes
PDF Options
Is Locked
Size is Locked
Send to Scrapbook
Send to layer

62
The context menu for the text frame provides

the user with the option of creating and editing
the text in Story Editor or loading it from the
text file.
Level The Append Text option enables the user to add

more text to the text that already exists in the
Convert to text frame, while Sample Text gives the option
Cut of filling the text framed with placeholder text
written in one of several languages.
Copy
Delete
Frame Options
Contents
Properties After insertion into the canvas the text frames

can be modified by using the Shape tab in the
Properties Palette by clicking the square button
on the right side of the Shape tab. This will
produce other shapes that can be used as the
shape of the text frame.
Image showing the Properties Palette using

which the shape of the text frame can be
altered.
Using the XYZ tab, the user can alter the size
and position of the text frame. This tab also
includes a tool for rotating the frame around
360 degrees. The X-Pos and Y-Pos controls
Image showing context menu on right clicking helps the user to position the left and top page
on the text frame

63
borders. The basepoint control lets the user

select which corner is used for the coordinates.
Image showing conversion of shape into a text

frame from the right click context menu
Text can be keyed inside a large Text. To make

Image showing XYZ tab in the Properties palette this happen in Scribus first a large letter is
created inside a text frame. The text frame is
right clicked and from the context menu
Convert to – Outlines is selected. The same
outline is then right clicked and from the
context menu again Convert to – Text frame is
chosen. Now the user will be able to type /
Image showing Basepoint control with one base insert text inside the large alphabet created. In
point selected order to get optimal look one need to select the
size of the original letter rather carefully.
The default shape of text frame / image frame
in Scribus is rectangular. If the user wants to
use some other shape then a shape can be
drawn on the page and the same can be
converted into a text frame by right clicking on
the shape and choosing the convert to text
frame from the context menu.

64
Image showing the outline containing the

alphabet being converted into a text frame
using the right click context menu
Image showing a large Alphabet being

converted into an outline by right clicking on it
After converting to text frame text can be typed

inside the alphabet. Change the default color of
letters from black to white or some other color
that will be visible in black background.

65
Introduction to Nodes
The shape of the text frame can be altered from

the Shapes tab of the Properties Palette. The
shapes tab contains two buttons in its upper
part that helps the user to edit the shapes.
Image showing the two buttons in the upper

Image showing the Nodes window that opens
part of Shapes tab. The first tab contains a
when the user clicks on the Edit tab from the
down arrow which when clicked will open the
Shape tab.
menu containing different preformed shapes
that can be used to convert the text box.

66
Clicking on this button deletes the nodes
This button on clicked Resets control points
This button on clicked moves control points
Image showing Nodes setting box open next to

the text frame where blue dots can be seen at This button on clicked moves control points
its corners. independently
Nodes are little blue dots placed at regular
intervals along the perimeter of the frame and
they can be added to the shape by selecting the
Add Nodes button. The Nodes can be moved
using the mouse or they can be moved using This button on clicked moves control points
the X-Pos and Y-Pos spin boxes lower down in symmetrically
the dialog. The button that is second from the
left allows the user to add more nodes, and the
third from the left enables the user to delete
them.
Clicking on this button resets control points
Nodes dialog box:
Clicking on this button opens the polygon or

This button helps to move the nodes cuts the Bezier curve
This button helps to add nodes Clicking on this button closes the Bezier curve

67
The first column contains buttons for enlarging

Mirror path of the node horizontally
and shrinking the text box by percentage and
the next column contains buttons for enlarging
and shrinking the text box by an absolute value
keyed in.
Mirrors the path of the node vertically
Exercise:
Create a text frame. Go to properties tab and

Shears the path horizontally to the left
change the shape of the text frame to a circle.
Shears the path horizontally to the right
First button shears the path up and the next

button shears the path down
Rotation of nodes clockwise and

counterclockwise and the degree of rotation
can be manipulated using these tools

68
Editing text frames
Easy way of editing text frames is by right

clicking inside them and select Edit Text from
the context menu. The user can also edit the
text frame by simply double clicking inside the
frame.
It is also possible to edit fonts and styles using

the Text tab of the Properties Palette. The text
itself cannot be edited in this way. Only the
font and font size can be changed, or styles can
be applied.
The user can also select the frame, right click on

it, and then copy the frame. The copied frame
can b e pasted into another part of the
document or stored in the scratch space.
Image showing the text frame right clicked and

the context menu opened. Edit text can be
selected to initiate the text editing process
suing the Story Editor.

69
Once the text is selected or highlighted the user

can underline it, centre it, or justify it. The story
editor does not format font faces so the user
Importing text into the text frame will not be able to embolden or italicize the text
unless there are some bold / italicized variants
contained within the font sets.
Text can be imported into a text frame by right
clicking inside it and selecting the Get Text from
the context menu. This will open up a dialog
Using Sample Text
box which the user can use to navigate to the
text file that needs to be imported into the text
frame. Importing text using Get Text option will Scribus can also import sample text using the
replace any existing text in the text frame. If context menu. Sample text helps the user to
the user desires to add some text to the end of plant the layouts if there are not text available
the text that is already there inside the text for within the text frame. Sample text used in
frame, then the menu option called Append Scribus contains the original Latin version
Text need to be used. known as Lorem Ipsum. This was named after a
passage written in Latin by the Roman
philosopher Cicero.
Inserting text using Story Editor
Importing files
When the user selects the Text Edit option from
the context menu that gets displayed on right
clicking the text frame, the Story Editor opens Scribus is capable of importing with varying
up. The story editor is more or less a text degrees of success, text files that are imported
editor; and it contains all the important text as plain text, HTML, CSV, MS Word, and Open
edit features in one window. Office Write files.
Plain text files are commonly imported from

text editors like notepad and the text should be
stored in text format (.txt files).
It is possible to import files as HTML files inside

Scribus. The software will import the whole file,
including the font faces such as bold and italics.
Some of the HTML tags will be converted to
paragraph styles, but some of the formatting
would be left out. To import HTML file, the user
should prefer to use Get Text command in the
context menu.
CSV (comma separated value) files represent

Image showing the Story Editor data that is exported from spreadsheets and
databases. In Scribus it is possible to import
comma separated value files into the

70
document. To import CSV data into Scribus the

user needs to select CSV import in the Get Text
dialog box and the field separators are defined.
After having defined the field separators in the
import dialog, Scribus will convert the CSV data
into a default style.
Importing Word document inside Scribus
It is possible to import MS Word files into

Scribus, but it will be stripped off their
formatting. There is a solution for this problem.
The word document can be opened using Open
Office writer which is an open source software
and saved in ODT format which is the default
Image showing squeezed text in a dark
format of open office writer. This file when
background
imported into Scribus would get imported along
with the formatting details.
Indenting the text will have the effect of moving

it away from the edges of the frame, but this
Indenting Text
method can cause problems if text frame gets
changed at a later date. It is better to simply
After creating a text frame and importing text add some frame margins.
into it, if the user desires to display the text in a
frame with dark background, indenting the text
becomes necessary as the text would appear to
squeeze against the frame boundary.
Image showing margins added to text frame

71
Adding Frame Margin
In order to enhance the readability of the text

on a dark background or to move away the text
from the frame for some other reason it is
advisable to create a frame margin between the
text and the frame margin.
Right click on the text frame.
Go to the Properties Palette
Select the text frame Image showing a red cross indicating that there
are some more text that need to be
Click on the Column & Text Distances expander accommodated within the text frame.
Solutions to this problem
1. Increasing the size of the text frame by

pulling the handle of the text frame.
2. Reducing the size of the font within the
text frame.
3. Breaking the text frame into columns
could accommodate more text
4. Creating a fresh page with a new text
frame and using the frame link feature
could allow surplus text from one text
frame to flow into the linked frame.
Image showing Columns and Text Distances. This can be done by highlighting the
The spin boxes can be used for creating gaps first text frame and then clicking on the
between the texts and the frame link text frame icons and click on the
text frame that follows after the first.
Overflowing Text
If the amount of text is larger than that of the

text frame it will be indicated by the presence Tool bar icon that helps to link the text frames.
of a red cross. The linked text frames can be unlinked by

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clicking on the unlink icon which is next to the Story Editor

link icon in the tool bar.
This is the Scribus text editor which is used to

edit and format the text within the text frame
of the document. Story editor can be used to
select font families and apply formatting such
as text underline, spacing, color, and text
justification.
The features that has been changed will not be

displayed in the text frame until it is updated by
clicking the red tick button in the story editor.
This will make the story editor to update the
text frame and exit.
Image showing the Linked text frames Icon in the story editor when clicked shows the
updated changes in the text frame
Icon on the story editor when clicked will

Image showing unlink text frame tool button update the text frame and quit the story editor.
Text alignment
Story editor allows the user to set text

alignment.
Video clipping showing use of text frame Alignment tool bar as seen in Story Editor
The First button aligns the text to the left.

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The next button centers the text so that it is

placed equidistant from its left and right
margins. This is commonly used as a format for
titles, headings, dedications, poetry, verse and
quotations.
The next button creates a Right aligned text.

The text is aligned close to the right margin and
is used for author’s name, and marginal notes.
The next button creates a justified text. Text is

deliberately stretched in order to create a body
of text that has both left and right margins.
Justified text effectively saves space. It
attempts to fill up the available space with the
existing text.
Image showing the Text Tab
The last button causes the text to force justify.

Color and Effects expander has two controls:
The result could be very bad in some cases.
one for changing the color of the selected texts
and the other for changing the color of text
strokes and drop shadows.
Image showing force justified text

Underneath these controls is an array of text
formatting buttons for underlines, subscripts,
Text Tab superscripts and upper case text. In the
Advanced settings expander, an Offset to
Baseline character spin box allows the user to
This can be found in the property’s palette. It insert glyphs at a set distance from the baseline
displays the font families that are available in grid. The tracking spin box enables the user to
Scribus as well as two columns of spin boxes for adjust the space between individual letters.
controlling the font size, linespacing and
baseline offset.
Image showing advanced setting tab

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2. Use a frame shape – If this option is

selected the text can be made to follow
the outline of an object contained
within the frame. This is highly
impressive when used in magazines
3. Use a contour line – If this option is
selected, the text will flow around the
contour line of the frame
4. Disabled – There is no text wrap and
the text ignores the frame or graphical
object
5. Use the clipping path of an image
Video clipping showing how to accommodate

overflowing text inside text frame
Text wrapping around a Quote Image showing text flowing around a text box
In Scribus the text wrap facility makes it

possible to flow the text around an object
located on a higher level. It also works with
layers also. When a text frame is placed behind
another text or image frame on a higher layer
the text from the layer can be made to follow
the shape of a text frame or graphical object on
the higher layer.
There are 5 text wrapping options available

under the Shape tab in Scribus.
1. Use a bounding box – If this option is

selected the text will flow around both Video clipping shows how to make text flow
sides of a rectangular frame or around a quote
bounding box.

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adjusted by 1% in either direction as per the

need.
Kerning & Tracking
The following are the ways that are available in

Scribus to adjust the spacing of text.
Image showing the tracking tool bar in Story
Line spacing
editor
Kerning
Tracking
Line spacing:
This is also known as leading is a way of

adjusting the space between the lines of text.
Kerning:
Image showing story editor with the texts
This provides a way of increasing the distance selected.
between characters
When the user is happy with the changes then
Tracking: update and exit button inside the story editor
can be clicked for the changes to be saved
This provides a way of adjusting the space in a
inside the text frame.
line of characters. Scribus can only adjust the
tracking by a percentage of the font’s internal The processes like linespacing, kerning and
values. tracking are handled automatically in the word
processor. In a desktop publishing software like
A well-designed font will have kerning tables
Scribus the user gets full control of all these
within them and should not be messed with. In
processes. The tools needed for line spacing,
Scribus environment there is only one tool to
kerning and tracking are located in the Text tab
handle both kerning and tracking. The user
of the Properties Palette. The text tab is very
hence can apply the letter spacing changes to
good at setting / adjusting the individual letter
just a pair of characters or to a wider selection.
spaces between characters. This process is also
Beginners should be very careful in altering known as the tracking.
tracking values because it could cause
unreadable text.
Text rotation
If there is a need to alter the tracking value,
then it can be performed from within the Story The easiest way of rotating text within Scribus is
editor. The line of text that needs to be to rotate the entire text frame. This can be
adjusted is selected and the manual tracking is done by right clicking on the text frame and

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selecting the Properties Palette. XYZ tab is Image showing Drop cap effect in a text frame
chosen and the value of rotation entered there.
Baseline grid
Along with guides, grids and margins the

baseline grid is another nifty tool that helps the
user to position the text accurately. Baseline is
the horizontal line on which most of the
characters sit in the text frame. This line helps
the user to raise or lower the lettering relative
to other letters on the baseline. It is very useful
if the user is trying to balance two columns of
Image showing text frame rotated by 60
text frames where the tops of the frames are
degrees
not aligned.
Drop Caps
Scribus allows use of Drop caps. Drop caps are

large letters that are placed at the start of
paragraphs that drop below the baseline. There
is more than one way to create Drop caps effect
in Scribus. The easiest way is to do it manually.
First a text frame is created for drop cap. The
font size is set to 50 points. The text fill color
and text stroke color are set in the properties
palette. Another text frame is created to hold
the rest of the text. The two text frames are
aligned side by side. The text wrap utility can
be used to wrap the body text around drop cap.
This again can be achieved from the Properties Image showing letters arranged on the baseline
Palette. grid (horizontal lines)
Visibility of Baseline grid can be turned on or off

by going to preferences / Guides by clicking the
checkbox. It can also be turned on by selecting
Baseline Grid from the context menu. Baseline
grid is global for the entire document and it
cannot be changed page by page. It can be
dismissed using the context menu, or by using
the Guides tab in the preferences window.

77
Image showing Preferences tab under File

Menu
Baseline grid toggle switch under view Menu
Creating text over semitransparent

background
It will be a problem in Scribus to place text over

a multicolored image which contains lots of
contrasting colors. Light colored text will barely
be visible if placed over a light background
image; dark colored text will disappear over a
Guides tab under Preferences window showing dark background. It is also exceedingly difficult
enabling of Baseline grid to highlight text when its background image
contains lots of contrasting colors.

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One viable solution to all these problems would

be to create a semi-transparent text frame so
that the text appears clearly on the image.
Steps:
Create a text frame and place it over a shape Creating text on a Path
with colored fill with the opacity set to 60%.
Scribus has the ability to attach a line of text to
a path. This can be done following these steps:
❖ A text frame is created, and the text is

entered.
❖ A line or shape is created. Right click
over it will help to bring out the convert
context menu. It is converted to a
Bezier curve
❖ Both the text frame and curve are
selected by holding the shift button
while both the objects are clicked
❖ From the Item menu the submenu
Rectangle shape is drawn on the canvas. From attach text to path is selected and this
the Properties Palette color is chosen. Opacity produces the desired result.
is reduced to 60% as shown in the picture.
Image showing text stand out when the

background opacity is reduced to 60%
Reducing the opacity of the fill color will ensure

that the overlying text stands out and becomes
visible very clearly.

79
Paragraph Alignment and Formatting
In Scribus the user can create a new paragraph

by using the Story Editor. All that is needed is
to key in a text and press the Enter key.
Another way of doing it is to double click on the
text frame and using the Enter key while in the
Edit mode.
Some paragraph alignment and formatting tools

are also available in the Text tab of Properties
Palette.
Tabs
Tab stops are the location where the cursor

stops at after the tab key has been pressed.
Pressing tab stop helps the user to align the
text.
In order to create tab stops for the selected text

frame the user needs to go to the Text area of
the properties palette. Column & Text
Distances expander is selected and then
Both objects are selected before going to item
scrolled down to the Tabulations control.
menu and choosing Link Text to Frame
Image showing Manage Tabulators screen
On clicking the ruler, the user will be able to

create a tab stop. Left tab stop is the default.
Once the tab is created the user can move it
Final Result and place it more precisely with the help of
mouse pointer or using the Spin boxes.

80
To delete the tab stop one has to drag them off

the ruler in the Manage tabulators dialog box.
In Scribus it is also possible to assign a character
other than the tab stop’s default empty space.
This can be adjusted by clicking on the down
arrow in the Fill Char box in the Manage
Tabulators menu.
Image showing the Fill character box in Manage

Tabulator dialog box.
Image showing text box alone resized using the
resize handles
Scaling the Text Size
As demonstrated in previous video, text frames

can be resized by using the mouse to drag the
frame handles. If Alt button of the keyboard is
pressed while the text frame is being resized
then the text inside the frame also will be
resized. If Alt + Ctrl buttons are pressed, then
the aspect ratio of the frame and text are
preserved.
Image showing Resizing text frame when Alt

button is pressed

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Video clipping showing resizing the text frame

along with its contents
Image showing resize performed pressing both
Alt and Ctrl buttons together showing
proportional increase in the size of the text.
Video clipping showing use of Tabs and Caps

Video clipping showing how to make the text to drop in Scribus
flow around a shape

82
Fonts in Scribus
An excellent knowledge of fonts and their uses

is a prerequisite for designing good document
design. There are literally thousands of fonts
that an user can obtain. To match the type of
Inline objects in Scribus font that the user wants to use for the
document lots of trial is needed. One easy way
Scribus is capable of inserting small graphic files of assessing how different fonts will look inside
into the baselines of its text frames. This is the document is to use the font preview tool
similar to inserting a special character like which can be loaded from the Extras menu.
wingding.
It is also possible to add a small image frame,

line, shape, or Bezier curve; copy it; and paste it
into the text frame at the point where the user
desires. These miniature graphics should not be
larger than the characters of the text frame and
these objects are known as Inline objects or
Inline graphics.
For insertion of inline objects to work it needs

to be roughly the same scale as the font size.
To insert these objects, the user should first Image showing submenu under the menu
copy it to a location outside the text frame (it Extras. Font preview can be clicked to invoke
could even be the scratch space). This can be the font preview dialog box
performed by pressing Ctrl+C keys in the
keyboard. Once the correct place within the
text frame has been identified by the user it can
be pasted by pressing Ctrl+V keys together or
by selecting paste from the right click context
menu.
Story Editor cannot be used for this purpose.
After pasting the graphic Text tab controls in

the properties palette can be used to resize the
object (using Offset to Baseline for vertical
placement and Word tracking for horizontal
placement). To delete the object, the cursor
should be positioned in front of it and Delete
Image showing Font preview window
key of the Keyboard is pressed.
In the Quick search facility at the top of the
Font Preview window can be used to search for

83
installed fonts inside scribus. Font list contains Elements of a Typeface

the name of the font, the type of font, and the
fonts used in the document that is being
worked by the user. There is also a field that The following is a set of standard terms to
enables the user to preview the font in the describe the elements that go to make up a
lower part of the dialog box, and it uses some typeface.
sample text to display the fonts. The font list
contains the list of all available fonts and Cap Height – The cap height is the height of the
selecting a font will show up that font in the average uppercase letter such as the letter E
preview column. The size of the font can also Ascender – It is that part of a letter that extends
be varied to study the appearnce of the font above the meanline or x-height.
using this font preview window.
Descender – Is that part of a letter that extends
In order to ensure reliability in document below the baseline.
creation Scribus is quite selective about the
fonts it recognizes, and will disable any font Baseline – Is an invisible line on which most of
that it identifies as defective and whose glyphs the characters sit.
(it is an elemental symbol that is intended to
represent a readable character) cannot be
accessed consistently. Italic and Roman fonts
The difference between Italic fonts and Roman

fonts lie in their history. Italic fonts are based
Font Families on handwritten letter shapes, and are usually
slanted in appearance. They are commoly used
Given below are a list of main font familes that to emphasize a word / phrase in a body of text.
are in common use today: They can also be combined with a heavier
typeface (bold).
Roman fonts were originally were said to have

1. Serif been chiseled in stone and are usually typeset
2. Sans-Serif upright. Text set in Roman is generally
3. Monospaced considered to be more legible than the text set
4. Cursive or Script in italic.
5. Ornamental or Decorative
6. Symbols
Font Management in Scribus
Serif Fonts
Fonts in Scribus can be managed in the Fonts
This type of font has small strokes or dialog which can be accessed from the
appendages called serifs that extend from the Preferences or document setup. Within these
edges of the character. They are desiged to fonts dialog box are three tabs seen. They are:
make the letters look distinctive. Sans-serif
family of fonts don’t have these appendges. Available fonts
Font substitution

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Font substitutions tab displays a list of fonts

that are available on the installation of Scribus
Additional paths
and which the user can use to substitute for
those that have been used in a document, but
which the user does not have.
Font managers available in the operating

system helps to install and manage fonts. Font
settings is one such font manager which is
available in windows which can be used to
explore and install fonts.
Letter Spacing
Image showing Fonts window
Fonts can also be divided into two systems
depending on their letter spacing or the spacing
The tab Available Fonts lists the fonts included between the individual letters. These two types
on the user’s computer and that are available to include:
Scribus when it starts up. All the fonts installed
Monospaced fonts: In this type each character
inside the operating system may not be shown
occupies the same amount of space. As an
in this window because Scribus is highly
example, in these types of fonts the letter “I”
selective about the fonts it uses.
takes up as much space s the capital letter “W”.
The Available Fonts tab consists of 12 columns: This makes these letters to appear more
cramped. The end result would look similar to
A column for the names of the fonts available to what may be produced by a typewriter.
Scribus.
Proportional fonts: (This is rather popular
A column that is called Use Font that enables among desktop publishing software). These
the user to deselect a font that has been listed fonts have a variable spacing between letters.
as being available. These fonts are considered to be more beautiful
A column that says whether the font will be and more legible than monospaced fonts.
embedded when the document is exported as
Postscript.
A subset column that tells Scribus to limit the

character glyphs in the font when exporting to
only those actually used in the document. It Image showing Monospaced font (Courier)
also prevents them from being embedded in
Postscript and PDF files.
There is a column for showing the path to the

font file.
Image showing proportional font (Times
Roman)

85
Superscripts and Subscripts Traditionally there are three types of fonts:
Postscript – These fonts are used in postscript

Superscripts and subscripts are characters that programming language and has played a great
have been formatted so that they appear role in DTP revolution. For a long time fonts of
smaller than the normal font type. Superscripts this group happened to be the standard in all
appear above the baseline while subscripts print documents.
appear at or below the baseline. These features
True type – True type fonts were introduced by
are used in footnotes as well as in math and
Microsoft and Apple. These fonts were stand
science papers.
alone fonts and does not need separate screen
and printer components. True type fonts can
contain up to 60,000 glyphs, whereas post
Drop shadow script fonts is limited to 256 glyphs per file.
Open type – Is an extension of True type

This effect is commonly used in headings. The specification. It combines the properties of
text itself is duplicated and the two copies are TrueType and post script fonts and provides
moved slightly apart to create a 3D shadow. some additional features also.
The fonts that have been stored inside the

computer will usually be from these three
types.
Image showing drop shadow font effect

Adding a new font to Scribus
This effect can be created by using Story editor.
In order to add a new font to Scribus the user

need to set a path that tells Scribus where it can
find it.
This can be done by using these steps:
Scribus is opened and all open documents are

closed so that only the scratch space is seen in
the Scribus interface.
All the fonts are placed in one folder / directory.
The user should go to Preferences / Fonts

Image showing use of story editor to create
option / Additional paths.
shadow font effect
In the Additional paths column, the user should
click the Add option.

86
Now the user needs to browse to the folder Hyphenator

containing the fonts that needs to be added.
Apply button and then OK buttons are clicked. In order to provide a text that looks readable
and attractive to the reader, it is important to
Scribus needs to be restarted in order to use
be able to Hyphenate words properly. Word
them.
processors tend to hyphenate automatically,
but page layout systems like Scribus the user is
provided more control.
Special Characters
Hyphenating text is best left till the last when
the text frame and its contents have been
These characters are those that are not found organized, edited and formatted. When the
on the keyboard. These characters include stage of hyphenation is reached then it can be
typographic symbols, ligatures, and foreign done by selecting the text frame followed by
language characters. In Scribus, the user can hyphenate text under Extras menu.
insert characters such as page numbers,
copyright symbols, registered trademark If the results are not good, then it can further
symbols, bullets and dashes. be tweaked by going to File / Document setup/
Hyphenator. This dialog box can be used to
Ligatures are specially designed characters specify whether the user wants the word to be
consisting of multiple letters that are used to hyphenated and how it should be hyphenated.
replace poorly spaced letter combinations.
Glyph is a symbol that provides the appearance
or form for a character; basically, each
character of a font is a glyph. To insert a special
character in a text frame, open the story editor,
position the cursor at the place in the text
frame where you wish to insert the character,
go to insert menu and select the character.
Image showing insertion of special character Image showing Hyphenate text submenu under
using Story editor Extras Menu

87
Image showing Hyphenator window under

Document setup menu
Once the process of Hyphenation is over, it can

be checked by selecting Extras / De hyphenate
text. This will remove the Hyphenation and
show the result.
Video clipping showing the customization of

Fonts in Scribus

88
Chapter 5
Use of Graphics in Scribus
Images can be imported only inside image

frames in Scribus. So, the first thing user needs
to do is to place an image frame before
attempting to import image into Scribus.
Image frame can be inserted into Scribus canvas

by three ways:
1. Insert image frame can be done from

the insert menu
2. I key can be pressed on the keyboard
for a shortcut Image showing Insert submenu showing insert
3. It can be done by clicking on the insert image frame
image frame icon in the tool bar
Image showing image frame inserted

89
The size of the image frame can be increased /

decreased by pulling at the handles which
appear on selecting the image frame. On being
selected the image frame will be bounded by
red lines. Dragging these lines would help to
increase / decrease the size of image frames.
Loading Image into image frame
Image can be loaded into image frame by

clicking on the image frame. On selecting the
image frame one can use File Import
Get Image. It is simpler to right click on the
image frame and select Get Image from the
context menu. File browser will open giving the
opportunity to select an image.
Even after selecting the image it could be found

that the image does not fit into the image frame
Image showing contextual menu that appears
and needs to be readjusted either by
on right clicking the image frame containing the
attempting to fit the image to the frame or fit
image.
the frame to the image. Image can be moved
within the frame by double clicking the image
frame. The image can then be moved within
the frame and to centre the image more Resizing / Rescaling Image to the frame
effectively.
There is a subtle difference between resizing Resizing / Rescaling the image to the frame can
the frame and rescaling an image. Resizing is be done in three possible ways:
when the user alters the width or the height of 1. In the properties palette, under the
the frame, whereas scaling means changing the image tab one can try scaling the image
size of the image. Scaling can be adjusted using numerically in percentages. X-Pos and
the Properties Palette. Rescaling can also be Y-Pos refers to the offset of the image
done using the context menu that appears inside the frame. The user can also
when the image frame is right clicked. The user change the DPI settings to change the
can right click the image frame and select adjust size of the image on the page.
frame to image or Adjust Image to Frame size.

90
Properties Palette showing the scale to frame

size radio button
3. It is also possible to perform the same

functions in the context menu by right
Image showing Properties Palette clicking on the image frame and
selecting Adjust Frame to Image. This
will resize the frame so that the image
2. In the same image tab, there is an fits perfectly into it. The context menu
option to Scale the Frame size, which also provides the Adjust Image to
will adjust the image to the proportions Frame option.
of the frame. This option fulfills the
same function as the Adjust Frame to
Image command in the context menu.
There is also a check box for preserving
Framing an Image
the proportions of the image. If the
user is not worried about preserving Framing an image will make it look better. This
image proportions then unchecking the can be done by first creating a new image frame
box marked proportional will enable and importing an image into the frame. From
him or her to change the scale of the the Shape menu desired shape is chosen and
image and crop the edges placed over the image.
Then from the right click context menu

Properties Palette the thickness of the line
around the shape can be altered. The color of
the boundaries of the shape also can be altered.
This adds esthetics to the image.

91
Image showing borders applied to the image

frame by applying a shape over it.
When a Scribus document is saved the images

are not saved within the document but only the
links to the image are saved. That is the reason
why the author advices the user to save all the
resources used inside Scribus in a separate
folder. The Scribus file can also be saved into
the same folder. This makes it easy to copy the
entire folder and use it in another computer.
Collecting for Output

Image showing submenu under File menu and
Collect for Output submenu
Scribus has a built-in feature for transferring the
files into another computer. Collect for Output
window is used for this purpose. Collect for Output window can be opened by
going to File where this feature would be listed
as a submenu.

92
Manage Images in Scribus
Missing Image files inside Scribus can be a

problem. When an image is imported into the
image frame, Scribus just adds a reference to
the file’s location so that each time Scribus is
loaded it will search for the location of its
images. Scribus will look for the file each time it
needs it and if the file is not there, this warning
message will be seen.
If the image is moved to another location or

deleted inadvertently then it will no longer Image showing Manage image dialog box
appear in the image frame. The image frame
will show a red diagonal cross. This indicates
that the image is missing from its original The Manage Images window displays the image
location. Presence of a black diagonal cross path, the scale factor, and the size and
would merely indicate an empty image frame. resolution of the image and he name of the
frame in which it is imported. If the user has
To find what has happened to the image the lost the image file, then search button in the
user needs to open the Manage Images window manage image dialog box can be used to locate
under Extras Menu. the same.
Image showing search image dialog box
In some cases, images can go missing because

Image showing red cross inside image frame they cannot be found or because the file has
showing missing image been renamed. In these cases, the user can
relink the images by using the Manage Images
window.

93
Info box
It is possible to obtain information about an

image by using the Info option in the context
menu which appears on right clicking the image
inserted into the image frame. The info box
provides information about the file name, the
resolution in pixels per inch, the type of
colorspace used, and whether it is possible to
print the image.
Video clipping showing Image manipulation

inside Scribus
Working with Image effects settings in

Scribus
When an image is imported into an image

frame, it is possible to apply some basic graphic
effects to the image. Image editing (advanced
ones) need specialized software like Adobe
photoshop or GIMP. GIMP is a free open source
software.
Scribus provides some basic image editing

features that offers special effects to the image.
The easy way of adding effects to an image is by
right clicking on the image and selecting Image
Effects from the context menu. This will bring
out all the available effects. The desired effect
can be applied by choosing it on the left column
and then clicking the double arrow button. The
applied effects are listed in the right-hand side
Image showing the info box column.

94
List of effects available in Scribus
• Blur – This effect is used to reduce the

sharpness of the selected image.
• Brightness – This effect is used to
decrease the brightness of an image
• Colorize – This effect is used to replace
dark or bright tones with another color.
• Contrast – This effect is used to Image showing Image effects tab in Manage
increase or decrease the bright and Image window
dark areas of the image
• Greyscale – This setting is used to
convert the colors of the image to grey
tones
• Invert – This setting is used to invert the
colors of the selected image
• Posterize – This setting is used to
reduce the number of colors in the
selected image
• Sharpen – This effect sharpens the
contours and details of the selected
image
• Duotone – This effect embraces the
images midtones using two halftones
• Tritone – This effect embraces the
image’s midtones using three halftones Image showing Image effects screen showing
• Quadtone – This effect reproduces the the various Image effects available in Scribus
selected image using four specific colors

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Flipping the Image
It is possible to flip the image in Scribus, so that

the original image is mirrored (but not copied)
from left to right or from top to bottom. This
feature is useful if the user wants to change the Image showing the result of Horizontal and
direction of a person or an object in a Vertical Flips
photograph.
This can be done by opening the XYX tab of the

Properties palette and clicking on the Flip Image formats
Horizontally button shown below.
There are two kinds of images that can be
imported into Scribus:
Image showing Flip Horizontally button Bitmap images
Vector drawings
Flipping can also be done vertically also by

clicking on the Flip vertically button in the Vector drawings are often used to make line art
Properties XYZ tab. and shapes because their images can be resized
without suffering any distortion or loss of detail.
Image showing Flip Horizontally button Bitmap images like JPEG ones can be imported
into the image frame of Scribus via a link to the
source file. These images are made up of grids
of tiny colored cells, or pixels and any attempt
to resize them can cause distortion of the image
and loss of detail. As far as the resolution of
bitmap images goes the greater the number of
dots the clearer the image will be. It is easier to
reproduce these images on paper. To submit a
Scribus PDF to a commercial printer, the image
resolution should at least be 300 dots per inch
(dpi).

96
needs to put the image on a layer with opacity

of less than 100%.
Common Bitmap Image formats that can be

used in Scribus include: TIFF Format
This is a non-lossy format. It stands for Tagged

GIF
Image File Format. This happens to be one of
TIFF the oldest image file formats in computer
graphics. If the user desires to print the
JPEG
documents commercially, then use of TIFF
PNG format is advisable whenever possible. This
format produces high quality printed images.
PSD But use of TIFF images increases the file size
greatly.
Generally, TIFF and PNG format images are It should be pointed out that TIFF file created by
recommended for Scribus documents and not one program may not read particularly well in
JPEG format as they use lossy compression another program as it is not a single standard,
causing loss of data from the images. TIFF but a set of standards with differing
images use lossless compression leading to interpretations.
large image file sizes. RGB color is used to TIFF images can display colors up to 24 bits in
create these images. the RGB model. This file can be edited and re-
edited without fear of data loss.
JPEG Image formats:

These image formats use lossy compression PNG Format
causing data loss from the images. They suffer This format is pronounced as ‘PING”. It is also
degradation in quality slightly each time they known as Portable Graphics Network. Unlike
are opened and resaved in an image editor. JPEG this format is lossless. Whatever
These formats should not be used if the user compression ratio is used this image will still
plans to edit these images repeatedly. It is look the same when opened. This format is
better to convert these images to TIFF format ideal to store original images. This format also
before attempting to edit them in the image supports full and partial transparencies. This
editor. If the user is not planning to edit the format hence is ideal for creating translucent
image, then Scribus will display the data as it is background effects.
and no detail will be lost.
JPEG format does not support transparency.

Hence it is not possible to use this format to
create translucent / transparent backgrounds
using this image format. In order to create a
transparent background in a JPEG file the user

97
They can also be manipulated as shapes within

Scribus.
The main advantage of using vector drawings in

Scribus is that they can be scaled up in size
without any distortion. They retain their clarity
even when enlarged and can hence be rescaled
to any size without suffering loss in detail. This
format is ideal for creating logos, maps and
various forms of line art.
Popular vector image formats include:
SVG – Inkscape uses this as the default format
EPS
AI – Adobe illustrator uses this as default format
Importing a Vector Image

PNG image format on being made translucent
serving as background image
User can import a vector image directly into
Scribus by clicking the page so that no item is
selected and then going to File / Import / Get
GIF Format
Vector File. From the ensuing file browser
Also known as Graphics Interchange Format and
window, the desired file can be chosen. Then
is widely used in Internet. This image is of no
the user can click the place on the page where
use in commercial printing. The format is
the vector drawing needs to be inserted. If the
indexed and limited to 256 colors and will result
vector drawing is badly positioned, or too large
in poor quality image.
or too small then it can easily be adjusted later.
This image offers full transparency. It can
hence be made use of in isolating graphical
objects in a photo against a clear background. SVG Image
Scribus cannot handle animated GIF files and
only the first frame will be used.
The term SVG stands for Scalable Vector
Vector Images Graphics. This is actually seen as an open
The big problem faced by the user while using source alternative to Encapsulated Postscript
bitmap image files is that when they needed to and is the vector format of choice in Scribus.
be resized then there is a definite loss of quality This also happens to be the default file format
which is not desirable. On the other hand of Inkscape the popular open source vector
vector drawings are generated using graphic program.
mathematical description of the lines that make
up their shapes. Like shapes these vector
images can be imported directly in to Scribus.

98
Shapes, Lines and Paths

EPS Image format
Scribus software has a number of shapes that
can be directly inserted into the page. The
Encapsulated Postscript represents a
insert shape action can be performed by using
development of the Postscript language.
the Insert shape tool in the tool bar.
Postscript describes the pages to a printing
device.
Scribus can exports its documents in a vector

format as EPS or SVG files. This can be done by
going to File / Export. It is also possible to
import EPS and PDF files into an Image frame.
PDF files in Scribus can only be displayed using
an image frame, and they can only import one
page. The page that will be imported is
displayed in the Page Number selection in the
Properties / Image tab.
Video clipping showing various types of image

formats and using them in Scribus document Image showing Insert shape tool in the tool bar
along with the possible shapes that can be
inserted.
If the arrow next to the insert shape tool is

clicked it will display a list of predefined shapes
as shown in the figure above.

99
Drawing Polygons
In Scribus it is possible to create shapes with the

Insert Polygon Tool, which is situated to the
right of the Insert shapes tool on the tool bar.
In contrast to Insert shapes tool this tool allows
the user to create their own shapes.
Image showing insert polygon tool where the

user can change the properties of the shape
from the Polygon Properties window.
Image showing the various shapes that can be
inserted into Scribus document
Scribus also has a tool that can round off a

rectangle shape. This tool can be found in the
Shape tab of the Properties Palette.
Image showing Polygon Properties window
Image showing rounding tool that can be used

to round the corners of rectangle Polygons can be defined using polygon
properties of the insert polygon tool. Having
created a shape the same can be converted into
a text frame by using the context menu that
appears on right clicking the shape.

100
Exercise:
Reader shout attempt to create a signpost as

shown in the image below using the shape
tool.
Image showing the process of selecting Mesh

Distortion tool
Create a signpost using Insert shape in Scribus

as shown above
Mesh Distortion
Shape inserted into Scribus document can be

modified by using a process called mesh
distortion. Mesh distortion can be evoked from
Item / Path tools / Mesh Distortion. Inside the
mesh distortion window, the shape will be
displayed. There is no snap to grid option
available with this tool. The process of Mesh
distortion is not easy to undo. Image showing Mesh Distortion window

101
On double clicking the submenu Insert Line

under Insert menu opens up a dialog box which
requires the user to specify the length and
Working with Lines and Arrows angle of the straight line.
Creation of lines is the basic requirement in DTP

software. Straight lines can be used as borders
or as a form of demarcation. Straight lines can
be drawn in Scribus using the insert line tool on
the tool bar or by going to Insert / Line in the
Menu bar.
Dialog box that appears when insert line sub

menu is clicked. The length of the line and the
Insert line tool in the tool bar which can be used angle of the line can be specified in the
to insert straight lines inside Scribus respective spin boxes.
After clicking on the Insert line in the tool bar

the left mouse button is pressed and is dragged
to draw the line until the point is reached
where the line needs to end and the left mouse
button is released.
Arrows
Arrows are available from the drop-down menu

by the Shapes icon on the main tool bar. This
category contains both single-ended and
double-ended arrows.
Image showing Insert Line menu under Insert

Menu

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The Bezier Tool
Bezier tool can be invoked from the tool bar are

from the Insert Menu.
Insert Bezier curve button seen in the tool bar
Image showing Arrows listed under the Menu

Shapes
Clipping Paths
Scribus can read the clipping paths on image

frames that are generated in GIMP which is an
open source image editing software. Clipping
path is an invisible boundary that can be made
use to mask the part of picture that the user
wants to hide, such as a background while
isolating another part, such as a foreground
object. This technique is used to cut out images
for use as icons. These features are available
only for images in TIFF format. If the image has
extended properties, clipping path can be Insert Bezier line tool seen under Insert Menu
located by using the External Image Properties
window in the Image tab of the Properties
Palette.
After clicking on the Bezier tool icon, the page
on which the curve needs to be created is
clicked in order to create the starting point of
the curve. The mouse is moved to the next
point of the curve, then left mouse button is

103
clicked to hold, then the mouse is dragged in

order to shape the curve. The mouse is finally
moved to the end point of the curve, and the
mouse is left clicked to complete the curve.
Pen tool
The pen tool is designed to imitate the action of

pen on paper. It is most suited for the user who
uses tablet and pen on a regular basis.
Video clipping shows the use of Shapes in
Scribus
Image showing Pen tool inside the tool bar
Image showing the pen icon
In order to use the Pen tool, the user should

click the Insert Freehand line icon on the tool
bar or use the Insert / Freehand line from the
menu bar. Then the place on the document is
clicked and the mouse is moved to draw a line.
The properties of the drawn line like its
thickness and color can be changed from the
Properties Palette.

104
appear darker. If The user plans to use Scribus

to create documents that uses various shades
of black (greyscale) then use of color may not
be that significant. Inherently Scribus has the
ability to edit the colors and add more colors to
the Palette.
If the user decides to use color within the

Chapter 6 Scribus document, then the following decisions
need to be arrived at:
• The user needs to define the intended

audience and should select the color
format to suite their taste.
• The user needs to decide whether the
Use of Colors in Scribus document is going to be delivered via
the web or via the print medium.
• The user needs to decide whether the
Scribus comes with a basic set of RGB colors.
resource is intended to attract crowd in
The user can add to these colors rather easily.
which case a colorful brochure is ideal,
The user can also create custom colors and can
or it is going to appeal to individual
also introduce some flashy background effects.
readers.
• Color model that is ideal for the
publication should be chosen by the
Color theory in Scribus user.
The ability to perceive colors in everyday life is

Color Models and Color Space
an important experience. A desktop publisher
must ensure accurate application of onscreen
colors to paper documents, this is actually a Color model is a mathematical way of defining
daunting task. the way color is represented. Color space is a
specific way of mapping colors using the values
Colors generated by the computer monitor,
described by a model. RYB and RGB are
uses three primary colors, whereas the colors
examples of color models, sRGB are examples
generated by professional printer uses four
of color spaces (s stands for standard).
colors. Computer monitors use RGB colors
Currently Desktop publishing uses two main
(Red, green and blue) while professional
types of color models: RGB and CMYK.
printers use CMYK color models (Cyan,
magenta, yellow and Key (black)). CMYK colors
are also known as subtractive colors because as
the user adds more and more of these colors to RGB Color Model
a reflective surface such as paper, the ink
absorbs more color and this subtracts from the Red, yellow and blue are generally thought as
color that reflects back into the eye making it three basic primary colors and these primary

105
colors can be mixed to get secondary colors. These three sets of colors make up the color
Mixing red and yellow makes orange and mixing wheel as shown in the picture. This wheel can
yellow and blue makes green. Primary colors be split into half and can be divided into warm
can be mixed with secondary colors to get colors and cool colors.
tertiary colors. These three sets of colors make
the color wheel.
RGB color model
RGB color model is used to produce colors on a

computer screen. Each pixel in a computer
screen is a combination of red, green and blue
lights. The colors are produced by varying the
amounts of red, green and blue lights that are
used to light up the pixels on the screen. These
three colors can be mixed in different ratios to
produce other colors as shown in the image.
RGB colors are also known as additive color. In

additive color system, the colors are illuminated
from a source like light from a television or
computer screen. The color is transmitted by
mixing different colored lights with red, green,
and blue being the primary colors. If additive
colors are added, then eventually it will end up
as a white color.
Image showing RGB colors In printing additive color is not used but
subtractive color technology is used. In
subtractive color theory all colors mix to
produce black. If subtracting colors are added
to a white surface, essentially the user is
subtracting or removing the brightness from the
white surface of the paper and ultimately end
up with a muddy brown that is close to black.
Color compatibility issues faced by DTP

software
The color images that appear on the computer

screen is a mixture of red, green and blue. This
color needs to be converted to CMYK color in
Image showing RGB color wheel order to get it professionally printed. The
additive color concept used in the computer

106
screen to generate color is the exact opposite of elements within a document. Spot colors are
the subtractive color concept used in also referred to as second colors and are used
professional four-color printing. In order to when few colors are required, and color
accurately reproduce the original additive accuracy is essential. Spot colors are used in
colors on paper, a printer will require the use of the production of stickers, posters, where a
subtractive CMYK color process. The problem bright color is added (red) to a basic design in
here is that subtractive color process doesn’t black. More than one spot color can be used in
always reproduce the additive color of the a document. The popular spot color is red and
computer screen at the same hue. There is is added to the basic design which could be
hence no guarantee that the color that is seen black.
on the computer screen is what the user will
seen when the document is printed.
Scribus can include proprietary spot color
Scribus takes care of all these processes for the
palettes in its color collection. These colors
user. The user can work with RGB color on the
need to be designated as spot colors first. To
computer, and Scribus will export the color rich
designate a spot color the user needs to simply
document in a CMYK friendly format.
select the Is Spot Color checkbox in the Edit
color dialog box.
Ink types used in Printing
Two main types of inks used in commercial

printing. These types include spot colors and
Process colors.
Process Colors
CMYK is the color model used in professional

printing. It represents colors in terms of Image showing edit color interface
combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and
Edit color interface can be evoked from the Edit
black. It is possible to produce a large range of
menu.
colors using this process. Three color plates
(cyan, magenta and yellow) is sufficient to
produce a full range of colors, but black color
plate is added in order to improve the
reproduction of some dark colors.
Spot colors
These are single ink colors that the print shop

mixes up separately in order to color specific

107
Color edit window will open when the New

button in the color dialog box is clicked. To
identify a spot color in Scribus, the user needs
to go to color list and look for a color
accompanied by a red circle.
To print a document using spot color, the

document needs to be exported as a PDF file
using the Save As PDF dialog box. The color tab
is selected, printer is chosen as the intended
output, and the option to convert spot colors to
process colors is unchecked.
Edit color dialog box can be evoked from Edit Image showing the submenu under file menu
menu which needs to be clicked to export the
document as PDF. This saves the document in
the PDF format.
Image showing the Color dialog box.

108
Image showing the Color Wheel under Extras

Submenu
Image showing convert sport colors to process
colors box unchecked in the output to file
window.
Pantone
There are many industrial standards for spot

colors and the most popular among them
happens to be pantone. This standard is not
compatible with Scribus due to propriety issues
and hence cannot be implemented within
Scribus document.
Choosing Colors
This happens to be a difficult and daunting Image showing the Color wheel menu
prospect for beginners. It may be difficult for a
beginner to select the right colors for the
documents. Scribus has an useful tool to serve Before choosing a color scheme from the color
the purpose of choosing the optimal color. This wheel menu the user needs to select a basic
tool is known as the color wheel, which can be color. This will actually be the main color he /
launched from the Extras Menu inside Scribus. she intends to used inside the document. The

109
base color can be picked using the color wheel

in the top left corner of the color wheel dialog
box. Just beneath the color wheel will be seen
a Color Scheme Method selection area where
the user can choose how Scribus selects other
colors. There is a preview area below that
shows the results of the color choice.
The color wheel provides various color schemes

for the user to choose from, like
Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary,
Split Complementary, Triadic and Tetradic. The
Monochromatic color scheme takes a single
color and then varies it to create variant shades
and tones of that color. The overall effect is
soothing to the eye.
Monochromatic color scheme
The analogous color scheme uses colors that

are adjacent to each other on the color wheel,
with one color dominating and the others
enriching the scheme.
Image showing Analogous color scheme with

three adjacent colors
Complementary color scheme involves two

colors that are opposite to each other on the
color wheel.

110
Image showing complementary color scheme

Image showing Split complementary color
scheme
Two colors that are of the same value, but

opposite hues are known as complements. The
The triadic color scheme uses three colors
split complementary color scheme uses a main
equally spaced around the color wheel.
color (often the warm one) against two
complementary (often cooler) colors.

111
Image showing triadic color scheme

Image showing tetradic color scheme
The tetradic color scheme uses four colors

arranged in two complementary color pairs. Composing Color Palette
Under the Menu selection Edit / Colors the user

will be presented with a dialog showing the
colors currently available for use within the
document.
On pressing the Edit button in the colors

window the user will be presented with the Edit

112
colors dialog box which displays the name of Applying Colors in Scribus
the selected color and the color model used.
Applying colors is rather simple in Scribus. The

user can apply color via the Color and Text tabs
in the Properties Palette. To apply color to the
text, highlight the text in the frame, the Text tab
of the Properties Palette is opened, and the
color and effects Expander is used.
Image showing the Edit color window
Color models listed on the left side of the dialog

box are CMYK, RGB, Greyscale, and Web-safe
RGB. The computer monitor uses RGB as the
default color model. Web-safe RGB model is a
set of colors that are designed so that they can
be reproduced accurately in a web browser,
greyscale translates color content into shades
of black, and CMYK represents how the colors
would look in print if the color management
system is activated.
The HSV color map shown at the top of the Edit

color dialog box are all based on RGB. HSV
color map provides a rearranged version of the
RGB color model. The hue property is a
measure of where each color is located within
the spectrum, the saturation property is a
measure of how intense each color is and the
value property is a measure of how bright each
pixel is based on a scale of 0 – 100. Scribus Text color option seen under the Properties Tab
basic is the simplest of the color sets and is also
the default color set in Scribus. It is very basic Text colors can also be set from the story
in nature editor. This feature gets activated only on
application of shadow effect to the text
selected.

113
Fill color
If the user wants to add color to the background

of a shape or a frame, then it can be done by
using the color tab of the properties palette.
Image showing story editor being used to

change the color of the text
It is also possible to change the background

color of the Story editor by opening it up and
selecting a different color in the select color
box. To open this box the user needs to go to
Setting / Background path in the story editor.
Image showing fill color tool in the Properties

tab
In order to change the color of the border of the

inserted shape or object, it can be done from
the Properties Palette. The frame’s border
width should be greater than 0. Stroke color
button is selected, and the desired color is also
selected to apply the same to the border of the
shape.
Image showing the settings tab from where the
background color of story editor can be
changed In order to apply the stroke color to the text
inside Scribus, the text should be highlighted
and the stroke color tab in the Colors & Effects

114
expander helps the user to choose the desired

color.
Background color
Background color to the selected frame can be

applied by using the color tab of the properties
palette. The shape or frame to which
background color needs to be added is selected
first and the fill color button is clicked after
selecting the desired color.
Image showing shade and transparency settings

Image showing the fill color option used to
change the background color of the text frame The shade settings can be used to lighten the
(blue in this case). color. Every color that is being chosen will have
a shade value. Default shade level is 100% and
this represents full saturation level for that
Shade and Transparency color. When the shade level is reduced the
color will lighten and when it reaches the level
of 0% it effectively becomes white.
Application of colors can be precisely controlled
by using Shade and Transparency controls. The Transparency setting can be used to control
the Color’s visual solidity. At the default level of
100% the color of the selected object will be
opaque, but when it is reduced to 0% it will
become invisible. It is possible to reduce the
opacity of an object on a top level relative to
the objects below it in order to reveal those
underling objects.

115
Gradients
Creating custom colors in Scribus
A gradient tool is available in Scribus. A
gradient provides a smooth transition from one
Scribus allows the user to create their own
fill color to another. When a gradient is printed,
custom colors. This can be done by following
two or more colors could be seen blending
the Edit / Color menu and selecting the New
gradually from one to another across a set
button. The color preview pane can be used to
distance. If used sparingly, gradients can look
select a color map.
very impressive.
Some publishers use this as a background for

Color sampling using the Eyedropper tool the headlines of magazines. Use of gradients
can not only be eye-catching but also adds a
touch of vibrancy to the documents created.
Effective way of creating a custom color is by
choosing a custom color from one the color Two specific kinds of gradients are commonly
spaces. Most simple way of collecting colors in used in Scribus i.e. Radial and Linear gradients.
Scribus is to use the Scribus Eyedropper tool. Linear gradients are specified by two points of
color, whereas a radial gradient is specified by a
circle that has one color at the edge and
another at the centre.
Image showing the Eyedropper tool In order to create a gradient, the user will have
to select a frame or shape and then open the
The Eyedropper icon can be found in the tool Colors tab of the Properties Palette. Gradients
bar. This tool lets the user to capture any color can be added by selecting Gradient instead of
that is displayed in the computer screen. On Normal from the options list. A drop-down list
entering a name for the color, the same will be that is available lists the available gradients.
added to the list of RGB colors that are available The available gradients included in Scribus are:
for use in the Properties Palette.
1. Horizontal
2. Vertical
3. Diagonal
4. Cross diagonal
5. Radial
6. Free linear
7. Free radial
Field showing the space where the user enters
the name of the color picked with the color
picking tool

116
Image showing free linear gradient with four

Image showing horizontal gradient with four
colors
colors
Image showing free radial gradient with four

Image showing vertical gradient with four colors colors
Gradients can be set inside Scribus using the

Properties Palette. From the Properties Palette
Colors tab is selected to insert triangular
gradient stops as shown in the figure below.
Image showing diagonal gradient with four
colors
Image showing cross diagonal gradient with

four colors
Image showing radial gradient with four colors
Image showing the Gradient window

117
It is possible to create a two-color gradient that

moves from magenta through to white. This
can be done by clicking the left triangle and
selecting the color magenta and then clicking
the right triangle and clicking the color white.
Video clipping showing the use of colors in

Scribus
Magenta to white gradient
Exercise
A three-color gradient can be created by
clicking in the middle of the gradient box,
inserting another gradient stop, and selecting
another color.
Using Patterns
Scribus does not have its own selection of

Create an Image like the one shown above using
patterns, this allows the user to start collecting
shapes and color Gradients
patterns. There are plenty of free patterns and
textured backgrounds available for download in
the Web.
If the user likes a pattern it can be saved using

the right click menu and then choosing Send to
patterns.
These saved patterns can also be edited. With

the pattern selected it can be edited by going to
the Edit menu in the menu bar. This saved
pattern will be available from the gradient list.
User then selects the desired pattern, to which
adjustments can be applied. Patterns should be
used sparingly. Regular use of patterns as Video clipping showing the Solution to the
background fills could distract the reader. exercise

118
Scribus is a graphic design and layout tool for

designing PDF files. In order to produce error
free PDF documents certain checks, need to be
carried out to ensure that the finished
document looks as good as possible and is free
from errors.
During the final check of the document the user

Chapter 7 needs to pay specific attention to the number
of pages, and check for signs of missing text. It
is also a good idea to check that the layout does
not exceed the boundaries set by the page
margins. Spell check also needs to be done.
Exporting and Printing the Documents

Spell checking
The first step that should be taken after

If the user needs to use spell check of words
completion of a document in Scribus is Copy
contained within the text frame, then the built-
Editing and Proofreading. Copy editing refers to
in spell checker can be used. The user needs to
the process of checking the document for
select the text frame and then select check
accuracy, style, punctuation, and grammar. The
spelling in the item menu.
final completed document should be submitted
for proof reading. This process checks the When the spell checker is started, a dialog box
electronic version of the document for will appear notifying the user of the language
production errors. that the spell checker is searching. It will run
through the entire frame and if any errors
Squeezed / missing text is a common problem
found it will be highlighted in red.
that is identified during proof reading. At this
stage, these errors can be corrected by moving
some frames around and then invoking the
story editor to correct any text or formatting
errors. It should be pointed out that the time
spent on proof reading is never a waste.
Strict quality control ensures that when the

compiled document is exported it is free from
errors. In order to achieve this goal a great
degree of quality control is a must.
Checking the document for errors

119
Image showing the Spell check window
Spell check provided by Scribus is rather basic in

nature. The dictionary that is used to perform
the spell check is also rather primitive. It is
better the user compiles the text within a text
editor like Microsoft word or Libre office writer
or Google Doc which are provided with better
spell and grammar checking utilities. Text
incorporated into these word processing
software can be imported into Scribus without
any problem at all.
If the user feels that spelling in some of the text

is not looking right, the text can be selected and
then spell checked from the Item menu.
The check spelling window shows two panes,

The upper pane displays the doubtful word not
found in the in built dictionary and marks it red.
The lower pane throws out some alternate
spelling suggestions. If the user feels that one
of the alternate spelling suggestions is OK then
the same can be selected and the change
button can be clicked. If the change all button
is clicked Scribus will change the spelling for all
Image showing spell check submenu under Item the misspelt words.
menu

120
Search and Replace
This tool helps the user to search for texts,

fonts, fill colors and stroke colors in the
document and then replace them
In order to search for text, select the relevant

text frame, and then select Search / Replace in
the Edit menu this will open the tool.
Image showing Search/Replace window
This tool will be very useful if the user has

repeated a mistake in the text frames and it
needs to be corrected quickly. In order to
locate the error, the user can enter the text that
needs to be searched and corrected and click
the search button. If the instance of this word
has been found, then the replacement is
entered and then the choice is made whether
the user wishes to repeat the procedure for the
rest of the text frame.
The Search/Replace window gives the option of

enabling searches that can handle the font size,
shade, effects and color as well as text.
This tool also allows the user to search and

replace styles, alignments, fonts, font sizes, font
Image showing Search/Replace tool listed under effects, fill color, fill shade, stroke color, and
Edit Menu stroke shade. This is slowly becoming a
formidable editing tool in Scribus.

121
text in the text frames, missing text or the use

of images with low resolution.
Preflight verifier can be launched by clicking the

Preflight Verifier preflight verifier button in the tool bar or select
the Preflight verifier from the windows menu.
Similar to the preflight checks that are
performed before the aircraft takeoff, preflight
verifier is performed before the document is
generated for printing in Scribus.
In Scribus this tool can be set to run Preflight verifier icon seen in the tool bar
automatically when the user selects File / Print
or when the option to Export as PDF is selected
by setting it in the preferences window.
Image showing the settings under Preferences

where a choice can be made to run Preflight
verifier automatically every time a document is
sent for printing or exported. If the box is left
unchecked preflight verifier will not run
automatically.
Preflight verifier can be considered as a proof-

reading process and can be run at anytime to
check for errors inside a Scribus document. This
tool is designed to track errors and cut down on
problems that could occur during the export Image showing Preflight verifier submenu under
process. It will list all the errors that it finds in the Windows Menu
the document, including those missed by the
user during proof reading and quality checks. It
will not detect spelling / grammar errors. This
tool can be used to look out for overflowing

122
text, objects that are off the page, and

incompatible images, transparencies and layers.
Video clipping showing how quality checks can

be performed in Scribus
Error window displayed by the Preflight verifier
The errors listed in the Preflight verifier error Print Preview

window is related to the default profiles set in
the Verifier’s Preferences tab. It is possible to Scribus by default will not display any visible
set the parameters for the preflight verifier in boundaries in a PDF document or in any format
the Preflight Verifier tab of the Preferences of the document that has been exported. Since
window. Checks can be run for missing images, each page can contain a number of frames they
and the highest and lowest image allowable can all be viewed by going to View / Show
resolution settings. frames. This is a toggle switch which will enable
One of the most common errors revealed in the or disable this function on a single click of the
Preflight Verifier window is the text overflow. mouse. User can use the print preview tool to
This error indicates that there is too much text visualize how the printed document will look
contained within a text frame and as a result, like. This can be seen by clicking on the Eye
some the text is not displayed within the frame. icon in the right lower corner of the document.
Setting up Preflight Verifier

Image showing the Print preview icon
In order to ensure that the Preflight verifier
runs to the requirements of the user it should
be set using the Preferences window of Exporting to EPS or SVG format
Preflight verifier. Configuration can be
performed in the File / Preferences / Preflight
Verifier. This tool can check for overflowing

123
Majority of Scribus users will like to export their industrial standard. This format allows the user
document as PDF files because this format is to store text, fonts and graphical content in one
widely adopted by commercial printers as a de file ready for printing. PDF is widely recognized
facto print standard. While exporting the as a final product and is not intended for
document Scribus also allows the user to export editing.
it as an EPS or SVG file. These are vector image
formats that can directly be imported into any
blank Scribus page. Differences between various PDF versions
Scribus also allows the user to export the
document to a bitmap format like the JPEG / When Scribus documents are exported as PDF’s
PNG. the user is given the option of choosing the PDF
version in which the export should be made. It
should be stressed that exporting the document
into older PDF version is safe as it would be
compatible with a majority of software
available with the readers. Most commercial
printers will be able to print out the older PDF
version of the document. If the user has not
used layering / transparencies on the
document, then it would be prudent to use PDF
version 1.4. Majority of commercial printers
will be able to handle a PDF document
delivered in 1.4 version. If the user wants to
include layers in the document then it would be
Image showing the save as Image dialog box better exporting the document in PDF 1.5
format.
If the user decides to export the document in to
an image file by going to Export sub menu
under the File menu, the ensuing window will When the user chooses to export the document
give the option of choosing the pages to export, in PDF format a dialog box showing PDF tabs
the image format in which it needs to be would open asking the user to choose some
exported and the user also has the option of settings in order to export the document into
choosing the quality and resolution of the PDF format. Even though exporting a document
exported image. in to PDF format is a straight forward one, right
settings should be chosen in order to create an
useful PDF document.
Exporting as PDF
The PDF export window will demonstrate seven
PDF (Portable document format) which was
tabs:
created by Adobe is the most common format
in which Scribus documents are exported. PDF General
has become the de facto print format which is
compatible with majority of printers used to Fonts
print books. This is the most important Security

124
Viewer The first field in the output to file / Save as PDF

dialog box allows the user to choose the
Color
location where the PDF should be saved.
Extras Default location is Documents folder. The user
can click the Change tab to change this default
Prepress folder.
The next setting asks the user to decide

whether Scribus needs to create one file for
each page. If the user desires to create one file
for each page then the box in front of Output
one file for each page should be checked. If this
is checked the software will create separate PDF
files for each page. This will be useful if the
user wants to engage different printers to print
the document.
Tabs
AS stated above this window shows seven tabs.
General tab – This is where the user chooses

most of the settings pertaining to PDF output.
In this tab the user gets the chance to decide on
Image showing Export submenu under File
the version of PDF output. The compression
Menu
level and type of compression used to compress
the image files present in the document can be
chosen in this tab.
There is also an option of exporting the entire

document as a single file or the user can decide
to choose some of the pages to export. This
feature is useful if the author decides to give
out certain chapters as sample to the potential
reader.
In this tab the user has an opportunity to rotate

the pages also. There is also a setting for
mirroring the pages either vertically or
horizontally.
If the user decides to clip the document up to

printer margins all he/ she has to do is to check
the box in front of Clip to printer margins.
Maximum image resolution can be set in this

Image showing save as PDF window tab.

125
Under File options the following settings are PDF/X3

available:
Compatibility – This is where the version of PDF

This is PDF 1.3 version to which lots of
that the document is to be exported is decided.
restrictions have been added. It is intended for
Ideal version as discussed is PDF 1.4 or Acrobat
pre-press work and is only for use by advanced
5.
users and professional printers. To use PDF/X-3
the user needs to activate Scribus color
management. This can be done by selecting it
in the Document setup.
Scribus supports export to PDF versions 1.3, 1.4,

1.5 and X-3. If the user wants to choose X-3 Image showing color management activated
version then Scribus color management should from Document setup window.
have been enabled. Before deciding on the
version of PDF the document is to be exported Unlike PDF 1.4 and PDF 1.5 this version of PDF
the user should have a definite plan regarding does not handle CMYK color conversion which
the distribution of the document and where the makes it unsuitable for generating documents
document is going to be printed. If the that need to be sent to professional printers.
document is going to be sent out to a PDF/X3 tags its Scribus images with ICC color
commercial printer then the printer should be profiles.
contacted regarding the version of PDF his
printer would support. If there are
transparencies in the document, then the PDF Binding
should be 1.4/ 1.5. Option to change the Binding is located in the
If the PDF document is meant for email right column under PDF compatibility. Binding
distribution the ideal PDF version would be 1.4. refers to the place where the binder stitches to
The rule of the thumb being the lower the bind the document. It is the place Scribus adds
version of PDF chosen more compatible it will some space in order to allow for binding of the
be with all printers. document. By default binding is on the left
side, in accordance with the languages that are
written left to right and it is better left alone.

126
be distributed by email, then the image

resolution can be set to 72 dpi. Commercial
Generation of Thumb nails
printers of course require at least 300 dpi.
When the Generate Thumbnails checkbox is
PDF Viewer Tab
checked, thumbnail images of the pages appear
in a PDF file that helps the reader navigate the The viewer tab enables the user to control the
document. look of the document when it is viewed through
a compatible PDF reader. One can select
Bookmarks
default preset actions, or if the user is familiar
This is a link that the user adds to the PDF files with JavaScript functions, Scribus allows the
in order to help the reader navigate through a user to define his/her own custom actions.
large document. They are often used in place of
table of contents to help the reader to access
various portions of the book. The checkbox in
front of Bookmarks should be checked if the
user is planning to put bookmarks inside PDF
file. In order to set a text frame as a bookmark,
right-click the text frame and select PDF Options
/ Is PDF Bookmark.
Include Layers
When this setting is enabled the compatible

version of PDF would be version 1.5 or later. If
layers have been used in the Scribus document,
then the user needs to check the box in front of
Include Layers to retain them in the PDF file.
Layers are used if the user needs to edit an
object without adversely affecting other objects
Image showing viewer tab
or if there is a need to separate printable from
non-printable items. On the left side of the tab is the Document
Layout column. This group of settings can be
Image and Text Compression
used to control how the pages will look in a PDF
The General tab of Export to PDF window reader. Default setting is for a single page,
provides an option for reducing the size of PDF which is easy on the eye of the reader.
file by compressing the text and vector Selecting a Double Page right will produce a
graphics. This is an excellent way of reducing double page format with a single first page.
the file size of the document if it has to be This is a useful layout if the user intends to
distributed by email. Compression should be produce a booklet or magazine and the content
avoided if the document is to be professionally is balanced on both pages so that the titles,
printed. The general tab also allows for the headings, texts and page numbers are all level.
setting of maximum and minimum resolution of
The visual appearance column enables the user
images exported to PDF. If the document is to
to adopt a full screen mode for the PDF file

127
which is useful if the document is meant to be a PDF Extras Tab

presentation. If Bookmarks are defined in the
Settings in this tab will enable the user to turn
document, then Display Bookmarks tab can be
the Scribus PDF export into a slide presentation
selected to add a Bookmark tab to the PDF
that is viewable in the PDF reader. This may not
document. It should be stressed that the PDF
be of the standard of PowerPoint; it has a useful
reader’s setting would override these options.
set of effects for those who wish to use their
documents in a conference presentation /
seminar.
PDF Security Tab
To add transitions to the document, Enable
It is possible to add passwords to the
Presentation Effects should be selected and
documents if the author wishes to prevent
then effect for each page can be selected on the
others from having unauthorized access to
right side.
them. Password can be set for opening the
document by setting a User password. If Owner
password is set, then without it the document
cannot be edited. Use encryption settings
should be chosen before password protection
can be applied to the document.
Image showing PDF Extras Tab
The user can et the display duration, effects

type, and effects duration. The user can also
choose to apply these effects to all the pages
also.
Image showing the security tab

PDF Fonts Tab
In this tab permission can be granted for the
This is the second tab in the save as PDF dialog
users to edit / print / annotate the document.
box. If the user fails to look into this section,
Permission can also be granted for copying text
there is always a danger of text going missing in
and images from the document by checking the
the finished PDF file.
appropriate boxes.

128
This tab when opened will provide a list of all If the user intends that the PDF is to be viewed
the fonts used inside the document, together on screen or are planning to distribute it by
with a section that lists those fonts that have email, then the Screen/Wen option is chosen. If
been embedded in the PDF file. If the user this option is chosen Scribus will export the
desires to export the PDF file to a commercial document to PDF using on-screen RGB colors.
printer, then it is very important that the fonts
The Printer setting is selected if the document
used in the document should be embedded in
needs to be printed professionally. If the user
the PDF file. Fonts can be embedded by just
feels that spot colors may have been used
selecting them from the list of available fonts
inside the document, then the option to
and clicking on the horizontal arrow next to it.
Convert spot colors to Process colors should be
It will add the selected fonts to the list of Fonts
checked. The document will be color-
to be embedded. Sometimes Scribus may not
separated, and the exported PDF will use CMYK
be able to embed every font selected this way
mode.
because of licensing restrictions. In this
scenario the Scribus will outline the font and Greyscale mode can be selected if the PDF
the text will be converted to an image. document needs to be exported in black and
Outlining works just as well as embedding the white. This setting will provide impressive
fonts, but the exported file could become large looking white and black document.
if this is resorted to extensively. This is a
precautionary measure in case the recipient of
the document does not have the font in their Custom Rendering
system.
There are some advanced setting available and
unless the user is conversant with it they are
PDF Color Tab best left to the professional to handle. The Use
Custom Rendering settings option can be
chosen, and the use of spot function will change
the shape of printed dots. The alternative
choices include simple dot, line, round and
ellipse.
Image showing PDF color Tab
The color tab provides three choices regarding

the use of color space in the PDF file. These
choices are Screen/Web, Printer, and Greyscale.

129
If there is a need to print to the edge of the

paper, there is a need to get the document
professionally printed there may be a need to
set bleed marks. The printer’s input is needed
to decide on the quantum of Bleed space.
These bleed marks are places where bleeds can
be cut. If the printer happens to be inkjet or
laser printer then it is unlikely that the user will
be able to print up to the edge of the paper, as
these printers produce a narrow margin at the
edges where the grip holds the paper.
The default bleed size can be set in the

Preferences dialog or these values can be set
when creating a new Scribus document. The
Use Document Bleeds check box should be
checked in the Save as PDF window if there is a
need to use bleeds.
Image showing Custom Rendering settings
PDF Pre-Press Tab
The pre-press tab allows the user to control

advanced pre-press settings, such as bleeds etc.
Bleed Marks
The pre-press tab contains a box for bleed

marks. A bleed is an extra area of paper outside
the page size that is used as a grip by the
printing machine. Printing machines require
Image showing Prepress dialog box
some space on either side of the page in order
to grip the page so that it can be fed through
the printer. To get a full-page print, paper of
larger size than the final print is used, and the Printer marks
extra margin is added. After printing the If the user is planning to have the finished
finished page can be cut to required size. document cut, folded or bound then the box for
placing printer marks should be checked.

130
On pressing the save button the document will

be saved in the PDF format with all the settings
made inside the Save as PDF settings dialog box.
Video clipping showing the export of Scribus

document into various format.

131
It is important to maintain consistency by

selecting uniform font application, uniform
application of font sizes and application of
colors. The best way to apply uniformity in
Scribus document is application of styles.
Chapter 8 Styles
Styles are very important in document layout.

The use of styles will save a great deal of time.
Every user of Scribus should master creation of
Automating Scribus styles in order to ensure efficient workflow.
Instead of entering the font type, font size, and
linespacing in every paragraph in a long
Scribus has the tools that can be used to
document, the preferred settings as a style and
automate the frequently repeated tasks. The
apply all the formatting in one go. In Scribus,
workflow inside Scribus can be automated by
there are three types of styles that can be
using these tools. Use of character and
defined: character styles, paragraph styles, and
paragraph styles to automate the typesetting is
line styles.
valuable when processing long documents.
Templates can be used to cut down on the
amount of repetitive layout work.
Paragraph style
Scribus has a large collection of built in
templates available. If one of these templates
is to be used, then it would save lots of time. Paragraph style is a collection of paragraph
The user can use master pages to save, store, attributes a unique name for which can be
and apply any fixed elements that appear within assigned. This paragraph style can be applied to
the document. Some of the most tedious and other paragraphs in one go thus obviating the
repetitive layout tasks in Scribus can be need to apply text formats to each paragraph
automated using Python scripts. Scribus has individually. Paragraph style can be used to
some built-in Python scripts that can help the set the margins, indents, and linespacing. Drop
user to design a calendar of preview the fonts. caps and justified text can also be applied.
There are many more such scripts available on Paragraph style can be set by following the
the Scribus Wiki. Edit/Styles menu to open the styles manager.
Consistency in Documents
Consistency is considered to be a hallmark of

good design. Maintaining a high level of
consistency throughout the document could be
a real problem.

132
Image showing a name assigned to the new

paragraph style
Paragraph attributes like (font type, size, color,

Image showing Style manager dialog box
etc.) to suit the requirements. On clicking the
Apply button then the chosen style gets saved.
Applying paragraph style to a paragraph
To apply a paragraph style, the text frame is

selected. On the right click context menu, Text
tab of the Properties Palette, Style Settings is
expanded, and the new style is selected to
The down arrow next to the New button is replace the existing one.
clicked. It will reveal a drop-down list which
include:
Paragraph Style
Character Style
Line Style
To create a new paragraph style the same may

be chosen from the drop-down menu under
New tab. A name for the style can be given
here.

133
Image showing Paragraph style being changed Image showing Drop Caps setting enabled by
checking the box in front of Drop Caps.
Character styles
It is also possible to set a style for individual

Image showing new Paragraph style applied characters or words. To do this, the word or
character is highlighted and then style manager
is opened from Exit / Styles. New tab is
selected and then character style is chosen as
Creation of Drop Cap Style
the style that needs to be formatted. A name
can be given to the character style.
Drop cap is the first letter of a paragraph that
has been enlarged in size so that it is able to
“drop” down by a few lines into the surrounding
body of text.

134
Line Styles
Line style can be used if the user wants to use

lines consistently throughout the document. To Image showing new document creation using
set a new line style the style manager is Template
opened. The new tab is clicked, and the New
line style is chosen.
Image showing a template window from which

a preformed template can be chosen
If the user has managed to create a document

that can be used in future documents as a
template, the same can be saved by going to
Image showing a new line style being set for use File and choosing to save as Template submenu.
in the document
Master Pages
Templates
There may arise some occasions when the user

Use of templates will help to automate the will want to reproduce editable layouts using
entire layout process in Scribus. Template can templates. Sometimes there could arise a need
be chosen from File / New from Template. to reproduce the same objects throughout the
documents like the headers, footers, logo, page
numbers. In order to reproduce these items on
a regular basis one should use Master pages.
To start a document, Scribus automatically
creates a default master page. The objects
inside the master page if applied to any page

135
will be seen in the applied page also. The

objects of the master page cannot be changed
from the applied page, but one has to go to Edit
Master Pages tool to do the changes. The user
can create a master page from scratch of from
an existing master page.
Creating a new Master page from scratch
Image showing Edit Master Pages window
On clicking the create new master page button

the first button of the top four buttons
Creation of Master Page from an Existing Page
It is possible to convert a normal Scribus page

into a master page. In order to change the
existing page to a master page is to go to the
Page menu and select Convert to Master Page.
Image showing creation of New master page

from Edit Menu

136
Image showing the create new master page

button (highlighted tool)
Step 2:
With the Edit master page window open,

highlight “First left page” and then add a text
frame for the page number. After this step, the
Image showing Submenu under the Page Menu user can enter the page number. Insertion of
which includes Convert to Master Page page number can be performed by opening the
submenu Story Editor and selecting Insert/Character/
page number. The user can also insert special
Using Master Pages to Add page numbers characters as inline characters.
Selecting this menu item adds a hash (#) to the

If the user wants to add page numbers to the text frame. Make the symbol 14 points and the
document, so that the page numbers are choose the font as Times New Roman Regular.
present on the bottom right of the front page Ensure that the font is aligned to the left side.
and bottom left of the reverse page it can be Save this as a Left master page.
done by using master pages.
Step 3:
Repeat the same steps to create the Right sided

Step I: master page. After creation of these master
Open the Edit Master Pages window from the pages the pages can be saved, and the Edit
Edit menu. Click on the icon to Add a new Master page dialog box is closed.
master page. The same master page can be applied to all
pages so that every page will uniformly contain
the page number. The hash inside the page

137
number text frame will take the page number of

the document.
Applying a Master Page
In order to apply a Master page to the Scribus

document, Apply Master Page menu should be
selected from the Page menu. This will open
the Apply Master page window.
The user can assign (or reassign) master pages

to various documents by using the Windows /
Arrange Pages dialog. The arrange pages dialog
provides a list of the document pages and
master pages.
Image showing Arrange Master Pages dialog

box
Image showing Apply Master Page dialog The top portion of Arrange Pages dialog box will
show the available Master pages. The Middle
section shows the pages in the current Scribus
document and the numbers representing their
relative positions. At the bottom of the window
is present a trash can. Unwanted pages and
master pages can be dragged and dropped into
the trash can.

138
Scripting with Python
The above-mentioned methods really help in

automating page layout process. If the user is
ambitious enough to take up higher degrees of
automation in Scribus Python script is the way
to go.
There are two types of scripts.
Normal scripts – Also known as basic scripts

which will execute the task for which it has
been written and then finishes it. This script Image showing lists of Scripts available within
needs to be rerun in order to perform the same Scribus
task again.
Extension Scripts – Can run outside Scribus and

can make changes to the Scribus environment. Running a Script
Extension scripts can create Scribus objects,
such as dockable windows, dialog boxes and
To start a Python script, go to the script menu
floating palettes that continue to run after the
and select Extension script or Scribus script or
script is finished running.
Script / Recent scripts.
Starting a Script
Scribus has a selection of inbuilt scripts. These

scripts can be used to improve the functionality
of Scribus.
The following Scripts are included in Scribus

installation:
Calendar Wizard – This script helps the user to

create a calendar layout.
Font sample – This script creates a Scribus

document containing samples of all the fonts
available on the computer.
Video clipping showing the use of Styles in
Scribus

139
Video clipping showing the use of master pages

in Scribus and the concept of automatic page
numbering
Video clipping showing the use of Python scripts

in Scribus to automate page layout process.

140
Internal links
To establish a link between two parts of the

same document, first select the insert link tool
on the PDF tool bar.
Chapter 9
Image showing insert link button in the tool bar

Interactive PDFs
With the Link tool selected, a rectangle is drawn
Scribus has the ability to let the user determine around the source text.
how the PDF file will appear when it is opened
in a PDF viewer. While creating a layout in
Scribus, considerable thought should go into
the elements included and the page layout as
some of Non adobe PDF readers may not
support customization.
Adding Hyperlinks
Links when added to the document will help the

viewer to migrate within the document
(chapters). Web link can also be added to the Image showing Annotation Properties box
document. which appears on double clicking the text frame
Hyperlink is of three levels: On double clicking the source text frame would
produce the appearance of the Annotation
Internal links Properties box as shown above.
External links Link is selected from the drop-down list and
under Destination, select the page number that
External web links
the user wishes to nominate as the destination
page. The X and Y coordinates can be adjusted
to place the link with more precision. This co-
ordinate adjustment may not be suitable for all
purposes.

141
Scribus document is exported as PDF and on

opening the file in PDF reader, the link will be
visible in the document. On clicking the link it
Text Annotations
will take the user to the linked portion of the
document. When the user desires to add notes to the
documents then it is possible to add them from
the Scribus environment itself before the
Inserting External Web links document is exported to PDF. Annotations
enable the user to provide notes to accompany
the main body of the text in a Scribus
The easiest way of creating an external web link
document.
is to click on the insert link tool. After clicking
on the insert link tool, the selected text frame is In order to create a text annotation, the Insert
double clicked. This will bring up the Link Annotation tool is selected. A frame is
annotation properties dialog box. In the box drawn around the text that needs to be
external web link is chosen. annotated. The frame is then double clicked
and instead of clicking on the link, select Text in
the annotation properties dialog box.
Image showing external web link created Image showing Text chose as the type in the
Insert Link Annotation box
After exporting the document as PDF format

and on opening it there will be a small notepad
icon close to the selected text. This icon can be
double clicked which will open up the text
frame which is ready to receive the notes.
Web address is entered as the destination page

for the link and then the OK button is clicked

142
Insert Checkbox tool bar
Icon for Insert PDF combo box

Image showing Annotation window in the PDF
document
Icon for Insert PDF list box

Interactive Forms
PDF forms with interactive elements can be Icon for inserting PDF text annotation
created using Scribus. These interactive forms
can contain text fields where the user can add
texts, checkboxes which allows the user to
place a check mark that represents a yes or no
answer. List boxes and combo boxes can also
be added. Icon for Insert Link Annotation
PDF tool bar is used to create these interactive
elements inside the Scribus document.
In order to insert PDF text field tool the icon is
clicked from the PDF tool bar and inserted into
the document.
Image showing PDF tool bar where these

interactive elements are found.
Image showing insert PDF push button icon
Icon for insert PDF text field

143
Image showing the options tab for Checkbox

field properties
Similarly, combo box and list box can also be

Image showing the Field Properties dialog box
created by clicking on the appropriate icon on
the PDF tool bar and drawing over the Scribus
document.
On right clicking the object drawn the Field
Properties window will open. In the dialog box
a name can be assigned to the box, Instruction
to the user can be given in the form of tool tip
text which will appear as soon as the user
points to the field with the mouse cursor. Font
in which the input needs to be typed can be
assigned. Color of the border and the
dimensions of the text box can be given in this
window. If the Required tab is checked the user
will be compelled to give the input. Setting the
box to visible will make the box visible to the
user. If the Read only box is checked the user
will not be able to input any text into the field.
Check box icon can be clicked to create a check

box within the Scribus document.

144
Chapter 10
In the first screen the user should choose the

language of installation. The default language is
Upgrading Scribus English.
Windows installation of Scribus does not have

an automatic / manual upgrade mechanism.
Seamless upgrade is possible in Linux operating
system through its package upgrade tools.
Fortunately, in windows operating system the
user can install multiple versions of Scribus.
Each of these versions will be installed into a
separate folder and a separate short cut to the
program will be placed at the Desktop.
At the time of writing this book Scribus 1.48 was

the stable version. Currently version 1.54 has
been released. Nothing prevents the user from
installing the current version by the side of the
old version. Both these versions would function Welcome screen displayed
independent of the other. Installation is also
seamless.
User can start using both these versions and if

the newer version is found to be functioning
well the older version can be uninstalled by
going to the Add Remove Program in a windows
machine.
The newer version of the software is

downloaded from the official Scribus download
site.
https://www.scribus.net/downloads/ Agreement window

After the download is complete the file can be
double clicked in order to make it run.

145
In the Choose component window the user can In this screen Start menu folder in which the
choose the components that need to be shortcut needs to be installed can be chosen.
installed. It is better to go with the full The default setting is advisable.
installation which is the default.
Installation continues
Destination folder can be chosen using this

window. But it is advisable to use the default
setting. The default folder happens to be
Scribus followed by the version number. This
will in no way disturb the older version which is
already present in the system.
Application opening

146
Image showing both versions of Scribus open
New version of Scribus window opened
The older version of Scribus is also opened just

to show that both versions can function
independent of the other.

147
Contains more than 250 Screen shots

and 25 Video clippings
Designed for Novice as well as DTP

Professionals
ISBN 978-93-5416-101-8

Scribus An Introduction

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Scribus An Introduction

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ABSTRACT

Scribus is a popular open source Desktop

About the Author Online ventures of the author include:

This book will be distributed among various

The author can be contacted at E mail.

Prof Dr Balasubramanian Thiagarajan MS DLO

Stanley Medical College

The Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University

A passionate teacher who believes knowledge

Sound knowledge on computing and data bases

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

This book begins with the installation of this

Inclusion of video clippings to explain various

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

Contents Bleeds ...................................................... 33

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

Adding Frame Margin .............................. 71 Working with Image effects settings in

Story Editor .............................................. 72 List of effects available in Scribus ............ 94

Text alignment ......................................... 72 Flipping the Image ................................... 95

Text Tab.................................................... 73 Image formats.......................................... 95

Text wrapping around a Quote ................ 74 JPEG Image formats: ................................ 96

Kerning & Tracking ................................... 75 TIFF Format .............................................. 96

Drop Caps ................................................. 76 PNG Format ............................................. 96

Baseline grid ............................................. 76 GIF Format ............................................... 97

Creating text over semitransparent Vector Images .......................................... 97

Framing an Image..................................... 90 Ink types used in Printing ...................... 106

Collecting for Output ............................... 91 Choosing Colors ..................................... 108

Manage Images in Scribus........................ 92 Composing Color Palette ....................... 111

Info box .................................................... 93 Applying Colors in Scribus...................... 112

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

Background color ................................... 114

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

Introduction some spare time working with Scribus can

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

Chapter 7 discusses creation of styles,

Chapter 8 discusses an introduction to the

Exercises under each chapter will kindle the

The major advantage of DTP software is that it

At the end of each chapter a summary box

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

` very well if combined with other open source

Scribus is a cross platform desktop publishing

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

At the time of writing Scribus 1.5.5 has been

Installing Scribus in Windows:

From the link given above the optimal version

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

be double clicked for the installation process to

Image showing Ghost script install screen

Scribus installation welcome screen

On the completion screen of Ghost script

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

After completion of installation process of

Screenshot showing destination folder for

Video clipping showing the entire installation

Screenshot showing installation process

Screenshot showing completion of installation

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

3. Stable version of Scribus should be downloaded

4. 32 bit / 64 bit version of Scribus to be chosen as

An initiative of drtbalu’s otolaryngology online

Some of the best practices that need to be

Chapter 2 1. Use of separate folder and subfolder to