print-layout

# Print layout (Scribus · Ghostscript · Poppler) ## Toolkit on this machine | Tool | Use it for | Launch / CLI | |---|---|---| | **Scribus 1.6** | Page layout with bleed, CMYK colors, master pages, PDF/X export | `scribus` · scripted `scribus -g -ns -py script.py` | | **Inkscape / GIMP** | Make the artwork (vector / raster) that Scribus places | see `graphic-design` | | **Ghostscript** | Compress PDFs, convert to CMYK | `gs` | | **Poppler** | Inspect PDFs: boxes, fonts, image resolution, render proofs | `pdfinfo`, `pdffonts`, `pdfimages`, `pdftoppm` | | **hunspell-en_us** | Spell-check in Scribus (*Item → Check Spelling*) | — | ## Scripts | Script | What it does | |---|---| | `check.sh` | Verifies Scribus, Ghostscript, Poppler, spell-check, and whether a CMYK press profile is installed | | `new-print-doc.sh <preset> <name> [--pages N] [--title T] [--font F] [--proof]` | Builds a Scribus `.sla` with correct size, 3 mm bleed, margins, CMYK brand colors and placeholder frames; `--proof` also exports a PDF with crop marks. Presets: `a4 a5 a3 letter business-card dl-flyer square-210 poster-50x70` | | `pdf-preflight.sh <file.pdf> [--min-dpi 300]` | Checks trim/bleed boxes, embedded fonts, image ppi, color spaces — exits non-zero on problems | | `pdf-proof.sh <file.pdf> [dpi]` | Renders pages to PNG + an overview sheet to review or send to a client | | `pdf-compress.sh <in.pdf> [screen\|ebook\|printer\|prepress]` | Shrinks PDFs (ebook ≈ email-friendly) | | `pdf-cmyk.sh <in.pdf>` | Fallback conversion of all colors to CMYK | ## Guide - `references/print-workflow.md` — from brief to printer: sizes, bleed, safe zone, color, images, fonts, Scribus export settings, and what to send the printer. ## Rules of thumb 1. **Bleed 3 mm** on every side, background elements extend to the bleed edge; keep text ≥ 5 mm inside the trim (the template's margins handle this). 2. **Images ≥ 300 ppi** at their placed size; vector art (Inkscape PDF/SVG) for logos. 3. **Fonts embedded** or outlined. **Rich black** (C60 M40 Y40 K100) for big dark areas, 100 % K only for small text. 4. **CMYK colors look duller than RGB** — show the client a proof, don't promise screen-bright neon. 5. Always run `pdf-preflight.sh` before sending, and ask the printer for their specs/ICC profile.