CMYK support in Inkscape could be a game-changer for professional print designers

A note before we begin: This week, I'm overwhelmed by the stream of news about Meta, ProtonMail, and other tech giants going mad. Instead of creating a humorous caricature or a long blog-post about it as I usually do when tech news goes chaotic, I'm shifting my focus to highlighting positive impact. This article was born out of this reflection (and also maybe, my coping mechanism).

As a digital artist and long-time user of free and libre graphic software, I'm excited to share with you a significant development that's been missing from our ecosystem: user-friendly CMYK support in Inkscape (and its CMYK PDF output).

Martin Owens, a dedicated developer, has been working tirelessly to bring this feature to life, and I think it's essential that his work gets the support it needs.

For former Adobe Illustrator (or Corel Draw) users, you know how crucial CMYK support is for print design, especially in vector. It's a feature that has kept many creatives captive to proprietary software, despite the desire to switch to free and libre alternatives. I personally suffered from this when, around 2005, I took a client to a printer and they refused to print the logo I designed because it was an RGB SVG file. That was humiliating for me as a young freelancer. Martin's work aims to change this, and I couldn't be more enthusiastic about it.

As Martin himself puts: 

"[...] my work on CMYK is because my supporters asked me to. I have put myself out as an independent programmer hired by regular users to prove that users care enough about their work tools that when offered the opportunities to invest in their success, they will."

Notably, Martin was previously asked to add Multi Page support and complete the Shape Builder, demonstrating his commitment to delivering features that matter most to the community. He's been working on CMYK support because his patrons have asked him to, and he continues to do so because they continue to support him financially.

Martin's approach is not just about adding a feature, but about creating a seamless user experience. He's conducted UX design and testing sessions to ensure that the CMYK workflow is intuitive and easy to use. His goals for 2025 include delivering a PDF exporter, improving the color selector, and integrating color management information into the UI.

To make this happen, Martin relies on the support of his patrons. If you're as excited about this development as I am, please consider supporting his work on Patreon or Liberapay. Every contribution counts, and it's a great way to invest in the future of free and libre graphic software.

As someone who has published books using Scribus in CMYK PDF, I've experienced firsthand the importance of reliable CMYK support. I've battled with bugs, spent months printing costly proof tests, and wasted countless hours troubleshooting. I've also relied on Illustrator for CMYK design in the past, particularly when Inkscape wasn't up to the task 20 years ago - a limitation that led to the humiliating experience with the printer I mentioned earlier.

Before switching to Linux full-time around 2009 and shifting my focus to 2D raster image painting for concept art, comics, and illustration, I often found myself limited by Inkscape's capabilities. I wish someone had been working on a feature like this back then. Perhaps if they had, I would still be offering graphical design services today. That's why I'm eager to support Martin's efforts and encourage others to do the same through this blog post.

If you're interested in following Martin's progress, he maintains a dev log on YouTube and Peertube where he shares updates on his work. His latest video on finances was the trigger that motivated me to write this article. You'll also find a video from November that summarizes the CMYK work done in 2024 and outlines what's still to be done. A big thank you to those who will take the time to setup a support to Martin's efforts after reading this article! 💜

Links to follow/support Martin:
-  Liberapay
-  Patreon
-  Fediverse
-  Youtube
-  Peertube

Artwork source here, home made for this article.