PrawnVectorImport can import vector shapes, lines, stroke and fill color, and dash settings from PDF documents and PDF compatible Illustrator files.
I needed to include logos into PDF documents generated by Prawn. You could also use this to embed other pre-rendered vector graphics.
PrawnVectorImport requires the PDF::Reader gem:
$ gem install pdf-reader
First, generate your Adobe Illustrator / PDF file. If using Illustrator, when you save, save as PDF compatible, uncompressed. NOTE: if the graphic includes text that you want imported, convert that text to outlines (Type > Create Outlines) before importing it.
Use PrawnVectorImport from the command line to generate a ruby file:
$ cd PrawnVectorImport/ $ ruby bin/import_vectors.rb path_to_ai_or_pdf_file method_name > method_name.rb
The resulting ruby file is an extension to the Prawn::Graphics module. It contains a method named <method_name> (the second argument passed to bin/import_vectors.rb) that takes three optional parameters. Include the file in your project and call the method on a Prawn document object.
If you have Prawn installed in the same directory as PrawnVectorImport, then here is an easy way to test the results:
$ cd PrawnVectorImport/ $ ruby bin/import_vectors.rb ./examples/vector_import_test.ai my_vector_graphics > my_vector_graphics.rb $ cp my_vector_graphics.rb ../prawn/examples/ $ cp examples/prawn_vector_import.rb ../prawn/examples/ $ cd ../prawn $ ruby examples/prawn_vector_import.rb
See the ./examples/prawn_vector_import.rb file for an example of how the generated method is called.
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Make certain that all of the artwork you want to appear is contained within the artboard.
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Positioning is based on the lower left corner of the Illustrator document and from the lower left corner of the Prawn bounds.
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Use Prawn::Graphics::Transformation#translate and Prawn::Graphics::Transformation#scale to adjust the position and scale of “imported” graphics within your document
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Delete hidden layers. Artwork that is present, but not visible, may be drawn, creating a larger ruby file and final PDF unnecessarily.
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Again, convert type to outlines prior to importing if you want the text to appear.
Doesn’t yet handle transparency.
Not intended to incorporate text or rasterized images (see hints section, above)
2009-12-14
- CMYK fixed (Michaël Witrant) - Command line now takes name of method to create (Michaël Witrant)
2010-03-08
- use transformation_matrix code added to Prawn by Michaël Witrant