Transparent SVGs not rendered correctly in PDF with `ipython nbconvert`

[dpsanders]

With the new ipython nbconvert facility, a standard workflow would be as follows:

• Create an IPython notebook with SVGs as matplotlib output:

  %config InlineBackend.figure_format = "svg"

• Export to latex via [new syntax decided yesterday/today!]:

  ipython nbconvert --to latex mynotebook.ipynb

During this process, the SVGs produced by matplotlib get converted to PDF by inkscape, which does a great job and keeps all the transparency etc.

However, now running pdflatex or xelatex on the .tex result [which is now stored in the same directory as the original .ipynb and not inside an nbconvert_build directory] produces a PDF in which transparent PDFs are not rendered correctlly.

This is apparently a known problem, but the proposed solutions do not seem to work for me. Are there any PDF experts who can shed light on this and propose a solution? This is a deal-breaker for the PDF export at the moment, especially in combination with the new ggplot styles etc.

[BenFrantzDale]

My understanding was that PDF didn't support alpha blending.

[efiring]

On 2013/09/29 12:18 PM, Ben FrantzDale wrote:

My understanding was that PDF didn't support alpha blending.

PDF does, PS does not.

[mdboom]

This workflow seems to work for me.

Note that figures do not have a transparent background by default. matplotlib master, but not 1.3.x has a new rcParam (thanks to @tcaswell), savefig.transparent, that will turn this on.

How are you creating the transparent figures? Maybe they aren't in fact transparent?

[pelson]

Closing until we have some more info. Please feel free to re-open @dpsanders with the additional information. As with @mdboom's line of inquiry, I suspect the IPython backend isn't saving the figure with a transparent background, which can now be achieved via the RcParams configuration.

Cheers,