4 Answers2025-09-05 21:28:18
Okay, here’s the practical trick I always use when I want links to survive the trip from a .odg to a PDF: export, don’t print. If you open your file in LibreOffice Draw (or OpenOffice Draw), go to File > Export As > Export as PDF and use that dialog — that route preserves clickable hyperlinks. I’ve learned this the hard way after printing to a PDF printer and seeing every link vanish into a flat image.
Before exporting, make sure your links are real links: for text links I usually select the text and press Ctrl+K or use Insert > Hyperlink; for shapes I right-click the object, pick Interaction, and set the action to open a URL or go to a page/object. If links are embedded in bitmaps or you chose an export option that rasterizes pages, the PDF will have no clickable areas, so don’t enable rasterization or export as images.
Finally, test the resulting PDF in a couple of readers (a browser and Adobe Reader) and, if you need batch processing, the headless conversion soffice --headless --convert-to pdf myfile.odg preserves links too. If something still breaks, check for PDF/A or other archival options in the export dialog — they can sometimes alter external links.
4 Answers2025-09-05 13:17:32
If you want a straightforward, no-nonsense way to combine several .odg files into one PDF, here’s my go-to method that’s saved me a bunch of time.
First, I convert each .odg to a PDF with LibreOffice in headless mode: soffice --headless --convert-to pdf *.odg --outdir /path/to/out. That spits out individual PDFs with the same names, and I always prefix filenames with numbers (01-, 02-, etc.) so the merge order is correct. After that I merge them with something tiny and reliable — pdfunite file1.pdf file2.pdf combined.pdf or Ghostscript: gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -q -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=combined.pdf file1.pdf file2.pdf.
Why I prefer this: it keeps vector art crisp, preserves fonts better, and I can inspect each intermediate PDF if something looks off. If you need a GUI, LibreOffice can export each document to PDF manually, and PDFsam Basic (free) will merge them visually. Little tip: check page sizes and orientation before merging, because a mix of sizes can produce odd blank margins. That’s saved me from redoing entire batches more than once.
4 Answers2025-09-05 21:01:56
If you're on a Mac and juggling .odg (OpenDocument Drawing) files alongside PDFs, I usually reach for LibreOffice first — it opens .odg natively and can export to PDF cleanly. I install the LibreOffice package (there's a macOS installer on the official site) and then just open the .odg with LibreOffice Draw. From there I hit File → Export As → Export as PDF and tweak the settings if I need embedded fonts or higher image quality.
Preview, the macOS built-in app, is my go-to for everyday PDFs, but it won't open .odg. For PDFs I also like Adobe Acrobat Reader when I need annotations or complex forms, and sometimes PDF Expert for fast editing. If I want to vector-edit a drawing, I throw the .odg into Inkscape (it imports .odg files) and tweak paths.
If I need a quick tool without installing anything, CloudConvert or Convertio in the browser will convert .odg to PDF or SVG. Just be mindful of sensitive files when using cloud converters — for private docs I stick to local LibreOffice. Little tip: if fonts look off after conversion, embed fonts during export or install the missing fonts on the Mac; that usually fixes the layout for me.
4 Answers2025-09-05 11:57:24
Oh, if you want a no-fuss way to batch-convert ODG files to PDF on Linux, I usually reach for LibreOffice headless — it’s the simplest and surprisingly robust. I run: soffice --headless --convert-to pdf --outdir ./pdfs *.odg and it spits out PDFs with most layout intact. If you need to do this on a server or in CI, I’ll often mount the folder into a Docker image like docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/documents libreoffice /bin/bash -c "libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf --outdir /documents/pdf *.odg" so I don’t have to install the whole suite on the host.
For slightly older installs or when LibreOffice’s UNO is already part of my toolkit, I use unoconv: unoconv -f pdf *.odg. It talks to LibreOffice under the hood but can be more script-friendly. For weird ODGs that are more illustration-like, Inkscape’s CLI (inkscape file.odg --export-type=pdf) can yield cleaner vector PDFs file-by-file; I glue that into a bash loop or use GNU parallel for speed. Pro tip: check fonts and embedded images after conversion — if something looks off, try exporting to PDF/A or embedding fonts in LibreOffice and re-run the conversion. I’ve had to tweak font availability before to avoid layout shifts, but once set up, it’s fast and repeatable.
4 Answers2025-09-05 11:43:33
Uploading a file to an online converter can feel like a tiny time-saver, but I treat it like lending someone a book I'm not ready to part with. The short truth: it can be safe if you pick the right service and file, but never risk sensitive stuff without checking a few things first.
I usually do a quick hygiene check: is the site using HTTPS? Do they show a clear privacy policy and data-retention policy? If they say they delete files immediately or after 24 hours, that’s better than nothing—though you have to trust them. I also test with a non-sensitive sample file first, and I avoid uploading anything with personal data, passwords, or proprietary designs. If the content is private, I often export or convert locally instead (LibreOffice, Inkscape, or a headless 'soffice --convert-to pdf' in a VM works wonders).
For casual use—converting a public .odg to PDF for a quick print run—I’ll use a well-known converter with TLS, scan the downloaded file for metadata, and then delete everything. For anything confidential, I keep conversions offline. It’s a small extra step, but it’s saved me from awkward follow-ups more than once.
4 Answers2025-09-05 20:54:54
Honestly, for most people the simplest truth is: use the latest stable LibreOffice Draw you can get for your platform — newer builds keep fixing export quirks. I’ve been opening ODG files in Draw for years and exporting to PDF; the core ODG support has been solid for a long time, but PDF export quality has noticeably improved in the 7.x+ line. If you’re on a distro or OS that still ships an older 6.x release, you’ll likely see more weirdness with gradients, transparencies, or layered objects.
In practice I grab the newest stable release from the LibreOffice site or my package manager, open the ODG in Draw, then choose ‘Export as PDF’ (not Print to PDF). I usually tick the options to embed fonts and to compress images if the file is heavy. That workflow has removed almost every weird rendering error for me.
If you hit problems, a couple of things help: install the missing fonts locally, save a copy as flat XML (.fodg) and reopen it, or try a headless conversion with soffice --headless --convert-to pdf. Those little tricks have rescued files that otherwise looked broken, and they’ll probably save you time too.
4 Answers2025-09-05 01:09:11
Oh, I've tried this a bunch of times when a client or a friend hands me an .odg and says, 'Can you just make it a PDF?' My go-to quick picks that usually let you convert without signing up (for small-ish files) are Aspose, GroupDocs, Convertio, CloudConvert, Online-Convert, and OnlineConvertFree.
Aspose and GroupDocs are surprisingly straightforward: you drag the .odg file to the page, wait a few seconds, then download the PDF — no signup steps for single files. Convertio and CloudConvert also let you do quick conversions in the browser without making an account, though they impose file-size or daily limits unless you upgrade. Online-Convert and OnlineConvertFree are simple too; they sometimes show ads but will convert without an account for regular-sized files.
Quick tips: if the file is sensitive, avoid online tools or use a reputable service and delete files immediately (many show a delete button or auto-expire). If layout fidelity matters, test a page or two first; sometimes fonts or special effects render differently. For batch or sensitive work, LibreOffice on your computer exports .odg to PDF flawlessly and keeps everything local. I usually try a web tool for a one-off, and LibreOffice when I want perfect control.
4 Answers2025-09-05 09:54:08
If you want a high-res PDF from an ODG that won’t look fuzzy on press, think like someone prepping a poster for a gallery: final size, bleed, and pixel density matter more than pretty on-screen zoom.
First, set your Draw document to the printer’s final trim size and add bleed (commonly 3–5 mm or 1/8 inch). Use vector shapes and text wherever possible so they stay infinitely sharp. For any raster images, place them at 300 ppi at the final printed size (use 600 ppi for very detailed work or large-format prints viewed up close). When you export to PDF from LibreOffice Draw, open the image settings and either disable downsampling or set the reduction to 300 dpi at minimum; choose lossless compression (or set JPEG quality to 100%) if the option exists.
Embed fonts or convert text to outlines if the printer asks — if you can’t outline in Draw, open the file in Inkscape or Scribus and convert text to paths. Also, be mindful of color: Draw works in RGB, so either soft-proof in a color-managed workflow or convert the exported PDF to CMYK in Scribus/Photoshop/your RIP. Add crop marks and bleeds via a layout tool if Draw can’t generate them. Do a test print or PDF proof with the print shop before final runs, and you’ll avoid most production nightmares.