Inkscape is an impressive piece of vector graphics creation/editing software. And, like music to my ears, it is distributed for free under the GNU GPL. It is also available on PC, Mac, and -nix platforms.

The good news:

It can import and export most vector file formats, but it plays best with it’s native SVG file format. As of now, Inkscape can import SVG, SVGZ and PDF and export SVG, SVGZ, PDF, PostScript, EPS, EPSi, LaTeX and POVRay. It also has partial support for AI, CDR, and SWF.

I’ve used Inkscape on several projects and the quality of the software is remarkable. It has a significantly smoother learning curve than does Illustrator or CorelDraw. The creation process is actually fun because you aren’t bogged down with gritty controls and such.

The bad news:

The newest version seems to have some stability issues on Vista. I didn’t have these issues when running on Linux or OS X.

Some of the higher end functions are rather technical. So, to be able to use Inkscape to it’s fullest potential, you’ll have to do a bit of learning.

The bottom line:

There may be a few functions and such that Illustrator can do that Inkscape cannot, but they are hardly worth the $300 you’ll have to shell out to get them. Hit up www.inkscape.org and start playing around.

Oh, and did I mention that the maximum page size in Inkscape is 304.8 X 304.8 km. As in over 189 miles. Might not be terribly useful, but that’s really cool. No other program even approaches that size.