Using Latex with OpenOffice Figures
OpenOffice can be a very useful tool for generating figures.
Unfortunately, it can be a bit tricky to use in conjunction with
Latex. It is possible to export a file to postscript with the
File->Export command (selecting EPS as the output type).
Unfortunately, the resulting file does not have a valid bounding box.
It is also possible to print a single page to a file, which will be in
PostScript format as well, but still without the bounding box.
I have a solution to this problem which is just slightly tricky.
First, you define a new printer which calls a custom PostScript
converter. The convert uses standard tools to add the bounding box.
Unfortunately, those tools leave behind a huge bitmap. The converter
then calls another script which strips off the bitmap, leaving behind
a pristine EPS file.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- add the script epsfile to your path.
- add the script strip.preview to your path.
- open the OpenOffice Printer Setup tool (part of the OpenOffice installation, command is 'oopadmin').
- select 'New Printer...'
- choose 'Connect a PDF converter'
- select 'Generic Printer'
- enter the command 'epsfile "(OUTFILE)"'
- give the converter an appropriate name