WARNING: SNAP packages may cause issues. We use deb file shown later in this section.

Install Inkscape and other requirements

# Add inkscape dev team's PPA key to APT.
# This project require minimum of inkscape V1.0+
# But we want to always keep to latest inkscape version
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:inkscape.dev/stable

# Install Inkscape
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install inkscape

# Install Inkscape with newer version directly from inkscape dev team
# even if newer than what Ubuntu's package management team is willing
# to certify at the moment
sudo apt-get --with-new-pkgs upgrade inkscape

# Install requirements for usb support
sudo apt-get install python3-usb

# Install requirements for Silhouette Multiple Actions
sudo apt install python3-wxgtk4.0

# Install all requirements from python package manager
sudo apt-get install python3-pip
python3 -m pip install -U pip
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt

Install inkscape-silhouette

From here, you should have all the required python packages and inkscape version. So now we shall install inkscape-silhouette, so scroll down the latest releases and head to the Assets section of releases and click on the *.deb file. You can then use sudo apt-get install ./*.deb where *.deb is the name of your newly downloaded file.

• https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette/releases

• Download https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette/archive/main.zip

• Unzip the archive into a directory (which will be called inkscape-silhouette-main by default)

• In a terminal, change into that directory

• Execute make install-local to install just in your user account, or (if you have permissions) sudo make install to install for all users

• sudo apt-get install python3-usb if you have permissions, otherwise python3 -m pip install usb

• restart inkscape, check that you see new menu entries "Extensions -> Export -> Send to Silhouette" and " ... -> Silhouette Multi Action".

sudo pacman -S inkscape python-lxml python-pyusb python-tinycss2 python-matplotlib
git clone https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette.git
cd inkscape-silhouette

and then either make install-local to install just for your user account, or sudo make install

Install the necessary packages: sudo dnf install python3-pyusb python3-matplotlib make gettext

Clone the inkscape-silhoutte repo and make/install the extension:

git clone https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette.git
cd inkscape-silhouette
sudo make install

Add a new rule file to the udev device manager: sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-graphtec-silhouette.rules

And add the following: SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0b4d", ATTR{idProduct}=="1137", MODE="666"

Finally, load the file with: sudo udevadm trigger

• Install prerequisites:
  • Install homebrew http://brew.sh/
  • brew install libusb
  • Install Inkscape
    • Either with homebrew: brew install inkscape
    • Or manually from their website
• Install the extension:
  • ./install_osx.sh
  • Add the suggested python interpreter for user extensions in ~/Library/Application Support/org.inkscape.Inkscape/config/inkscape/preferences.xml on <group id="extensions" python-interpreter="/..." />. For details on selecting a specific interpreter version see Inkscape Wiki - Extension Interpreters:
    • e.g. python-interpreter="/Users/username/.local/share/venvs/inkscape/bin/python3"
  • The installer includes bleak, which provides Bluetooth Low Energy support. On the first BLE scan, macOS may ask for Bluetooth permission for Inkscape; allow it to discover and connect to the cutter.

Note the recipe here specifies py39-libusb1. In case this is out of date, you need to choose the usb package appropriate to the version of python that runs by default as python3.

sudo pkg install inkscape py39-libusb1
cd /tmp
wget -c "https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette/archive/main.zip"
unzip main.zip
cd inkscape-silhouette-main
sudo make install   # OR: make install-local  # latter installs only for this user

Driver

These steps must be done with Silhouette device plugged in to USB port.

• Download newest Zadig from http://zadig.akeo.ie/
• Go to menu options List all devices
• Look for USB Printing Support in the dropdown list
• Ensure USB ID is: 0B4D (Graftek America)
• Select driver libusb-win32 (v1.2.6.0) which will install a libusb0-Port for Windows
• Click replace driver

To later undo:

• Run Zadig again
• Go to menu options List all devices
• Look for USB Printing Support in the dropdown list
• Ensure USB ID is: 0B4D (Graftek America)
• Select driver WinUsb which will undo the prior change.
• Click replace driver

Python adapter

• Inkscape usually comes with a Version of Python; ensure that feature under Program Files/Python is ticked upon installation or change/add features accordingly
• Install pip (a package manager for python):
  • Download get-pip.py from https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py and copy to the bin directory, e.g. C:\Program Files\Inkscape\bin
  • Open command line and navigate to the same directory, then enter .\python.exe '.\get-pip.py'
• Install pyusb:
  • Still in command line enter .\python.exe -m pip install pyusb

Silhouette inkscape extension itself

• Download https://github.com/fablabnbg/inkscape-silhouette/archive/main.zip
• Open the downloaded file and select the following five items: silhouette, sendto_silhouette.inx, sendto_silhouette.py, silhouette_multi.inx, silhouette_multi.py
• Extract them to your share\inkscape\extensions directory, e.g. C:\Program Files\Inkscape\share\inkscape\extensions
• Restart inkscape