: How to avoid multi-layered PDF's created in InkScape Given a pdf, is there an easy way to find out whether is has multiple layers? The files I am concerned of are made in InkScape (in which

@Sent7350415

A) using the open Evince on Windows and Linux you can see if a PDF has layers so:
1) be sure to have the lateral panel (press F9 in case)
2) in the lateral panel drop down box, istead of 'Thumb' select 'Layers'
3) if is grayed out, no layers are present

B) using the free Adobe Reader you can see if a PDF has layers so:
1) go to the page where you are interested in discovering the presence of layers
2) View menù, Navigation layers
3) if there are layers, they are listed.
4) using the two gear icons you can also show the layers present on the current page or all the layers present in the document

Current Inkscape 0.92 while support exporting to PDF 1.5 that has layers, cannot export internal layers to PDF. So exporting to PDF always results in flattening.

A work around can be using Scribus

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@Looi7658678

PDF,as SVG files, actually, don have the concept of "layers".
In SVG files there are groups of objects - Groups are meant to be more flexible than layers - and what Inkscape calls "Layer" is rather an UX choice - if you check the generated SVG file, you have a group there, not distinguishable, but for specific inkscape metadata, from a group created by joining two primitive paths. Inkscape have separate UI controls to apply attributes such as opacity and combination mode to the layer groups - but the same can be done to objects joined by other methods.

PDF, similarly, deals with arbitrary objects on a page, which can be layered on top of each other with differing combination modes. Thus, there are no "layers". I am not that confident in the internal representation of objects in PDF, but i`d say there are the equivalent to groups - which can have common ordering, opacity and combination attributes.

Therefore - layers in Inkscape are probably preserved as distinct groups of objects inside teh PDF file, even if just in order to simplify the conversion process. Since you are worried about "flattening" - unless you are concerned with someone "disassembling" your pdf page and getting your bitmap resources as they where, you should not be concerned - i.e. - there is no point in getting concerned about multiple layers using more layers or machine resources than a flatted one - all objects are specified as individual objects wether if the "groupping" indicated in Inkscape layers is preserved, or the layer attributes are individually "baked" to each object.

TL;DR: if you are worried about a "multilayered" pdf wasting more resources than a "flattened" one, there is no point to be worried - it is of the nature of vector file formats that objects are specified individually. If on the other hand, you are worried about being possible to get to your individual image resources, the existence of the "layers" is irrelevant all the same. The way out is to export to a PNG file or open the SVG in a raster image program such as GIMP, and re-create the PDF with embedded pixel information, instead of vector objects (which is essentially a PNG file inside the PDF)

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