Rake tasks to use Inkscape to convert SVGs into PDFs.

inkscape_cmd_line_to_export_pdf.sh

cd /Applications/Inkscape.app/Contents/Resources/bin && ./inkscape -z -D --file=your_drawing.svg --export-pdf=your_drawing.pdf

Rakefile

# 
# This Rakefile provides convenience tasks for converting SVG documents to PDF on OS X using Inkscape.
# 
# ASSUMES Inkscape IS INSTALLED IN /Applications (see below to modify this assumption).
#
# Examples:
# $ rake convert file=my_drawing.svg # => my_drawing.pdf
# $ rake all # => *.svg now accompanied by *.pdf
#
# David Crosby
# [email protected]
# Sep 2012
#
task :default => :convert

desc "Export a PDF version for every SVG file in the current directory."
task :all do
  batch_convert_svg_to_pdf Dir["*.svg"]
end

desc "Given an SVG file, export a PDF verison.  Indicate the SVG like this: file=myfile.svg"
task :convert do
  file = ENV["file"] || ENV["svg"]
  batch_convert_svg_to_pdf [file]
end

def batch_convert_svg_to_pdf(svg_names)
  puts "Converting #{svg_names.length} SVG files to PDF"
  puts "-"*svg_names.length
  svg_names.each do |svg_name|
    base = File.basename(svg_name,".svg")
    pdf_name = "#{base}.pdf"
    svg_to_pdf svg_name, pdf_name
    print "."
  end
  puts "\n"
end

def svg_to_pdf(svg_name, pdf_name)
  svg_name = File.expand_path(svg_name) 
  pdf_name = File.expand_path(pdf_name) 
  # puts "Convert #{svg_name} to #{pdf_name}"
  dir = '/Applications/Inkscape.app/Contents/Resources/bin'
  `cd #{dir} && ./inkscape -z -D --file=#{svg_name} --export-pdf=#{pdf_name} > /dev/null 2>&1 && cd .`
end