
Inkscape 0.48 Illustrator's Cookbook

Using only flat colors on objects doesn't allow us much freedom in our artistic expressions; most often we want to use smooth blends of different colors, also known as gradients. Gradients have more uses than we can count, but are most often applied to make objects stand out in some way, by creating a realistic or appealing look. They can be applied to fills and strokes of objects.
By using the Gradient tool we can choose two end colors (Stops) and create a smooth transition between them.
Blending isn't limited to only two colors, and gradients can have many intermediate color stops in between the end stops. By default adding a stop to a gradient creates a linear blend between colors, but by moving the stops we can make it non-linear.
Inkscape comes with a Gradient tool that allows on-canvas editing of gradients, making the whole process quick and easy to master. It can also be accessed through the Fill and Stroke dialogue.
Start Inkscape, open the Fill...
Change the font size
Change margin width
Change background colour