I will say that this is the simplest way to do it, but it’s not ideal if you want higher-resolution images.
For that you should use File->Export PNG image. You can choose the DPI on the PNG, and get a very high quality resulting image. If you’re doing something very detailed, I would recommend this method.
Basically, you export the PNG, then drag the resulting exported file back into your inkscape window. Now you’ll have a raster copy of your vector art, just like bitmap copy, but with much more flexibility.