Common problem
- Illustrator User Guide
- Get to know Illustrator
- Introduction to Illustrator
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Create documents
- Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
- Accelerate workflows using the Contextual Task Bar
- Toolbar
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Introduction to artboards
- Manage artboards
- Customize the workspace
- Properties panel
- Set preferences
- Touch Workspace
- Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
- Undo edits and manage design history
- Rotate view
- Rulers, grids, and guides
- Accessibility in Illustrator
- Safe Mode
- View artwork
- Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
- Files and templates
- Tools in Illustrator
- Tools at a glance
- Select tools
- Navigate tools
- Paint tools
- Text tools
- Draw tools
- Modify tools
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Quick actions
- Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
- Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
- Troubleshooting issues FAQ
- Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Create and combine shapes on the web
- Add and edit text on the web
- Apply colors and gradients on the web
- Draw and edit paths on the web
- Work with cloud documents on the web
- Invite collaborators to edit on the web
- Illustrator on the iPad
- Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
- Workspace
- Documents
- Select and arrange objects
- Drawing
- Type
- Work with images
- Color
- Cloud documents
- Basics
- Troubleshooting
- Add and edit content
- Drawing
- Drawing basics
- Edit paths
- Draw pixel-perfect art
- Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
- Draw simple lines and shapes
- Draw rectangular and polar grids
- Draw and edit flares
- Trace images
- Simplify a path
- Symbolism tools and symbol sets
- Adjust path segments
- Design a flower in 5 easy steps
- Create and edit a perspective grid
- Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
- Use objects as symbols for repeat use
- Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
- Measurement
- 3D objects and materials
- Color
- Painting
- Select and arrange objects
- Select objects
- Layers
- Group and expand objects
- Move, align, and distribute objects
- Align, arrange, and move objects on a path
- Snap objects to glyph
- Snap objects to Japanese glyph
- Stack objects
- Lock, hide, and delete objects
- Copy and duplicate objects
- Rotate and reflect objects
- Intertwine objects
- Create realistic art mockups
- Reshape objects
- Crop images
- Transform objects
- Combine objects
- Cut, divide, and trim objects
- Puppet Warp
- Scale, shear, and distort objects
- Blend objects
- Reshape using envelopes
- Reshape objects with effects
- Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
- Work with Live Corners
- Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
- Edit clipping masks
- Live shapes
- Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
- Global editing
- Type
- Add text and work with type objects
- Reflow Viewer
- Create bulleted and numbered lists
- Manage text area
- Fonts and typography
- Convert text within images into editable text
- Add basic formatting to text
- Add advanced formatting to text
- Import and export text
- Format paragraphs
- Special characters
- Create type on a path
- Character and paragraph styles
- Tabs
- Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
- Arabic and Hebrew type
- Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
- Creative typography designs
- Scale and rotate type
- Line and character spacing
- Hyphenation and line breaks
- Spelling and language dictionaries
- Format Asian characters
- Composers for Asian scripts
- Create text designs with blend objects
- Create a text poster using Image Trace
- Create special effects
- Web graphics
- Drawing
- Import, export, and save
- Import
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
- Save and export
- Printing
- Prepare for printing
- Printing
- Automate tasks
- Troubleshooting
About Adobe PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a universal file format that preserves the fonts, images, and layout of source documents created on a wide range of applications and platforms. Adobe PDF is the standard for the secure, reliable distribution and exchange of electronic documents and forms around the world. Adobe PDF files are compact and complete, and can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone with free Adobe Reader® software.
Adobe PDF is highly effective in print publishing workflows. By saving a composite of your artwork in Adobe PDF, you create a compact, reliable file that you or your service provider can view, edit, organize, and proof. Then, at the appropriate time in the workflow, your service provider can either output the Adobe PDF file directly, or process it using tools from various sources for such post-processing tasks as preflight checks, trapping, imposition, and color separation.
You have the option to create a PDF file that is PDF/X-compliant. PDF/X (Portable Document Format Exchange) is a subset of Adobe PDF that eliminates many of the color, font, and trapping variables that lead to printing problems. PDF/X may be used wherever PDFs are exchanged as digital masters for print production—whether at the creation or output stage of the workflow, as long as the applications and output devices support PDF/X.
Adobe PDFs can solve the following problems associated with electronic documents:
|
Adobe PDF solution |
Recipients can't open files because they don't have the applications used to create the files. |
Anyone, anywhere can open a PDF. All you need is the free Adobe Reader software. |
Combined paper and electronic archives are difficult to search, take up space, and require the application in which a document was created. |
PDFs are compact and fully searchable, and can be accessed at any time using Reader. Links make PDFs easy to navigate. |
Documents appear incorrectly on handheld devices. |
Tagged PDFs allow text to reflow for display on mobile platforms such as Palm OS®, Symbian™, and Pocket PC® devices. |
Documents with complex formatting are not accessible to visually impaired readers. |
Tagged PDFs contain information on content and structure, which makes them accessible on-screen readers. |
You can use either Save As or Export to create PDF files. The default PDF preset in the Save As workflow is optimized to retain editing capabilities, resulting in heavier PDF files. On the other hand, the default PDF preset in the Export workflow is optimized for collaboration, creating PDF files of the smallest size. Additionally, Save As replaces the .ai file that is open in Illustrator with the PDF file.
You can create different types of PDF files. You can create multipage PDFs, layered PDFs, and PDF/x‑compliant files. Layered PDFs allow you to create one PDF with layers that can be used in different contexts. PDF/X‑compliant files ease the burden of color, font, and trapping issues.
-
Select File > Save As.
-
In the Save to Creative Cloud dialog box, select On your computer. In the Save As dialog box, browse to the location you want to save to.
-
Type the file name, select Adobe PDF (*.PDF) in the Save as type drop-down, and then select Save.
-
In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, either select a preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu, or select a category from the list on the left and then customize the settings.
-
Select Save PDF.
Note:To reset options to the default, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click Reset.
-
Select File > Export > Export As.
-
In the Export dialog box, browse to the location you want to export to.
-
Type the file name, select Adobe PDF (*.PDF) in the Save as type drop-down, and then select Export.
-
In the Export Adobe PDF dialog box, either select a preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu, or select a category from the list on the left and then customize the settings.
-
Select Export PDF.
Create a multiple-page Adobe PDF
-
Create multiple artboards in a document.
-
Choose File > Save As, and select Adobe PDF for Save As Type.
-
Do one of the following:
To save all of the artboards to one PDF, select All.
To save a subset of the artboards to one PDF, select Range, and type the range of artboards.
-
Click Save, and set additional PDF options in the Save Adobe PDF dialog box.
-
Click Save PDF.
Create a layered Adobe PDF
Adobe InDesign and Adobe Acrobat both provide features for changing the visibility of layers in an Adobe PDF file. By saving a layered PDF file in Illustrator, you allow your illustration to be used in different contexts. For example, rather than creating multiple versions of the same illustration for a multilanguage publication, you can create one PDF file that contains text for all languages.
-
Set up your illustration so that the adjustable elements (those you want to show and hide) are in separate top-level layers, not nested within sublayers.
For example, if you’re creating an illustration to be repurposed for multiple languages, put the text for each language in a different top-level layer.
-
Save the file in Adobe PDF format.
-
In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, choose Acrobat 8 (1.7) or Acrobat 7 (1.6) for Compatibility.
-
Select Create Acrobat Layers from Top-Level Layers, set additional PDF options, and click Save PDF.
Create an Adobe PDF/X-compliant file
PDF/X (Portable Document Format Exchange) is an ISO standard for graphic content exchange that eliminates many of the color, font, and trapping variables that lead to printing problems. Illustrator supports PDF/X‑1a (for a CMYK workflow), PDF/X‑3 (for a color-managed workflow), and PDF/X-4 (for a color-managed workflow with added support for preserving transparency as live rather than flattened).
You can create a PDF/X‑compliant file during the process of saving a PDF file.
-
In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, choose a PDF/X preset, or choose a PDF/X format from the Standard menu.
-
Click Output on the left side of the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, and set PDF/X options.
Adobe PDF presets
A PDF preset is a group of settings that affect the process of creating a PDF. These settings are designed to balance file size with quality, depending on how the PDF will be used. Most predefined presets are shared across Adobe Creative Suite components, including InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat. You can also create and share custom presets for your unique output requirements.
A few of the presets listed below are not available until you move them—as needed—from the Extras folder (where they are installed by default) to the Settings folder. Typically, the Extras and Settings folders are found in (Windows) ProgramData\Adobe\AdobePDF or (Mac OS) Library/Application Support/Adobe PDF. Some presets are not available in some Creative Suite components.
The custom settings are found in (Windows) Users/[username]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings or (Mac OS) Users/[username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe PDF/Settings.
Review your PDF settings periodically. The settings do not automatically revert to the default settings. Applications and utilities that create PDFs use the last set of PDF settings defined or selected.
High Quality Print
Creates PDFs for quality printing on desktop printers and proofing devices. This preset uses PDF 1.4, downsamples color and grayscale images to 300 ppi and monochrome images to 1200 ppi, embeds subsets of all fonts, leaves color unchanged, and does not flatten transparency (for file types capable of transparency). These PDFs can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later. In InDesign, this preset also creates tagged PDFs.
Illustrator Default (Illustrator only)
Creates PDFs in which all Illustrator data is preserved. PDFs created with this preset can be reopened in Illustrator without any loss of data. This preset is the default preset when you use Save As to create PDF files.
Oversized Pages (Acrobat only)
Creates PDFs suitable for viewing and printing of engineering drawings larger than 200 x 200 inches. These PDFs can be opened in Acrobat and Reader 7.0 and later.
PDF/A-1b: 2005 (CMYK and RGB) (Acrobat only)
Used for long-term preservation (archival) of electronic documents. PDF/A‑1b uses PDF 1.4 and converts all colors to either CMYK or RGB, depending on which standard you choose. These PDFs can be opened in Acrobat and Reader versions 5.0 and later.
PDF/X‑1a (2001 and 2003)
PDF/X‑1a requires all fonts to be embedded, the appropriate marks and bleeds to be specified, and color to appear as CMYK, spot colors, or both. Compliant files must contain information describing the printing condition for which they are prepared. PDF files created with PDF/X‑1a compliance can be opened in Acrobat 4.0 and Acrobat Reader 4.0 and later.
PDF/X‑1a uses PDF 1.3, downsamples color and grayscale images to 300 ppi and monochrome images to 1200 ppi, embeds subsets of all fonts, creates untagged PDFs, and flattens transparency using the High Resolution setting.
The PDF/X1‑a:2003 and PDF/X‑3 (2003) presets are placed on your computer during installation but are not available until you move them from the Extras folder to the Settings folder.
PDF/X-3
This preset creates a PDF based on the ISO standard PDF/X-3:2002. The PDF created in this setting can be opened in Acrobat 4.0 and Acrobat Reader 4.0 or later.
PDF/X‑4 (2008)
This preset creating ISO PDF/X-4:2008 files supports live transparency (transparency is not flattened) and ICC color management. PDF files exported with this preset are in PDF 1.4 format. Images are downsampled and compressed and fonts are embedded in the same manner as with the PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3 settings. You can create PDF/X-4:2008 compliant PDF files directly from Creative Suite 4 and 5 components including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. Acrobat 9 Pro provides facilities to validate and preflight PDF files for PDF/X-4:2008 compliance as well as convert non-PDF/X files to PDF/X-4:2008 if possible.
Adobe recommends PDF/X-4:2008 as the optimal PDF file format for reliable PDF print publishing workflows.
Press Quality
Creates PDF files for high-quality print production (for example, for digital printing or for separations to an imagesetter or platesetter), but does not create files that are PDF/X-compliant. In this case, the quality of the content is the highest consideration. The objective is to maintain all the information in a PDF file that a commercial printer or print service provider needs in order to print the document correctly. This set of options uses PDF 1.4, converts colors to CMYK, downsamples color and grayscale images to 300 ppi and monochrome images to 1200 ppi, embeds subsets of all fonts, and preserves transparency (for file types capable of transparency).
These PDF files can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later.
Before creating an Adobe PDF file to send to a commercial printer or print service provider, find out what the output resolution and other settings should be, or ask for a .joboptions file with the recommended settings. You might need to customize the Adobe PDF settings for a particular provider and then provide a .joboptions file of your own.
Rich Content PDF
Creates accessible PDF files that include tags, hyperlinks, bookmarks, interactive elements, and layers. This set of options uses PDF 1.5 and embeds subsets of all fonts. It also optimizes files for byte serving. These PDF files can be opened in Acrobat 6.0 and Adobe Reader 6.0 and later. (The Rich Content PDF preset is in the Extras folder.)
This preset was called eBook in earlier versions of some applications.
Smallest File Size
Creates PDF files for displaying on the web, an intranet, or for email distribution. This set of options uses compression, downsampling, and a relatively low image resolution. It converts all colors to sRGB and embeds fonts. It also optimizes files for byte serving. This preset is the default preset when you use Export to create PDF files.
For best results, avoid using this preset if you intend to print the PDF file.
These PDF files can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later.
Magazine Ads 2006 (Japan)
This preset creates a PDF based on the creation rules designed by Digital Data Delivery committee.
Standard (Acrobat only)
Creates PDF files to be printed to desktop printers or digital copiers, published on a CD, or sent to a client as a publishing proof. This set of options uses compression and downsampling to keep the file size down, but also embeds subsets of all (allowed) fonts used in the file, converts all colors to sRGB, and prints to a medium resolution. Note that Windows font subsets are not embedded by default. PDF files created with this settings file can be opened in Acrobat 5.0 and Acrobat Reader 5.0 and later.
For more information about shared PDF settings for Creative Suite components, see the PDF Integration Guide on the Creative Suite DVD.
Customize PDF presets
Although the default PDF presets are based on best practices, you may discover that your workflow, or perhaps your printer’s workflow, requires specialized PDF settings that aren’t available via any of the built‑in presets. If this is the case, you or your service provider can create custom presets.
-
Choose Edit > Adobe PDF Presets.
-
Do one of the following:
To create a new preset, click New. If you want to base the new preset on an existing preset, select the preset first.
To edit an existing custom preset, select the preset and click Edit. (You cannot edit the default presets.)
To delete a preset, select it and click Delete.
To save a preset in a location other than the default Settings folder in the Adobe PDF folder, select it and click Save As. Specify a location and click Save.
-
Set the PDF options, and click OK.
Alternatively, you can create a custom preset when you save a PDF file by clicking Save Preset at the bottom of the Save Adobe PDF dialog box.
If you want to share your presets with a colleague, select one or more presets and click Export. The presets are saved to a separate .joboptions file, which you can then transfer to your colleague via e‑mail or over your computer network.
Load PDF presets
Illustrator comes with supplementary PDF presets (.joboptions) files. You may also receive custom PDF presets files from service providers and colleagues.
-
To load PDF presets into all of your Creative Suite applications, do one of the following:
Double-click the .joboptions file.
Choose Edit > Adobe PDF Presets. Click Import, and select the .joboptions file you want to load.
More like this
Have a question or an idea?
If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We would love to hear from you and see your creations.