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    Packaging Illustrator Files

    March 27, 2018 by ProfK 10 Comments

    Adobe introduced the package feature for Illustrator with CS6. Prior to this welcomed update, we had to manually duplicate our Illustrator files and collect all of the associated images and fonts into a folder. Talk about opportunities for error! Unless you were extra careful, it was inevitable that a font or image (or two) would be missing from the folder that you sent off to the print vendor.

    You can’t simply email the Illustrator file to whoever needs it. You must provide the Illustrator document and all of the assets used in that document. Otherwise, the recipient won’t be able to do much beyond opening the Illustrator file.AI-links-panel-1140

     

    Preflight Checks

    Unlike InDesign, there is no Preflight Panel in Illustrator. So, you’ve got to manually check the file and fix any problems before packaging. The Package tool collects copies of everything into one folder: the Illustrator file, linked graphics, fonts, and a report summary. You can send that folder to whoever needs it and they’ll be able to view, edit, and/or print the Illustrator file.

    Here’s a preflight checklist:
    • LINKS: Sometimes images are missing. This may happen because (1) the image was moved to a different folder or (2) the image was pasted into the Illustrator file, rather than being Placed.
      To Fix: (a) Open the Links Panel. The image that has a missing link will have next to it a question mark inside a caution triangle. Select that image, then click on the Relink button at the bottom of the panel. Navigate to the folder where the image resides and select it. The image is now re-linked.
      (b) Place (File > Place or CMMD-D / CNTRL-D) the image into the Illustrator file. Modify the size and position as needed, then delete the old image.
      NOTE: When placing (importing) images in Illustrator, you have the option to “Link” or not to link. If “Link” is not selected, the image is embedded in the Illustrator document and will not be collected into the packaged folder. If “Link” IS selected, the image will be collected into the packaged folder.

    place-options

    The best way to maintain imported images without worrying about their source files is to embed them. When you embed an image Illustrator makes a pixel by pixel copy of the image at the exact resolution that it has been imported and sized. The Illustrator files will be larger but in most cases entirely manageable. A file can be automatically embedded upon import by clicking on Options and unchecking “Link” in Illustrator’s Place dialog box. An already linked image can be embedded through that option in the Links panel drop-down menu.

    If there are later changes to an image it can be updated by clicking on it in the Links Panel and choosing “Relink…” from the drop-down menu. After relinking it can be once again embedded.

    ~ Bill Silbert, Adobe Support Forum

    • COLOR MODE: For print pieces, the color space should be CMYK. Sometimes, printer vendors may accept RGB, so it’s important to ask them about this.
      To Fix Document Color Mode: Check the setting in the Illustrator file to make sure it’s what is required: File > Document Color Mode > CMYK Color.
      To Fix Placed Image Color Mode: The Illustrator document’s color mode overrides the color mode of placed images that don’t have embedded color profiles. To be on the safe side (especially when you don’t know if the color profile is embedded), replace the RGB images with CMYK images, using this method:
      (a) Copy the RGB image and rename it, adding “-cmyk” to the end of the original name (FileName-cmyk.tif). Open the CMYK copy in Photoshop, change the mode to CMYK (Image > Mode > CMYK color). Save the file.
      (b) Go back to the Illustrator file. In the Links Panel, select the image and relink it with the CMYK file.
    • RESOLUTION: Image print resolution is lower than the optimum 300 ppi. Usually printers will allow a 10-20% range above and below the 300 ppi to ensure quality results.
      To Fix: Increasing the resolution in a low-resolution image will NOT solve the problem; that will result in a poor quality image. Replace the low-resolution image with a high-resolution one.
    • FORMATS: Image formats are not print-ready. Acceptable formats are: TIFF, EPS, PDF, and JPG (so long as they’re high-resolution). Do NOT use PNG, GIF, or low-resolution JPG for print (use only for web).
      To Fix: Open the PNG (or GIF or JPG) file in Photoshop. Save as (File > Save As…) a TIFF, EPS, or PDF. Look for the file format options at the bottom of the Save As window. Make sure the new suffix is added to the file name.
    • FONTS: Fonts formats are TrueType and usually not appropriate for print. Again, it’s a good idea to ask the print vendor about the fonts. Generally, it’s better to use OpenType (icon = an oblique “O”) and Postscript fonts (icon = lower-case “a”). TrueType (icon = “TT”) is intended for the web, but some vendors will be able to print with them.
      To Fix: Swap the TrueType fonts with OpenType and/or Postscript fonts. Go to the Type menu and scroll down to Find Font (Type > Find Font). Select the offending font(s) in the top panel, replace with the new font(s) in the “Replace With” section at the bottom.

    Packaging Feature

    When you are finished with the preflight checklist, packaging the Illustrator file will be simple.

    • Go to: File > Package.
    • Location and Folder name:
      (a) Click on the folder icon and indicate the location where the packaged folder will go.
      (b) The default name of the folder will include the name of the Illustrator document, with “Folder” added to the end. You can keep this name or change it.
    • Select the Options:
      (a) Copy Links – Collects all of the images into the packaged folder.
      • Collect links in separate folder – Collects all of the images into a newly-created sub-folder.
      • Relink linked files to document – Changes the links to the Illustrator document in the packaged folder.
      (b) Copy Fonts used in document – Copies all of the used fonts, not necessarily the entire font family.
      (c) Create Report – Creates a summary report of all of the images, fonts, and colors, as well as any missing assets.
    • Click the Package button.
    • You’ll get a warning about the fonts. Simply click OK
    • A pop-up window will appear warning you about any missing links. Click OK or View Report to fix the links.
    • Find the packaged folder and open it. Verify that all of the copied files are there. If the images and graphics are not inside a Links folder, it means that your assets were embedded. The fonts will be inside a Fonts folder.
    • Compress the folder. Right-click > Compress… OR use DropStuff (or similar utility).

    Related Posts

    Preflighting and Packaging InDesign Files
    How to Export InDesign File to PDF
    Effective Resolution: Key Factor of Image Scaling
    Image File Formats: print vs. web
    Choosing the Correct Font Format

    Filed Under: Graphic Design, Software Tips Tagged With: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Illustrator package, embedded images, linked images, placed images, preflight, prepress, print files, print resolution, rgb vs. cmyk images

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michel Thomas says

      May 3, 2018 at 9:43 am

      Really great article. Thanks for taking the time to explain things in such great detail.

    2. Daniel Bilzis says

      June 15, 2018 at 4:20 am

      The very best article, so easy to understand, Thank you for sharing.

    3. mark giddings says

      August 20, 2018 at 8:57 am

      I do find it odd that Illustrator doesn’t have an inbuilt preflight. I’m an Artworker, so I’m used to doing all of the checks manually. A little more back-up than the report.txt file that’s created would be nice.

    4. ProfK says

      August 20, 2018 at 2:38 pm

      I agree and also wish AI had a built-in preflight mechanism. They have made progress, though, with the relatively new package feature.

    5. A. Guy says

      June 12, 2019 at 2:58 am

      I have Illustrator CS6 and it does not have this feature

    6. ProfK says

      June 12, 2019 at 7:03 pm

      On the Adobe site it says that the package feature “is available in Adobe Illustrator CS6, CC, and later.” Choose File > Package.
      https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/package-files.html

      If you’re not finding it, you may want to contact Adobe.

    7. Nicole says

      September 18, 2020 at 1:15 am

      Very good blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
      I’m hoping to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
      Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid
      option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally confused ..
      Any tips? Bless you!

    8. ProfK says

      September 21, 2020 at 5:22 pm

      I would recommend WordPress. Start with the free option on WordPress.com. You can always migrate to the self-hosted version on WordPress.org if you decide you like it and want more freedom to customize it. Check out my posts:
      Site Migration from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
      WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com: Compare and Choose

    9. Scott says

      December 21, 2020 at 4:31 pm

      Does anyone know if there is a way to package multiple open tabs at once? I regularly work with many files that are similar, but need to be set up separately in their own ai file. I will have many tabs open in AI 2021 and would love a way (script?) to package all the open tabs at once. Sort of like how you can make pdf’s of all your open tabs and pick a place to save them. I am not a programmer so can’t just write a script, plus I don’t have time to learning scripting and create one anyway. I’ve searched the Adobe site and found nothing. I have also googled it several times and have never found what I am looking for. Thanks.

    10. ProfK says

      December 28, 2020 at 7:22 pm

      Scott, check out this thread on the Adobe community support site: https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator/package-multiple-files-into-multiple-folders/td-p/8884890?page=1

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