How To Share Adobe Illustrator Files

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Adobe Illustrator is a highly trusted platform among graphic designers worldwide. A common task for designers is sharing their Illustrator files with clients, colleagues, or partners. This article will walk you through the steps of effectively and efficiently sharing your Adobe Illustrator files.

Preparing your Illustrator File for Sharing

Before sharing your Illustrator file, you need to ensure that it is packaged properly. This process includes embedding all linked images and outlining fonts. Here is how:

Embedding Linked Images

If your file contains linked images, you need to embed them before sharing the file. Otherwise, your recipient won’t see these images if they don’t have them on their computer.

To embed linked images:

  1. Select Window > Links.
  2. This opens the Links panel which displays all linked images. Select each image and click on the menu icon in the top right corner of the panel.
  3. From the dropdown menu, select Embed Image.

Outlining Fonts

If your file contains custom fonts, you should outline them. This is because your recipient may not have the same fonts installed on their computer. Outlining fonts converts them to vector graphics, which can be viewed on any computer.

To outline fonts:

  1. Select the text that you want to outline.
  2. Then, go to Type > Create Outlines.

Sharing via Adobe Creative Cloud

One of the easiest ways to share your Illustrator file is through Adobe Creative Cloud. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. With your file open in Illustrator, select File > Save as to save your file to Creative Cloud.
  2. Next, go to File > Share > Send Link.
  3. Enter the recipient’s email address in the Send Link window, and click Send.

Sharing via Email or Other File Sharing Platforms

You can also share your Illustrator file via email or other file sharing platforms such as Google Drive or Dropbox. Just make sure to compress the file to a .zip file first:

  1. Right click on the Illustrator file and select Compress “filename.ai”.
  2. This will create a .zip file which you can then share via email or upload to a file sharing platform.

In conclusion, sharing Adobe Illustrator files is a straightforward process that involves preparing the file by embedding linked images and outlining fonts, and then sharing the file via Adobe Creative Cloud, email, or other file sharing platforms. Happy sharing!