Working with multiple artboards

Create up to 100 artboards of any size and then export and print them in different ways to create multiple assets for a single project.

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Requirements

To complete the tasks demonstrated in this tutorial, you need the following software and files:

Adobe Illustrator CS4

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Sample files

lrvid4016_ai.zip (ZIP, 11MB)

Prerequisite knowledge

Basic knowledge of printing, saving, and duplicating images in Illustrator

Working with multiple artboards

In previous versions of Adobe® Illustrator®, users who wanted to print an image on multiple pages had to tile those images. In Illustrator CS4, you can have multiple artboards in a single document, where you can view, edit, and print one or more separate images. In this tutorial, you will learn how to work with multiple artboards to perform a variety of tasks.

Introducing artboards

In Illustrator CS4, you can combine multiple artboards in a single document. To create a new document with multiple artboards:

1. Choose File > New. The New Document dialog box opens.

   

   Figure 1: Creating a new document
2. Specify the number of artboards you want in the Number Of Artboards text box. You can have up to 100 artboards in one document.
3. Specify the default arrangement of artboards using the buttons to the right of the Number Of Artboards text box. You can change the arrangement at any time.
4. Specify how many rows you want in the Rows text box.
5. Specify the distance between artboards in the Spacing text box.
6. Use the Width and Height fields to set the dimensions of the artboards.

   Tip: If you enter the width in height in inches and press the Tab key, Illustrator automatically converts the inches to pixels.

7. Specify a bleed using the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right Bleed text boxes. The bleed must be uniform for all artboards. Click the link icon to make the settings the same for all of the Bleed text boxes.
8. Determine the page orientation of the document by clicking either the landscape or portrait Orientation button.
9. Click OK to close the dialog box and generate the new document. The red outlines that appear around the edges of the artboards in your document are the bleed markers.

Modifying artboards

You can add, modify, and delete artboards using the new Edit Artboard mode in Illustrator CS4. To edit artboards:

1. Choose File > Document Setup. The Document Setup dialog box contains the uniform bleed values along with settings for Transparency and Type options. To change the page settings, such as the number of artboards, page orientation, or dimensions, click Edit Artboards.

   

   Figure 2: The Document Setup dialog box
2. Click Edit Artboards to enter Edit Artboard mode. The Edit Artboard mode allows you to resize and move artboards.

   

   Figure 3: Selecting the Edit Artboards button on the Illustrator toolbar

   Note: To enter Edit Artboard mode from the main document window, select the Artboard tool on the Illustrator toolbox (see Figure 3) or use the keyboard shortcut, Shift+O.

3. To resize an artboard, drag the handles around the frame of the image. Alternatively, change the Width and Height values in the Artboard toolbar at the top of the window.

   

   Figure 4: Resizing an artboard using the width and height text boxes
4. Press the Tab key to move between the text boxes in the Artboard toolbar. Press the Return key to save your changes.
5. To move an artboard, drag it to a different location on the canvas. Notice the artwork does not move with the artboard.
6. To move an artboard with the artwork, choose Move/Copy Artwork With Artboard in the Artboard toolbar and then drag the artboard. The artwork and artboard move together.

   

   Figure 5: Moving artwork with the artboard

   Note: Move/Copy Artwork With Artboard is turned off by default in Edit Artboard mode.

7. To duplicate an artboard, deselect Move/Copy Artwork With Artboard and then Alt-drag/Option-drag the artboard you want to copy to a different location.
8. Create a new artboard by dragging inside any empty area of the canvas.
9. Drag inside an artboard to create a different crop boundary around your artwork. Press the Shift key while dragging to create a square crop area.

   Note: Redefining the crop boundary automatically creates a new subartboard.

10. To use the same crop boundary for more than one piece of artwork on an artboard, turn off Move/Copy Artwork With Artboard in the Artboard toolbar and press Shift+Alt Option and drag the crop boundary from the first piece to the second piece. Repeat this process as needed.

    

    Figure 6: Establishing a crop boundary for multiple images in an artboard
11. To delete an artboard, select it and press the Delete key.
12. When you are finished modifying an artboard, switch from the Artboard tool to another tool in the Illustrator toolbox or press the Escape key. Pressing Escape deactivates the Edit Artboard mode and reverts to the last tool used.

Saving artboards

You can save artboards in multiple file formats. To save your artboards:

1. Choose File > Save As.
2. Choose a file format from the Save As Type menu in the Save As dialog box. Illustrator allows you to save documents with multiple artboards as native Illustrator (AI) files and as Adobe PDF files.
3. Enter the name of the document in the File Name text box and click Save.
4. If you save the document as an Illustrator file, the Illustrator Options dialog box opens.

   

   Figure 7: The Illustrator Options dialog box
5. Choose Illustrator CS4 from the Version pop-up menu. If you choose an older version of Illustrator, you will need to convert each artboard into a separate document. Click OK to save your changes.

Printing artboards

With multiple artboards in Illustrator CS4, it is possible to print a single document to multiple pages. To print a document on multiple pages:

1. Choose File > Print.
2. To preview each of the artboards in the Print dialog box, click on the right-facing arrow at the bottom of the Preview pane.

   

   Figure 8: Previewing artboards in the Print dialog box
3. Specify which pages to print. You can print a single page, the entire document, or a range of pages.
4. Click Print.

Viewing artboards inside Adobe Bridge

In Adobe Creative Suite 4, it is possible to preview Illustrator documents with multiple artboards inside Adobe Bridge.

To view documents, open Adobe Bridge and select an Illustrator document from the Content panel. A larger view of the document appears in the Preview panel located to the right of the Content panel. When viewing an Illustrator file with multiple artboards, click the right-facing arrow below the preview to display each of the artboards. Note that each artboard appears as the size you have designated. You are not restricted to a print size page view.

Note: You can preview PDF files containing multiple artboards inside Adobe Bridge as well as in Adobe Acrobat® and Adobe Reader.

Where to go from here

• Illustrator CS4 Help and Support
• Learn Illustrator CS4
• Working with gradients, by Deke McClelland
• Using the Blob Brush tool, by Deke McClelland
• Working with color groups and color harmonies, by Deke McClelland
• Lynda.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

About the authors