Save a file for output
Illustrator allows you to save your document in many different formats for sharing, printing, and archiving. Learn the best formats to use for printing and exporting to other applications.
Published
Saving your documents inside of Illustrator CC is as easy as coming up to the File menu and choosing Save.
If it's the first time saving the document, the Save As dialog box will appear.
By default, you'll be saving an Adobe Illustrator CC document.
This is the native Illustrator CC file, so if you double click it, it will certainly open up in Illustrator CC.
It's a good idea to always have a native version of your artwork.
But notice, there's other formats: you could save it as an EPS file.
Oftentimes, third parties or print shops will prefer an EPS file and this is how you can save it as that format.
Sometimes, they prefer a PDF file, and you'll notice you have that option in the Format menu as well.
Outside of that, you have some template options and some SVG options.
Once you save the document, you may run into situations where you need to export the document.
Let's say for example, you're going to send this to print but you also wanted a copy for your website.
Well, you have a couple of different options here.
One option is to come up to the File menu and simply choose Export...
From this dialog box, you'll notice you have a PNG option for the Format.
But notice all these other options: you could save it out as a JPEG or an SWF file or even a native Photoshop file.
So again, using the Export command, you have even more options when it comes to the particular format.
But, as I was talking about the web, there is another option that's a viable solution and that is the Save for Web... command.
What this will do is open up a new dialog box giving you the ability to preview different types of compressions that you can apply to the image to ultimately squeeze it down to the smallest possible file size, while maintaining a high quality visually.
And again, I'll go ahead and Cancel out of this dialog box.
Inside of Illustrator CC, you also have the ability to package a file.
If you come up to the File menu, you can choose Package...
This will open up the Package dialog box in here you can copy things like links in separate folders, fonts that are used in the document and it can even generate a report.
That way you can give one file to the print shop, and all necessary files will be included within this package.
The exception of course, is if you're working with Typekit fonts or Chinese, Japanese and Korean fonts.
Again, I'll go ahead and Cancel out of this.
Finally, if you have a Behance account, you can easily share this artwork on Behance by coming up to the File menu and from there, you can choose Share on Behance...
So, as you can see, Adobe Illustrator CC gives you several options for not only saving your file but getting your file into different formats and making it easy for third parties to work with those files.
Adobe Stock Contributors
Train Simple
Matthew Pizzi
