If you’re working with Adobe Illustrator, you may find yourself needing to save your AI file as a PDF with spreads. PDF spreads allow you to present your artwork as facing pages in a brochure, magazine, or book format. This can be useful for creating print-ready files or for digital distribution in a manner that simulates how the document will appear when printed.
Thankfully, saving an AI file as a PDF with spreads is a relatively easy process. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you achieve this:
1. Open Your AI File: Begin by opening the Adobe Illustrator file that you want to save as a PDF with spreads. Make sure your document is correctly set up with any bleed, trim marks, and other printer’s marks as needed.
2. Set Up Your Artboards: If you haven’t already done so, organize your artboards in the order that you want them to appear in the spreads. Ensure that they are properly aligned to create a seamless transition between pages.
3. Navigate to the “File” Menu: Once your document is prepared, navigate to the “File” menu at the top-left corner of the Illustrator window.
4. Select “Save As”: From the “File” menu, select “Save As” to open the save dialogue box.
5. Choose “Adobe PDF” as the Format: In the save dialog box, navigate to the “Format” dropdown menu and select “Adobe PDF” from the available options.
6. Configure the PDF Settings: After selecting Adobe PDF as the format, a PDF settings dialog box will open. Here, you can customize the settings to best suit your needs. Ensure that the “Standard” dropdown menu is set to the desired PDF standard, such as PDF/X-1a:2001 for print production.
7. Set the Pages to Export: In the “Adobe PDF Preset” section of the dialog box, choose whether you want to export all artboards or a specific range of artboards. If you only want to export certain artboards, select “Range” and specify the desired range of pages.
8. Enable the “Spreads” Option: To save your AI file as PDF spreads, you’ll need to ensure that the “Spreads” checkbox is selected under the “Marks and Bleeds” section of the PDF settings dialog box. This will allow Illustrator to export the document as spreads instead of individual pages.
9. Save the PDF File: Once you’ve configured the settings and selected the appropriate options, click the “Save” button to export your AI file as a PDF with spreads.
By following these steps, you can easily save your AI file as a PDF with spreads, ready for print or digital distribution. It’s important to review the resulting PDF to ensure that the spreads are correctly presented before finalizing your document for distribution.
Remember to always consult with your printer or the intended recipients of your document to ensure that the PDF settings and layouts meet their specific requirements. With these tips in mind, you can confidently prepare and save your Adobe Illustrator files as PDF spreads for a professional and polished finish.
