For many Illustrator users the final result is a PDF to be sent to a client for approval or to a print company. We take you through the whole workflow from setup to creating PDFs in our Adobe Illustrator courses.

There are two methods. Either go to File > Save As > and change the format at bottom to PDF. Or go to File > Print > and change the printer to Adobe PDF.

Both methods will now open up a dialog box allowing you to make changes to the default set up. Make sure View PDF after Saving is ticked. This is a sticky setting – it should stay ticked from now on.

Note the Presets drop down menu at the top of the dialog box. The default setting is Illustrator Default, and this is fine for most artwork, certainly all vector-based artwork.

There are six other settings, which you may be familiar with from other Adobe programs – the first being High Quality Print. In the Illustrator context this may be used when you have included bitmap (or raster) images in the file. This will ensure that they print at a high quality. The PDF(X) settings are used by some printing presses – only choose these if specifically asked by the printing company. Similarly with the Press Quality option. Smallest File Size is rarely used since it tends to pixelate images – it’s only really good for text based documents.

On the left hand side you have options for Marks & Bleed – if the file is being sent to a professional printer it’s best to go into these options and tick All Printers Marks and add Bleed settings, usually 2-3mm. Then hit OK and Illustrator will ask you where you wish to save the PDF – choose a location and hit Enter. The resultant file should open up in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader. It’s now a good file size to send to your client or printing company.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or self-taught, our courses will help you gain self-confidence in your Illustrator workflow, as well as adding to your professional skill-set. See many examples of our Illustrator clients’ work on our Facebook page.
Other related Illustrator Blog Posts:
Illustrator workspace
Illustrator basics
Illustrator clipping masks
Illustrator live trace
Illustrator brushes