Quick links to procedures on this page:

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To import an Adobe Illustrator file
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To export an Adobe Illustrator file
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To view the preflight summary for an AI file
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Adobe Illustrator (AI) technical notes

Adobe Illustrator (AI)

The Adobe Illustrator (AI) file format was developed by Adobe Systems, Incorporated for the Macintosh and Windows platforms. It is primarily vector-based, although later versions support bitmap information.

You can import AI files for use in CorelDRAW or export CorelDRAW files to the AI file format. Before exporting a document as an AI file, you can preflight your document to find potential problems. Preflighting checks and displays a summary of errors, possible problems, and suggestions for resolving issues. By default, many AI issues are checked during a preflight, but you can disable the issues that you do not want to check.

To import an Adobe Illustrator file Back to Top
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Click File Import.
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Locate the folder in which the file is stored.
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Do one of the following:
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(Windows 7 and Windows Vista) Choose AI - Adobe Illustrator from the list box next to the File name box.
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(Windows XP) Choose AI - Adobe Illustrator from the Files of type list box.
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Click the filename.
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Click Import.
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Click in the drawing page where you want to import the file.
To export an Adobe Illustrator file Back to Top
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Click File Export.
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Locate the folder in which you want to save the file.
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Choose AI - Adobe Illustrator from the Save as type list box.
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Type a filename in the File name list box.
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Click Export.
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From the Compatibility list box, choose an Adobe Illustrator file format.
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In the Export range area, enable one of the following options:
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Current document — exports the active drawing
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Current page — exports the active page
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Selection — exports the objects that you have selected
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Pages — exports the pages that you specify (This option is only available for CS 4.)
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In the Export text as area, enable one of the following options:
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Curves — lets you export text as curves
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Text — lets you export text as editable characters

You can also
 
Convert transparent areas to bitmaps
In the Transparency area, enable the Preserve appearance and convert transparent areas to bitmaps option.
(This option is only available for version 8 and lower.)
Discard transparent areas and preserve curves and text
In the Transparency area, enable the Preserve curves and text by removing transparent effects option.
(This option is only available for version 8 and lower.)
Convert an outline to an object to create an unfilled closed object with the outline’s shape
In the Options area, enable the Convert outlines to objects check box.
Convert complex outlines to curves
 
In the Options area, enable the Simulate complex filled curves check box.
Convert spot colors to process colors
In the Options area, enable the Convert spot colors to process check box.
Embed the color profile
In the Options area, enable the Embed color profiles check box.
Generate a preview of the document in the Adobe Illustrator File open dialog box
In the Options area, enable the Include preview images check box.

If you enable the Simulate complex filled curves check box, an object that is composed of complex curves, such as a text object that was converted to curves, may be broken into several objects on export to help minimize the complexity of the object.
If you disable the Include placed images check box and export the file, the exporting process generates one Adobe Illustrator file and a series of EPS files. The EPS files contain individual objects and images which are linked to the AI file. Always store the EPS files with the AI file to preserve the link to the AI file.
To view the preflight summary for an AI file Back to Top
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Click File Export.
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Locate the folder in which you want to save the file.
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Choose AI - Adobe Illustrator from the Save as type list box.
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Type a filename in the File name list box.
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Click Export.
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In the Adobe Illustrator Export dialog box, click the second tab.
You can limit the issues to check during the preflight by clicking the Settings button, double-clicking AI Export, and disabling the check boxes next to the items that you want the preflight to overlook.
You can save settings by clicking the Add preflight settings button and typing a name in the Save preflight style as box.
Adobe Illustrator (AI) technical notes Back to Top
Importing an AI file
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Corel programs provide full support for all AI file formats up to and including Adobe Illustrator CS4.
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For files saved in Adobe Illustrator CS or higher with PDF-compatibility, text can be imported as text or curves.
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Corel programs cannot import AI files containing bitmaps linked as EPS files.
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Adobe Illustrator graphics are imported into the program as a group of objects. Click Arrange Ungroup to manipulate objects in the imported graphic. If you open an AI file instead of importing it, you do not need to ungroup objects.
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Flash movies embedded in AI files are not imported.
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For AI CS4 files, each Artboard is imported as an individual CorelDRAW page. In multi-page documents, objects that are placed off of a page are placed on the first page of the CorelDRAW document.
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Objects filled by using Live Color groups (color schemes) appear correctly in CorelDRAW, but the Live Color groups are not maintained as color styles.
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Certain compression settings in Adobe Illustrator may further compress the file to save space, making it difficult to open the file in CorelDRAW. To avoid this problem, open the file in Adobe Illustrator and change the document settings so that the file is not compressed.
Exporting an AI file
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During export conversion, objects can become complex, making it difficult to edit them in other drawing programs or in CorelDRAW if you reimport them. To avoid this problem, save the file to the CorelDRAW (CDR) format before exporting it, and use CorelDRAW for all editing.
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If you create a file that will be printed in other programs, such as Adobe PageMaker, export it using the Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) filter, not the Adobe Illustrator (AI) filter. The Encapsulated PostScript filter supports more drawing effects than the Adobe Illustrator filter does and yields better results overall.
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Most linear and radial fountain fills are preserved. Conical and square fountain fills are exported as a series of filled bands, an effect similar to that achieved by blending. You can set the number of bands by clicking Tools Options. In the Workspace list of categories, click Display, and type a number in the Preview fountain steps box. The maximum number of bands supported is 256.
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To accurately reproduce calligraphic outlines, corner styles, and line caps, click Tools Options. In the Workspace list of categories, double-click Text, and enable the Calligraphic text check box in the Clipboard area. The outlines are exported as a group of polygons that match the appearance of the outlines in the program, but add significantly to the size of the exported file.
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You can export text as text when you are exporting AI files from versions CS and later.
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When exporting multi-page CorelDRAW files to the CS4 format, individual pages are exported as Artboards. They are also layed out using the Arrange by row format.
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When exporting multi-page CorelDRAW files to the CS4 format, objects that are placed off of the page are removed.
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