PDF (adobe.com)

Create new documents



You can create new Illustrator documents from a new document profile or from a template. Creating a document from a new document profile gives you a blank document with the selected profile’s default fill and stroke colors, graphic styles, brushes, symbols, actions, viewing preferences, and other settings. Creating a document from a template gives you a document with preset design elements and settings, as well as content, such as cropmarks and guides, for specific document types, such as brochures or CD covers.

You create a new document from the Welcome screen, or by using File > New or File > Device Central (for mobile device output). The Welcome screen appears whenever a document is not currently open.

For a video on setting up new documents, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0031.

Create a new document

You can start a new document from the Welcome Screen or from the File menu.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • If Illustrator is already open, choose File > New and choose a New Document Profile from the menu.

    • If the Welcome screen is open, click a document profile from the Create New list.

    • If the Welcome screen is open, or if Illustrator is not open, open it and click a document profile from the Create New list.

      Note: In the Welcome Screen, you can Alt‑click (Windows) or Option‑click (Mac OS) to open the new document directly and skip the New Document dialog box.
  2. Type a name for your document.
  3. Specify the number of artboards for your document, and the order you’d like them laid out on screen:
    Grid By Row
    Arranges multiple artboards in the specified number of rows. Choose the number of rows from the Rows menu. The default value creates the most square appearance possible with the specified number of artboards.

    Grid By Column
    Arranges multiple artboards in the specified number of columns. Choose the number of columns from the Columns menu. The default value creates the most square appearance possible with the specified number of artboards.

    Arrange By Row
    Arranges artboards in one straight row.

    Arrange By Column
    Arranges artboards in one straight column.

    Change To Right-To-Left Layout
    Arranges multiple artboards in the specified row or column format, but displays them from right to left.

  4. Specify the default spacing between artboards. This setting applies to both horizontal and vertical spacing.
  5. Specify the default size, units of measure, and layout for all artboards.
    Note: Once your document opens, you can customize your artboards by moving and resizing them as desired.
  6. Specify the position of the bleed along each side of the artboard. To use different values for different sides, click the Lock icon .
  7. Click Advanced to specify the following additional options:
    Note: You can change these settings after you create the document by choosing File > Document Setup and specifying new settings.
    Color Mode
    Specifies the color mode for the new document. Changing the color mode converts the default contents (swatches, brushes, symbols, graphic styles) of the selected new document profile to a new color mode, resulting in a color change. Watch for a warning icon when making changes.

    Raster Effects
    Specifies the resolution for raster effects in the document. It is especially important to set this at High when you plan to output to a high-end printer at high resolution. The Print profile sets this at High by default.

    Transparency Grid
    Specifies the options for the transparency grid for documents that use the Video and Film profile.

    Preview Mode
    Sets the default preview mode for the document (you can change this at any time by using the View menu):

    • Default displays artwork created in the document in vector view with full color. Zoom in/out retains smoothness in the curves.

    • Pixel displays artwork with a rasterized (pixilated) appearance. It does not actually rasterize the content, but displays a simulated preview, as if the contents were rasters.

    • Overprint provides an “ink preview” that approximates how blending, transparency, and overprinting will appear in color-separated output. (See About overprinting.)

    Device Central
    If you’ve created a document using the Mobile and Devices profile, you can click Device Central to preview your new document in the mobile device interface.

Create a new document from a template

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Choose File > New From Template.

    • Choose File > New. In the New Document dialog box, click Templates.

    • In the Welcome Screen, click From Template in the Create New list.

  2. In the New From Template dialog box, locate and select a template, and click New.