Automation and Releasing Final Files

Sending a file off to a print service provider for final printing comes with the anxiety of not knowing if everything in the file is okay and if the printed results will come back as you envision them. A good designer knows that sending a file that's free of problems, and that includes all of the necessary support files, is critical to success.

Using some of the automation features we mentioned earlier in this appendix, along with some sample actions and scripts that ship with Illustrator, you can make it a whole lot easier to release final files.

Cleaning Up Messy Files

When you create a new Illustrator file, any swatches, brushes, symbols, and graphic styles that are present in the Illustrator Startup file (located in your Plugins folder) are added to the new file. Even if you never use these items to create artwork, your file contains this extraneous material. It's also normal for you to add and remove elements as you are working on a design concept. When it comes time to release a final version of your artwork, all of these extra elements are still present.

Although in theory there's nothing wrong with having extra items in a file, experience tells a different story. In such cases, files can become corrupt, or art elements can be accidentally changed. In addition, a file with unused swatches or symbols can add to confusion if a printer needs to edit the file as it goes to press. These extra and unnecessary elements also bloat file size, causing longer save and open times.

Once a file has been deemed final, you can quickly remove all unused items using one of Illustrator's preset Actions. With the Illustrator document open, choose Window > Actions to open the Actions palette. From the Default Actions set, click the one named Delete Unused Palette Items and then click the Play button at the bottom of the palette.

Generating a List of Used Items

It's always helpful to provide your print service provider with as much information as possible about any file that you are sending. Some designers print out a list of all of the files used; others mark up printouts with callouts and swatch chips.

Illustrator can help save time with a script called Analyze Documents, which is installed by default in the Sample Scripts > AppleScript (Sample Scripts > Visual Basic Scripts) folder. You can run the script by simply double-clicking it. The script prompts you with a dialog asking you to identify a folder that contains Illustrator files. The script works on multiple files at one time. The Analyze Documents script then opens each file in the selected folder and generates a new document that lists every font, gradient, spot color, and placed image used in all of the files.

The new file that is created is called DocumentReporter.ai, and it can be formatted to your specification once the script has finished running.

Collecting Necessary Support Files

One of the most requested features for Illustrator is a command that collects all place-linked images and fonts, making it easy to send a file and all necessary support files so that someone else can work on or print the file.

Although Illustrator doesn't have a Collect for Output feature like QuarkXPress or a robust Package command similar to that found in InDesign, Illustrator does ship with a script called Collect for Output, which you can find in the Sample Scripts > AppleScript (Sample Scripts > Visual Basic Scripts) folder. If you think you will use this script often, you might consider placing a copy in the Adobe Illustrator CS2 > Presets > Scripts folder. That way, the script will appear in the File > Scripts submenu within the Illustrator application.

Upon running the Collect for Output script, Illustrator copies the open Illustrator file and all place-linked images into a new folder on your desktop. Unfortunately, the script won't collect fonts, although you can use the Analyze Documents script mentioned earlier to generate a list of fonts that are used in your document to assist in collecting the fonts you need manually.