Edit Imported Text

Chances are the text that someone typed for you may not be ideal perhaps they used two spaces after a period, or typed in inches symbols rather than quotation marks. After placing the text file (File>Place), get Illustrator to automatically strip out all errors using Smart Punctuation. Select the text with either the Selection (V) or Type (T) tool, choose Smart Punctuation from the Type menu, then check the items you want to replace in the resulting dialog.