Generating print files from layouts in Illustrator

You can create print files from layouts in Illustrator. In the layout, the integration places artworks in the same way as they appear on the 1up.

To generate print files from Illustrator-opened structural files

Preparing the layout file

1. With your structural file opened in Illustrator, click Edit in Package Designer in the upper right corner on any integration panel.

EngView starts and opens the file.

2. In EngView, create the layout you need.

TIP: While creating the layout, you can apply articles to the parts of the layout. Later, when you switch to Illustrator, the articles will appear exactly as you have applied them in EngView.

3. After you have created the layout, save the file, and then close it.

Back in Illustrator, a row has appeared in the EngView Step and Repeat panel. This is the file or layer that you use for generating print-ready files.

Selecting the bleed

In the integration's Step and Repeat panel, you proceed by selecting how to apply the bleed. You can:

Use artwork in its current state. Use bleed that you create in Illustrator. If you have added the bleed using Illustrator, the integration will use it for printing the file.

Use bleed from Package Designer. Use the bleed that you create in the 1up in Package Designer.

Generate bleed by offset. Generate bleed in Illustrator by setting a specific offset. You add manually an offset value for the bleed that the integration will later apply for generating the print-ready files.

4. In the EngView Step and Repeat panel, select the layout row.
5. Select the bleed-application option that you want to use (for the options, see the notes in Step 3).

Generating the print-ready files

When generating print-ready files, the integration creates two Illustrator files — one for the front side and one for the rear side.

6. To generate the print file for the front side, on the EngView Step and Repeat panel click Generate Front Layout .

The integration creates and opens a new Illustrator file with the front side designs.

7. To generate the print file for the rear side, EngView Step and Repeat click Generate Rear Layout .

The integration creates and opens a new Illustrator file with the rear side designs.

Step-By-Step Use Case: Creating layout from Illustrator-opened structural designs

The use case follows a basic scenario of how the Illustrator/EngView integration generates files for printing from a resizable structure fitted with articles. As a final result, the scenario generates two files: one for the front side, and one for the rear side.

NOTE: The scenario skips the creation of the layout and follows work in Illustrator.

In the scenario, the integration uses bleed set in EngView.

1. With the structure open in Illustrator, switch to editing in EngView.

2. In EngView, create the layout and apply the articles you want to the parts.

NOTE ON USING IDENTICAL ARTWORKS COMBINING RASTER IMAGES AND TEXT. If your layout file will consist of multiple parts featuring identical artworks combining raster images and text, you need to tell Illustrator how you want it to place the images. Because placing multiple raster images on a layout file makes the file size larger than what you may be comfortable with, you can tell Illustrator to link the images, rather than embed them into the layout parts. This image-linking, however, may affect the rendering of the text. Learn more about how to make the decsion that will work for you.

3. Save the file and close it.
4. In the message that asks you whether you want to save the changes, click Yes.

EngView takes you back to Illustrator.

In Illustrator, a row has appeared in the EngView Step and Repeat panel, indicating the existent layout.

The bleed application method must then be selected. In this case, we use the bleed generated in EngView.

After selecting which bleed will be used, we proceed by generating the front side layout.

The integration creates a new Illustrator file for the front side that features two layers: die lines and Artwork (pictured).

We then proceed by generating the rear side layout.

The integration creates a second Illustrator file for the rear side that features two layers: die lines and Artwork (pictured).