About linked and embedded artwork

Linked artwork

Linked artwork is connected to, but remains independent of, the document, resulting in a smaller document. You can modify linked artwork using transformation tools and effects; however, you cannot select and edit individual components in the artwork. You can use the linked graphics many times without significantly increasing the size of the document; you can also update all links at once. When you export or print, the original graphic is retrieved, creating the final output from the full resolution of the originals.

Embedded artwork

Embedded artwork is copied into the document at full resolution, resulting in a larger document. You can update the document whenever you like; as long as the artwork is embedded, your document is self-sufficient.

Place (import) files

  • Open the Illustrator document into which you want to place the artwork.
  • Choose File > Place, and select the file you want to place.
  • Select Link to create a link to the file, or deselect Link to embed the artwork in the Illustrator document.
  • Click Place.
  • If you place a PDF file with multiple pages, you can choose which page you want to place and how to crop the artwork. Select show import option

Links panel

  • Choose Window > Links. Each linked file and an embedded file is identified by name.
  • To select and view a linked graphic, select a link and then click the Go To Link button, or choose Go To Link in the Links panel menu. The display is centered around the selected graphics.
  • To change the size of the thumbnails, select panel Options from the Links panel menu, and select an option for displaying thumbnails.
  • To sort links in a different order, choose the desired Sort command in the panel menu.

Create an Adobe PDF

  • Choose File > Save As or File > Save A Copy.
  • Type a filename, and choose a location for the file.
  • Choose Adobe PDF (*.PDF) as the file format, and click Save.
  • Either choose a preset from the Adobe PDF Preset menu or select a category from the list on the left of the dialog box and then customize the options.
  • Click Save PDF.

Package files

This feature is available in Adobe Illustrator CS6, CC, and later. You can gather the files you’ve used, including fonts (except Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) and linked graphics, for easy handoff. When you package a file, you create a folder that contains the Illustrator document, any necessary fonts, linked graphics, and a package report. This report, which is saved as a text file, includes the information about the packaged files.

  • Choose File > Package.
  • Specify the folder and location:
  • Specify a name for the package. By default, the name of the folder is derived from the name of the Illustrator document.
  • Click on package

Extract CSS

You can create the design for an HTML page in Illustrator. This serves as a good visual guide for a Web Developer who can then code the layout, styles, and objects into a page in an HTML editor.

With Illustrator CC, when you create the layout for an HTML page, you can also generate and export the underlying CSS code that determines the appearance of the components and objects on the page. CSS allows you to control the appearance of text and objects (similar to the character and graphic styles). You can choose to export the CSS code for individual objects, or for the entire layout designed in Illustrator.

CSS Properties panel (Window > CSS Properties)