When Importing .ai into another .ai file, the artboard is importing as a shape. How do I fix this?

Forum|Forum|2 days ago
April 28, 2026
2 replies
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When using a colored artboard, the artboard then exports as an object and imports as an object into another .ai file. The artboard color is described as just being a visible GUI change, but it is acting as an object. SEE VIDEO.

Illustrator_Artboard_Issue.mp4

Correct answer Dave Creamer of IDEAS

You are telling Illustrator to “Fill” the background, which makes it solid. If you want to just see the BG in a color, do this:

Keep Artboard BG as transparent.

Document setup.

Change the two transparency grid colors to the same, desired color.

Select “Simulate Colored Paper”.

Ton Frederiks

Community Expert

It is acting as a background. If you want to have a color in the background, but not have it visible when placing, you can do the paper color trick as Dave mentioned or create a layer with a filled color shape and make it a template layer.