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Participating Frequently
May 24, 2023
Question

Why are my .ai docs blank when I send them by email

  • May 24, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 1256 views

I have been trying to send my .ai docs to another person but every time I try the document they receive is entirely blank and empty. They dont have AI so I am unable to send them a share link but they do have 3rd party sofrware that allows them to view the document. I have sent them .ai documents in the past that worked perfectly but for some reason this time has been a nightmare. I am using the latest version of Illustrator and am on Windows 10. I have changed nothing about my system since sending the last .ai docs successfully in April. Any assistance would be greatly apprecited. 

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3 replies

Community Expert
May 24, 2023

How large are the files you're sending via email? It is common for email service providers to have file size limits for attachments, such as 10MB or 50MB. Normally if an attachment hits a server limit then the attached file simply gets disregarded rather than something like an email note containing an empty file. But anything seems possible these days.

Participating Frequently
May 24, 2023

Hi Bobby,

 

Thank you for the reply. Most of the docs Im sending are under between 1 and 8Mb.

Doug A Roberts
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 24, 2023

What 3rd party software do they use?

Is PDF compatibility enabled when you save your document?

Participating Frequently
May 24, 2023

Hi Doug,

 

Thanks so much for the reply. He is using photoshop so definitly has the capacity to open an .ai doc, as he has done before. PDF compataility is enabled when I save. Would memory consumption on my computer be a factor at all if I have almost reached my max?

Doug A Roberts
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 24, 2023

What happens if you open one of the files you're sending in Photoshop?

Larry G. Schneider
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 24, 2023

You might try zipping the AI files before emailing them. 

Participating Frequently
May 24, 2023

Hi Larry,

 

Thanks for the reply. I will try this.