Exporting Artboards to separate .AI files always includes full document content.

[stefanf64737634]

Hey guys,

I just have built an AI-Document with 14 Icons in 4 different colorings. Every icon sits on its own Artboard.

Now i need to export every single icon to a separate vector file for distribution (EPS or AI preferred).

After i try the "Save as" using art boards way every exportet file is as big as the original document and the preview in Windows Explorer shows the whole 56 Icons document. If i open the files only a single icon is included...

EPS or AI makes no difference. Same thing happens when i start a new document and draw different simple shapes on the artboards.

CC2017 or CC2018 no difference also.

Where is the mistake i do not get?

I distributed the icons by copy and pasting them after selecting one previously created art board after the other.

[Srishti Bali]

Hi stefanf,

I have checked the same thing at my end and its working as expected. I would request you to please try resetting preferences for Illustrator and check how it works.

How to set preferences in Illustrator

If this does not help would you mind sharing a sample file and a detailed video of the workflow?

Lets us know if this helps or you run into any further issue

Regards,

Srishti

[stefanf64737634]

Resetting the Prefs did not change anything. I will try to send you a sample file.

[angie_taylor]

Have you tried Exporting Assets instead of saving? Do you get the same results if you do this?

[stefanf64737634]

Exporting assets is the normal way i would go. But i need .ai or .eps files, that are not featured in asset setting afaik.

Featuring a Vector format to the export list that is NOT SVG would be a nice addition.

[angie_taylor]

I agree, it would be nice to have an AI option in here too so we could batch process multiple file types in one easy place 🙂 Please file this as a feature request 🙂

[stefanf64737634]

My clients wont be able to use SVG...

[angie_taylor]

You could try this as a temporary workaround;

Go to Export for Screens and choose SVG;

[angie_taylor]

A couple of things to check. Are you selecting the "make thumbnail" option when exporting? And you have selected the Artboards option (As in screenshots) sorry if questions seem obvious!

[stefanf64737634]

Yes and Yes. 😉

Exported EPS files have same size as Master document (680KB). PNGs i export have 2KB

[angie_taylor]

OK, I have just done this and I can't replicate what you are finding. Mine are smaller. Are you sure that there are not perhaps duplicates of the artwork on each of the artboards? Sometimes this can happen when you duplicate artboards? In Illustrator, just check that each artboard only contains the artwork that you want to be included. Here's my example. Can you please also post some screenshots of layer panel, artboards panel and your output options in the Save As dialog, thanks.

[stefanf64737634]

I copied and pasted every single icon to its own artboard by hand. Every Icon is grouped and there are 4 layers. There are no duplicates in the document i know of.

[angie_taylor]

OK, I think you need to choose Illustrator CC EPS in the menu at the top, not Illustrator CC. Try that to see if it works?

[angie_taylor]

You will need to change the Save As option to EPS, not AI

[stefanf64737634]

Do you really think i did not change that when testing the EPS instead of AI?

I did both exports with different settings....

[angie_taylor]

I am only trying to help you

[stefanf64737634]

I appreciate your help, but i think i already tried 90% of the workarounds that come to the mind of an advanced user.

The fact that makes me think my document or my export settings are not the crucial point is, that when i open a new file, add two artboards and draw a simple shape on every one of them, the export does the same strange file sizes in Ai or EPS in CC 2017 and 2018...