[Locked] How do I get a transparent background in my Illustrator file?

yes. that's why there's pages & pages of answers that haven't done anyone any good, because it's so easy to move a transparent illustrator file all sorts of places it doesn't want to go. i mean, it's such a ridiculous question and the answer is so obvious that the question should not exist, it clearly should never have been asked in the first place. probably the questioner shouldn't exist either. nobody at all knows that illustrator files are transparent in illustrator except for you. we just had no idea how to find The Source of All Knowledge. really, in all honesty, this thread should not exist. these boards, too, should not exist, we obviously have not humbled ourselves enough before our Source. maybe the world shouldn't exist either. as mr. omniscience, there, perhaps you could blink three times and destroy it for good. bang. thanx.

Thanks Willi,

you would think so, but after much back and forth on my desktop, the above method was the only way I uploaded my design to an outsourced print medium to the desired effect. If you have a better method please advise. In future, please limit your posts to constructive response and spare us your pissant condescension.

Considering your answers never really answered the various questions posted in this thread, you are pretty vehement about how everyone else is wrong.

1. OP--was asking how to create a logo with a transparent background for his client.  It is clear from his post that he has access to both Photoshop and InDesign, but when he placed the Illustrator file into those programs he still had a white background, so it sounds as if he may have created an Illustrator file with an opaque white background, or he needed to adjust his place settings in Photoshop and InDesign. The most useful response was the one where someone suggested that he view transparency grid in Illustrator.  At least that way he can see if he somehow created artwork on an opaque background.
2. The next question came from Dyemotion, who had an Illustrator file with a transparent background, but her (his?) end-user would only accept a .jpg or a .png.  Whether or not PNG is an inferior format to the native AI files or a PDF/X-4, she stated that her end user would only accept PNG or JPG.  Since JPG doesn't support any transparency, clearly the best option is for her to use a PNG.  I am guessing that her challenge is related to the low quality transparencies in the PNG format, which can often cause ghosting where it is supposed to be transparent (which you explained very well--thank you).  So, she may just have been out of luck.
3. Missjeanboo--this is a slightly misplaced question related to ungrouping vector files, which doesn't really have anything to do with the transparency issue as discussed in the rest of the thread, so I will skip it.
4. Rinnerarity--purchased an image which she downloaded as an EPS. As you state in your answer, the problem likely is related to the way the designer created the EPS file itself. You don't give her any information about how to tell if the file is transparent, has transparency effects or has a white background. But, at least your response to her respected the fact that she needed to create a PNG, and you explained how to export. However, that really didn't address her particular problem, which she ended up solving herself and was kind enough to post it for others who might have a similar problem.

If I had to summarize this entire thread, here is what I would say:

• Illustrator files have a transparent background by default.  If you aren't sure whether your particular file has this transparency, go into the View menu, and turn on "Show Transparency Grid"
• If your file has a solid background, you can follow the advice of Fobiroid and AnnetteC which is basically to trace your original artwork, and then place the resulting path on a transparent background.  If you don't mind a rasterized final image, you can open the image in Photoshop and use the Magic Wand tool and masks to remove the background.  It can be pretty difficult to get good results with either of these methods, even with a lot of practice, but they are worth a try.
• If your artwork is going to be used in another Adobe CS program, then your best bet is to use the native AI files.  Another good option is to export your AI file to the PDF/X-4 format, which also supports transparencies well. In either case, when you import the file, make sure import options are set to support transparencies.
• If your particular situation does not allow you to use the original AI file, or the PDF file, then you will want to export to the PNG file format, or to EPS file format, with Illustrator editing capabilities turned on.  PNG will automatically change your colors from CMYK to RGB, and the quality of the transparency will be lower than in the original AI file or a PDF.

I've read this whole thread and I still don't know how to make the background transparent.  Can someone communicate how to do this in layman's terms?  I purchased a logo design from an online store, downloaded the file as an EPS, imported the EPS file into Adobe Illustrator which converted it to an .ai file, and then I exported the file as a .png for my website.  The background is white, but I want it transparent.  I don't have any other programs.  Do I need another program in order to accomplish this?  Thanks.