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A
Anonymous
June 21, 2010
Answered

Merge artboards from several .ai files into one .ai file?

  • June 21, 2010
  • 7 replies
  • 133602 views

I have received a lot of .ai files from a client, and I was wondering if it possible to merge these files as artboards in a single illustrator file, the files I have are not pdf-compatible, so I cannot use the merge function from acrobat.

I am using CS5, but perhaps it is also possible with CS4?

    Correct answer David Nightingale

    I used the Merge Ai script earlier this week, it's really good, love it. It's on github to download now, here

    7 replies

    galynap43472327
    galynap43472327
    Participating Frequently
    May 5, 2022

    Hello!

    I have found a suitable for me option.
    1. Combine files in a single PDF with Acrobat. I used EPS files.

    2. Open this file in Illustrator. While opening, choose "all pages" and uncheck the option "page as links" so you have editable images.

      BezierKid
      BezierKid
      Participating Frequently
      May 5, 2022

      Spooky, @galynap43472327 I was just doing a write-up for the Merge file to Ai extension when I saw your post notification. This method provides a panel, offering many of the same options as the script method I posted above, but it seems to be a little more stable than the script. The quick guide is here and the extension can be installed here.

        A
        Anonymous
        August 13, 2022

        Just tried it out and it is so helpful!! It took a bunch of Artboards I had in separate AI files and merged them into one AI file. Just what I was looking for! Thank you for sharing 🙂 

         

        Out of curiosity, do you know what the purpose of it separating the layers into clip groups serves?

         

        BezierKid
        BezierKid
        Participating Frequently
        January 31, 2020

        @wbravenboer You might find this helpful, its called Ai Merge, a script that will merge multiple Illustrator, EPS, SVG, PDF files together in a new file. I hope it helps!  https://youtu.be/RjMsA5OzKGc

         

          davidh30790628
          davidh30790628
          Participant
          February 4, 2021

          This is great however it doesn't seem to work with the latest release of AI...is there an updated script you know of?

          D
          Delano5EC6
          Participant
          June 22, 2021

          It works, just kinda buggy in that it works when it feels like it.

          E
          ERE2018
          Participant
          July 13, 2018

          Open the destination and source AI files separately. Select all within a source file, copy it and paste into the destination file. Repeat for each source file.

          L
          lylal76940017
          Participant
          June 20, 2018

          This is old but for anyone else wondering:

          1. Open your first file in illustrator

          2. Create, arrange, and name as many art boards as you need for your files

          3. File > Place

          4. Select all of the illustrator files you want to merge

          5. Click the corners of the art boards in order to place your files

          And you're good to go! This is the easiest way I have found to do this.

            M
            monicah12443134
            Participant
            July 3, 2018

            This doesn't work, you can't select more than one file to place, at least not on a mac.

            Monika Gause
            Community Expert
            Monika GauseCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            July 3, 2018

            monicah12443134  schrieb

            This doesn't work, you can't select more than one file to place, at least not on a mac.

            Sure you can.

            But placing the files is not the best way anyway, because when placing, you don't get the AI part of the file.

            Please watch this about Illustrator files: How Illustrator saves files - YouTube

            J
            Juan_Coleman
            Participant
            September 8, 2017

            I am sitting with the same problem. Seven years later!

            I have two Illustrator files with hundreds of the same size artboards which need to be merged into 1 file.

            May I ask, for what reason are your files not PDF compatible? (Hoping to learn something here)

            What about opening the files to be merged in Illustrator, then saving each file as a PDF compatible version?

            Then opening in Adobe Acrobat to merge?

            Have you tried that or would exporting as a compatible versions not be possible?

              Monika Gause
              Community Expert
              Monika GauseCommunity Expert
              Community Expert
              September 8, 2017

              Juan_Coleman  schrieb

              What about opening the files to be merged in Illustrator, then saving each file as a PDF compatible version?

              Then opening in Adobe Acrobat to merge?

              This will effectively make your file harder to edit in Illustrator.

              PDF is not meant for editing.

              Illustrator is not a general purpose PDF editor.

                NewYorkFruit
                NewYorkFruit
                Inspiring
                June 21, 2010

                No, there is no direct way of merging artboards from several .ai files into a single .ai file. But there is a circuitous way of achieving this:

                1) In the source document, Show All & Unlock All (if applicable).

                2) From the Layers panel flyout menu, choose 'Paste Remember Layers'.

                3) If you have a single artboard in your source document, select all (Cmd-A). If you have multiple artboards, then navigate to an artboard & select all on the active artboard (Cmd-Opt-A). Copy into memory.

                4) Go to your destination document & in an empty area of the canvas (away from other artboards), Paste.

                5)  With your art still selected, draw an artboard of any size with the artboard tool (anywhere in the empty area of the canvas).

                6)  From the Control Panel Presets dropdown, choose 'Fit to Selected Art' (same command is also there under Object > Artboards).

                  _scott__
                  _scott__
                  Legend
                  June 21, 2010

                  Not that I know of.. you might ask in the scripting forum if there's a script that will do what you want... or how to write one.

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