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The Ultimate Guide to Exporting Files from Adobe Illustrator

The Ultimate Guide to Exporting Files from Adobe Illustrator

Exporting Files in Illustrator

You’ve created a beautiful design in Illustrator. Now what? Exporting your file with the right settings is the final, crucial step that ensures your work looks perfect, whether it’s on a screen or in print.

The export process in Illustrator can feel overwhelming because of the many file formats and settings available. Should you use Save for Web, Export for Screens, or Save As? Which format is best—SVG, PNG, JPG, or PDF? And how do you make sure your design is print-ready?

This guide will make you an expert on exporting from Illustrator. We’ll demystify the different options, explain every important setting, and show you the best workflow for any situation.

Pro tip: if you want a ready-made design pack, check out these Illustrator graphic templates to speed up your workflow.

The Core Concept: Web vs. Print

When exporting from Illustrator, the first thing you must decide is where your design will be used: on a screen or in print.

RGB vs. CMYK Color Modes

  • RGB (Red, Green, Blue): This color mode is optimized for screens—websites, social media, apps, and digital presentations. It’s an additive model based on light, meaning colors look vibrant and bright.
  • CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black): This mode is for professional printing—business cards, flyers, posters, and packaging. It’s a subtractive model based on ink, ensuring colors are accurate in physical prints.

👉 Rule of thumb: Use RGB for web, CMYK for print.

PPI vs. DPI (Resolution)

  • PPI (Pixels Per Inch): Used for screens. The standard is 72 PPI, which balances quality with file size.
  • DPI (Dots Per Inch): Used for printing. A high-quality print requires 300 DPI. Anything lower risks looking blurry or pixelated.

Acid Retro Posters
Acid Retro Posters by Pixflow

The Modern Workflow: Export for Screens & the Asset Export Panel

The traditional export methods still exist, but Illustrator has modernized the workflow for digital designers.

Why This is the Best Method for Digital

Go to File > Export > Export for Screens. This tool allows you to:

  • Export multiple artboards at once.
  • Generate multiple formats and resolutions automatically.
  • Save assets optimized for social media, apps, and responsive web design.

This makes it the best method for web graphics and social content.

How to Use the Asset Export Panel

  1. Open the panel via Window > Asset Export.
  2. Drag objects, groups, or entire artboards into the panel.
  3. Choose formats like SVG, PNG @1x, PNG @2x, or JPG.
  4. Export them all in one click.

This is incredibly useful if you’re working on UI kits, icons, or branding packages. 

Pro tip: if you want a ready-made design pack, check out these Illustrator graphic templates to speed up your workflow.

When to Use Save for Web (Legacy)

Although it’s labeled “Legacy,” Save for Web is still valuable. Use it when:

  • Exporting a single image with precise file size control.
  • Previewing optimization results in real-time (e.g., a website hero image).

Choosing the Right File Format: A Cheat Sheet

Here’s a quick guide to Illustrator’s most important export formats:

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphic)

  • Best for: Logos, icons, simple illustrations.
  • Why: Scales infinitely with no loss in quality, lightweight file size, perfect for responsive websites.

PNG (Portable Network Graphic)

  • Best for: Graphics requiring transparency (e.g., logos with no background).
  • Why: High-quality raster, supports transparent background, widely supported across digital platforms.

JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

  • Best for: Photos or complex images where file size matters.
  • Why: Compressed raster format, small file sizes, but no transparency support.

PDF (Portable Document Format)

  • Best for: Professional printing.
  • Why: Packages fonts, vectors, and images into a single reliable file. Standard across the print industry.

How to Create a Print-Ready PDF

If your project is heading to a printer, this step is essential.

The Save As Command

  1. Go to File > Save As.
  2. Select Adobe PDF as the format.

Essential PDF Settings

  • Adobe PDF Preset: Choose [High Quality Print].
  • Marks and Bleeds:
    • Check Trim Marks.
    • Enable Use Document Bleed Settings.
  • Output Tab: Confirm color conversion matches printer requirements (usually CMYK).

With these settings, your file will be print-ready and professional.

Conclusion

You are now ready to export your Illustrator files with complete confidence. You know the difference between web and print settings, when to use each file format, and the most efficient workflows for exporting multiple assets.

👉 Challenge yourself: Take a recent design and export it three ways—an SVG icon, a PNG for social media, and a print-ready PDF.

If you want to speed up your workflow with ready-made design elements, explore these Illustrator graphic templates.

For a complete overview of everything Illustrator has to offer, don’t miss our ultimate guide: Mastering Adobe Illustrator: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners and Beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions

You’re likely exporting at too low a resolution (72 PPI) or not aligning your artwork to the pixel grid. Export at 300 PPI for print or @2x for web.
Use the Asset Export panel to drag out individual objects and export them directly.
Use Export for Screens with PNG or JPG formats. Export at multiple scales (e.g., 1080px and 2160px) for crisp results across devices.
Choose PNG format and ensure Transparent is checked in the background settings.
Save for Web is older, good for optimizing single images with live previews. Export for Screens is modern, faster, and supports multiple artboards/assets.