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Setting Up a New
Document
When you create a new document, you can
determine size, units of measurement, and
orientation of the artboard. You will also be
prompted to choose a color mode.
The icons for Illustrator documents (top) and
templates (bottom) help you determine the
type of file before you open it.
1 F reeHand to Illustrator Migration Guide
An Illustrator document consists of one single-page artboard that can be up to
227 square inches.
To create a new document, choose File > New and define the size, orientation,
and measurement units for your artboard (the area that contains your artwork).
To determine how Illustrator represents color, choose either RGB or CMYK
color mode. Choose CMYK when preparing a document to be printed using
process inks or spot colors such as Pantone. Choose RGB when your artwork
is intended for on-screen viewing. Also note that most Photoshop effects in
Illustrator can only be applied while you are in RGB mode, which lets you
access a larger color gamut. If you need to use your artwork for both print and
online (for example, the web), you can take advantage of all features available in
the RGB color mode and then convert to CMYK when you output the artwork
or place it into a page layout application such as InDesign.
To change the color mode, choose File > Document Color Mode (you can't
change the color mode in the Document Setup dialog box). Note that if you
have used raster effects (such as Photoshop Effects found under the Effect
menu) in the RGB color mode, all effects will be lost when you change the color
mode to CMYK.
Document templates
You can use templates to create new documents that share common settings and
design elements. For example, if you need to design a series of business cards
with a similar look and feel, you can create a template with the desired artboard
size, view settings (such as guides), and print options. The template can also
contain symbols for common design elements (such as logos) and specific sets
of color swatches, brushes, and graphic styles.
Illustrator comes with 200 professionally designed templates, including
templates for letterhead, business cards, envelopes, brochures, labels, certificates,
postcards, greeting cards, and websites.
Two of the many templates included with Illustrator CS2. You can save any
design or layout as a template by choosing File > Save As Template.
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