Batch AI to PDF

[Kido]

Hello


We have many customers delivering their files as illustrator, but non-pdf-compatible.
Is there a way to batch an AI to PDF conversion?

I would like a hotfolder-based the most, but is it realistic?
So not, are there other possibilities to automate?



Many thx

 

[mordygolding]

Create an action

Create an action

You could easily create an action that will open and resave each file with the PDF option checked (or perhaps even better, open the file and save it as a PDF/X-1a file). Once you've recorded the Action, you can use the Batch command to perform the action on an entire folder of files.

Mordy

 

[Colorblind]

I may be wrong but I think that whatever you do, your files will have to be opened first to ensure they are OK (missing fonts, missing links, wrong color space...) before performing a batch PDF conversion.

 

[Shawn]

Have you checked out the sample scripts that Adobe supplies in the Illustrator folder under "Scripting/Sample Scripts/" ?

We've used the Save as PDF script here to batch save Illustrator files as PDFs. It's not quite a hotfolder based script, but still works pretty well. As colorblind mentioned, you still need to make sure that all fonts and images are linked.

You also may need to edit slightly to have it use specific PDF settings for your workflow. You can either change the settings within the script or to change it to use specific presets. To use your presets, delete most of the final section that starts with getPDFOptions and make it match the text below, replacing the type [your joboptions here] with the exact name of your standard joboptions.

Shawn


-----

function getPDFOptions()
{
// Create the PDFSaveOptions object to set the PDF options
var pdfSaveOpts = new PDFSaveOptions();

// Setting PDFSaveOptions properties. Please see the JavaScript Reference
// for a description of these properties.
// Add more properties here if you like
pdfSaveOpts.pDFPreset = '[your joboptions here]';


// uncomment to view the pdfs after conversion.
// pdfSaveOpts.viewAfterSaving = true;


return pdfSaveOpts;
}

 

[leonardr]

We have many customers delivering their files as illustrator, but non-pdf-compatible.

Given that Adobe Illustrator files _ARE_ PDF files and have been since AI 10 - unless your customers are using VERY old versions of Illustrator, that's simply not possible.

Can you post an example document or explain further??

Is there a way to batch an AI to PDF conversion?

You can use the Actions feature of Illustrator to do this.

 

[MGB_LE]

Have you tried a simple batch rename to .pdf, since as leonardr posted, AI is PDF format, under the hood?

 

[phantasm]

Given that Adobe Illustrator files _ARE_ PDF files and have been since AI 10 - unless your customers are using VERY old versions of Illustrator, that's simply not possible.

There is an option to make Ai files PDF compatible or not when saving. I sometimes turn off this option for very large files as save times can increase hugely - and the file size doubles as you are effectively saving two files (the Ai artwork and the PDF) within a wrapper.

But I would have expected users who are sending final artwork to printers to re-enable this option.

Regardless, Actions are an obvious way forward. But as Colorblind mentioned and Shawn confirmed, a certain amount of checking is advised. However, and I've never used this particular feature personally, if you open the Ai Actions (panel pull-down menu) > Batch... window, you will notice at the bottom the options to "Stop for Errors" or "Log Errors to File". I presume that Ai will flag an error in batch mode if, say, a font is missing. Still not sure I'd trust this fully, though...

Good luck!

 

[CHM]

Given that Adobe Illustrator files _ARE_ PDF files and have been since.

This is new for me leonard, as long you dont save your Illustrator with compatible pdf, there is no pdf there. Or am I wrong?

 

[davec]

Have you tried creating a hot folder that Distiller watches?

 

[leonardr]

This is new for me leonard, as long you dont save your Illustrator with compatible pdf, there is no pdf there. Or am I wrong?

You are wrong...

What it does is create a PDF file _BUT_ instead of creating actual PDF page content that matches the Illustrator page content, it just puts some instructional text on the page.

Drag one on Acrobat to see....

 

[Kido]

Thx for the help everybody!

@ Davec: Does Distiller have the ability to convert 'non pdf compatible - illustrator files' to pdf? Either way, it would be exciting news for me?

@ leonardr: when I drag a 'non pdf compatible - illustrator file' on acrobat, I do see the instructional text.
But is it possible to force acrobat to show the actual content? Without resaving it in illustrator of course...


Thanks

 

[CHM]

Thx for the help everybody!


@ leonardr: when I drag a 'non pdf compatible - illustrator file' on acrobat, I do see the instructional text.
But is it possible to force acrobat to show the actual content? Without resaving it in illustrator of course...


Thanks

This I would like to know to:=)

 

[leonardr]

Thx for the help everybody!

@ Davec: Does Distiller have the ability to convert 'non pdf compatible - illustrator files' to pdf? Either way, it would be exciting news for me?

@ leonardr: when I drag a 'non pdf compatible - illustrator file' on acrobat, I do see the instructional text.
But is it possible to force acrobat to show the actual content? Without resaving it in illustrator of course...

Sorry, but no to both.

Only Illustrator (and InDesign) can read it's private information.

 

[WharfRat]

Can one (someone else) open and save an Illustrator file
as an Adobe PDF
without opening the file?
-
If one tries to open it
won't the fonts and links
be required?

MSD

 

[Al Ferrari]

I think it would be easy enough for you to try it and answer your own question, no?. Or did I miss something obvious about your question?

Al

 

[PDL]

I would like a hotfolder-based the most, but is it realistic?
So not, are there other possibilities to automate?

Been following this one. To EskoArtwork AE10 users this would be a simple Hotfolder based workflow that takes in an Ai file, imports it, converts and saves to PDF. Check with your current prepress workflow provider, you may possibly have the solution at hand without realizing it.

 

[claude72]

Given that Adobe Illustrator files _ARE_ PDF files and have been since AI 10...

Are you really sure of that???

AFAIK, the Illustrator native "language" is PGF (Progressive Graphic Format), which is globally like PDF, but is in fact different (and not compatible)... The .AI file has a PDF structure, and PGF datas are embedded in this "PDF".

A "normal" .AI file, saved from Illustrator with the "Compatible PDF" option turned on contains both PDF and PGF datas, making this double-component file readable by some softwares, each software picking-up the datas it can read :
- Illustrator takes the PGF datas and ignores the PDF part,
- InDesign, Acrobat, Preview (and probably XPress 8) take the PDF datas and ignore the PGF datas...

... but an AI file "non pdf compatible" (meaning that the "Compatible PDF" option has been turned off when saving the .AI file) contains only PGF datas, no PDF datas, and only Illustrator can read such a .AI file. Meaning that it cannot be read by Acrobat, nor be imported in InDesign: as the .AI file has a PDF structure, beginning with "%PDF-version" like a "normal" PDF, Acrobat (and InDesign) believe that it is a "normal" PDF and open it, but they don't find any PDF datas, so they display a message (that you call the "instructional text") saying that they cannot use this "PDF-which-is-in-fact-not-a-PDF" because there is no PDF datas in it.

Only Illustrator (and InDesign) can read it's private information.

That's sure for Illustrator...

... but for InDesign, again, are you sure of that??? or is it a new feature of InDesign CS4 or CS5???

Because when I try to import a pure .AI file non-compatible PDF in InDesign CS3, the "instructional text") takes the places of the picture saying (approximative literal translation!) : "This is an Adobe's Illustrator file that contains no PDF datas. To import this file, save it from Illustrator after having turned on the "Compatible PDF" option. etc."... meaning that InDesign is unable to read the natives Illustrator PGF datas of a pure Illustrator .AI file, and needs a double-component" PGF+PDF file to be able to use only the PDF part!

You are wrong...

What it does is create a PDF file _BUT_ instead of creating actual PDF page content that matches the Illustrator page content, it just puts some instructional text on the page.

Drag one on Acrobat to see....

The "instructional text" clearly says that the Illustrator file contains no PDF datas!

So, again, are you sure of what you say???

Again, AFAIK, when the "Compatible PDF" option is turned off, Illustrator creates a .AI file containing only the PGF datas, but no PDF!

Again, you mix PGF and PDF: you should have wrote:
"What it does is create a PGF file _BUT_ instead of creating actual PDF page content that matches the Illustrator page content, it just puts some instructional text on the page."

 

[WharfRat]

So ... how is someone to "batch" something
without having the pieces to assemble the file?
This thread began as asking if one could batch ai files to pdf.
Could you do that without the pieces necessary to reassemble the files?


MSD

-----

I think it would be easy enough for you to try it and answer your own question, no?. Or did I miss something obvious about your question?

------
Can one (someone else) open and save an Illustrator file
as an Adobe PDF
without opening the file?
-
If one tries to open it
won't the fonts and links
be required?

 

[CHM]

There are systems (like Odystar I think) who can open a Illusrtaor file and let you save a pdf, but the problem here is that your links must be up to date and used fonts must be loaded. So Batch processing would prove to be very difficult with native Illustrator files.

 

[CHM]

Been following this one. To EskoArtwork AE10 users this would be a simple Hotfolder based workflow that takes in an Ai file, imports it, converts and saves to PDF. Check with your current prepress workflow provider, you may possibly have the solution at hand without realizing it.

No this wont be possible because you still need compatible pdf to import it in Esko, and in this case you only have a native Illustrator without pdf info.