Here are a few tips for Illustrator users to really up your game:
Scale Stroke and Effects – most people are aware of this feature in the Preferences (cmd+k mac, ctrl+k pc) but did you know you can easily toggle this on and off in your Transform panel menu?
Global Colors – When setting up a new swatch, be sure to check the Global color box in your swatch options. This will allow you to edit and change this color across multiple objects at the same time.
Document Raster Effects Settings (found under the Effects menu) – be sure to set your working resolution for your raster effects to 72 dpi either when you create a new document or open an existing. This will save you time with redraws and renderings. When finished, you can always change it back to your optimum resolution*.
Finally – cleanliness is next to professionalism. Before you save out your document and pass it down the food chain, clean it up. Remove unused colors, brushes, styles, etc. and add used colors, symbols, gradients, etc. Never submit a document with “rogue” colors – colors created in your document but not found in the swatches panel. This can cause headaches if an errant RGB color or worse, Spot color shows up unexpectedly when it gets to prepress.
*Optimum resolution may not be always be 300 ppi – it could even be higher depending on your type of printer. Always ask or read the manual!
