Add a ppd file, Printing long, complex paths, Split paths for printing – Adobe Illustrator CC 2015 User Manual
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Printing
Last updated 6/5/2015
Add a PPD file
For best printing results, Adobe recommends that you obtain the latest version of the PPD file for your output device
from the manufacturer. Many print service providers and commercial printers have PPDs for the imagesetters they use.
Be sure to store PPDs in the location specified by the operating system. For details, consult the documentation for your
operating system.
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In Windows and in Mac OS, you select a PPD file in the same way you add a printer. The steps for selecting a PPD
file are different for each platform. See your operating system documentation for details.
Printing long, complex paths
If you are printing Adobe Illustrator files containing overly long or complicated paths, the file may not print and you
may receive limit-check error messages from your printer. To simplify long, complex paths, you can split them into two
or more separate paths. You can also change the number of line segments used to approximate curves and adjust the
printer resolution.
More Help topics
Change the number of line segments used to print vector objects
Curves in artwork are defined by the PostScript interpreter as small straight line segments; the smaller the line
segments, the more accurate the curve. As the number of line segments increases, so does the complexity of the curve.
Depending on your printer and the amount of memory it has, a curve may be too complex for a PostScript interpreter
to rasterize. In this case, a PostScript limit-check error can result, and the curve won’t print.
1
Choose File > Print.
2
For Printer, select a PostScript printer, Adobe PostScript® File, or Adobe PDF.
3
Select Graphics on the left side of the Print dialog box.
4
Deselect Automatic, and use the Flatness slider to set the accuracy of curves.
A lower setting (toward Quality) creates more, smaller straight line segments, more closely approximating the curve.
A higher setting (toward Speed) results in longer and fewer line segments, creating a less accurate curve, but
improving performance.
Split paths for printing
Illustrator treats split paths in the artwork as separate objects. To change your artwork once paths are split, you must
either work with the separate shapes or rejoin the paths to work with the image as a single shape.
It’s a good idea to save a copy of your original artwork before splitting paths. That way, you still have the original, unsplit
file to work with if needed.
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Do any of the following:
• To split a stroked path, use the Scissors tool
.
• To split a compound path, choose Object > Compound Paths > Release to remove the compound path. Then
break the path into pieces using the Scissors tool, and redefine the pieces as compound paths.
• To split a mask, choose Object > Clipping Mask > Release to remove the mask. Then break the path into pieces
using the Scissors tool, and redefine the pieces as masks.