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Saving artwork in EPS format


    Virtually all page layout, word-processing, and graphic applications accept imported or placed EPS files. The EPS format preserves many of the graphic elements you can create with Adobe Illustrator, which means that EPS files can be reopened and edited as Illustrator files.

To save artwork in EPS format:

  1. Save the artwork as described in About saving and exporting artwork. Choose Illustrator EPS (EPS) as the file format.
  2. In the EPS Format Options dialog box, select the Adobe Illustrator version with which you want your file to be compatible. Select Version 9.0 or later to preserve transparency, text, and spot colors in the artwork if the file is placed in another application (such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress).
  3. Note: Selecting Version 8.0 or earlier will result in text being converted to outlines, spot colors being converted to process colors, and transparency being discarded or flattened (depending on the Transparency option you select).

  4. Set additional options, and click OK:
  5. Preview options

    Determine the characteristics of the preview image that is saved in the file. The preview image is displayed in applications that cannot display EPS artwork directly. If you don't want to create a preview image, choose None from the Format menu. Otherwise, select a black-and-white or color format.

    If you select TIFF (8-bit Color) format, select a background option for the preview image: Transparent to produce a transparent background or Opaque to produce a solid background. (Select Opaque if the EPS document will be used in a Microsoft Office application.)

    Include Linked Files

    Embeds files that are linked to the artwork.

    Include Document Thumbnails

    Creates a thumbnail image of the artwork that is displayed in the Illustrator Open and Place dialog boxes.

    Include Document Fonts

    Includes all fonts that are used in the artwork. This ensures that the original font is used for display and printing on computers that do not have the font installed. (Selecting the Embed Fonts option increases the size of the saved file. You cannot embed protected Japanese fonts.)

    Use Japanese File Format

    Saves the artwork as a Japanese language file that is compatible with Illustrator versions 3, 4, or 5. (This option is not available for later Illustrator versions.)

    CMYK PostScript

    Allows RGB color documents to be printed from applications that do not support RGB output. When the EPS file is reopened in Illustrator, the RGB colors are preserved.

    PostScript

    Determines what level of Postscript is used to save the artwork. (See About graphic file formats.)

    Transparency

    Determines what happens to transparent objects when you choose a version of Illustrator format earlier than 9.0. Select Preserve Paths to discard transparency effects and reset transparent artwork to 100 percent opacity. Select Preserve Appearance option to maintain the appearance of transparency by flattening transparent areas of the artwork. If your artwork contains complex, overlapping areas and you require high-resolution output, click Cancel and specify rasterization settings before continuing. (See Printing and saving transparent artwork.)