Creating a custom startup file
The startup file defines the default look and attributes of new documents as well as the default contents of the Graphic Styles, Swatches, Brushes, Symbols, and Actions palettes. By creating a custom startup file for CMYK mode and/or RGB mode, you can redefine these defaults. (See About color models and color modes.) This gives you easy access to document features that you use most frequently, by making them available in every new Illustrator file you create. Note, however, that a startup file gives you only one set of default settings for new documents. If you want multiple sets of default settings--for instance, if you want a different default document view and swatches for each project you work on--use templates instead. (See Creating new templates.) You can modify the following defaults in the startup file: graphic styles, swatches (including custom colors, patterns, and gradients), brushes, symbols, actions, graph designs, fill and stroke attributes, viewing preferences, magnification level, document size, document window size, and scroll position.
To create a custom startup file: - Copy the current default startup file--Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB--under a different name. This action saves the original startup file in case you need it again. The startup files are located in the Plug-ins folder in the Adobe Illustrator application folder.
- Open one of the default startup files (either CMYK or RGB, depending on which type of document you intend to use) as a starting point for the custom startup file. This file contains squares filled with the default colors, patterns, and gradients available in the Swatches palette.
- Delete any existing swatches, graphic styles, brushes, or symbols you don't want to retain. Note that you must delete them from their respective palettes as well as from the artwork in the startup file. (See Replacing, merging, and deleting swatches.)
- Add new paint style attributes to the startup file as follows:
- Create any colors, patterns, and gradients you want and save them as swatches. You can also import swatches using the Swatch Libraries command and then move the swatches you want in the startup file into the default Swatches palette. (See Adding swatches from other documents and swatch libraries and Using swatch libraries.)
- Save any graph designs that you want available in your files using the Graph Design dialog box. As with the new paint style attributes, add the graphs to the artwork in the startup file so you can see and refer to the graphs later if necessary.
- Create any graphic styles you want and save them to the Graphic Styles palette. (See Creating and modifying graphic styles.)
- Create any brushes you want and save them to the Brushes palette. (See Creating and editing brushes.)
- Create any symbols you want and save them to the Symbols palette. (See Creating symbols.)
- Select the options you want as default settings from the Print Options dialog box. (See About printing.)
- Select the options you want as default settings from the following:
- Save the new file as Adobe Illustrator Startup _CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB, and place it inside the Plug-ins folder.
- Restart Illustrator.
To restore the saved copy of the startup file: - Rename or delete the current copy that you no longer want.
- Rename the saved copy as Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB and move it into the Plug-ins folder in the Adobe Illustrator application folder.
- Restart Illustrator.
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