Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 1/31/2008

Question
I am unable to change the default font from Myriad 12 pt. to Arial 8 pt, and I find that I cannot change the default stroke weight from .139 in to .01. Both of these settings are required by my job. We are running Windows XP.


Answer
Hi Rita,

You can change the font default by changing the startup document settings in Illustrator (see below). Unfortunately, you can't change the stroke default settings.

Kevin

1.   Quit Illustrator.

2.   In the Adobe Illustrator CS/Plug-ins folder, copy the current default startup file--Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB--and save it with a different name (add a 1 or 2 after, this creates a copy of the original startup file in case you need it again.)

3.   Open one of the default startup files (Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB, depending on which type of document you intend to use).

4.   Choose Window > Type > Character Styles.

5.   Select the Normal Character Style and choose Character Style Options from the palette pop-up menu.

6.   Select Basic Character Formats and choose the desired font.

7.   Click OK, and save the new file as Adobe Illustrator Startup _CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB in the Plug-ins folder.

8.   Restart Illustrator.