Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 4/1/2011

Question
Hi Kevin~

Please explain benefits of (if any) in placing a native .ai file (ex logo & text) into another .ai file (larger page size and more text) and re-saving the new document as new.ai file. Does this ensure the placed content AND the additional text content is preserved and thus is stillconsidered a true, native vector file or does the place file become "embedded content" (ex .pdf) w/changes?

Thank you Kevin~

Answer
Hi Lilley,

I do not see any benefits of placing ai files inside another ai file. If you use layers and organize properly, you can have the exact same results by just using one ai file by locking the layer. Even if you do this, people that want to edit a placed image can find a way to do so. The image is either embedded or linked depending on what you choose in the Place dialog box. If you click "link" then it will be linked, if not it is embedded.

Kevin