When exporting multiple artboards as PDFs via the Asset Export panel in Illustrator, and using a PDF preset that has "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" enabled, Illustrator embeds the entire AI document, including all artboards and hidden content, into every exported PDF.

This results in:
- Unnecessarily large PDF file sizes.
- Hidden or irrelevant Illustrator data being included in every PDF.
- Workflow and file integrity issues, especially when sharing isolated assets.

Feature request:
Please add a checkbox or setting to limit the embedded Illustrator data to only the selected artboard(s) being exported — not the entire document — while still preserving editability for those specific artboards.

This would:

- Greatly reduce file size.
- Avoid data leakage of unrelated artboards.
- Improve control over exported assets.

Ideal implementation:
An option like:
(v) "Preserve editing capabilities for selected artboard(s) only"

This functionality is especially relevant when exporting assets for clients or production, where keeping PDFs lightweight and scoped to specific content is critical.

Thank you!

Hello, for anyone exporting lots of PDF, I recommend you to check my free script I developped specifically for this : https://github.com/CoriusPhoto/Multi-PDF_Exporter

This script smoothen the process of exporting Illustrator file into multiple PDF files at once, while each PDF can use its own PDF export settings. It also allows to save multiple export profile and speeds up the process of exporting recurrent single PDF file, specially when you need standarized file names and PDF settings. This version also support the use of datasets, as well as improved file naming possibilities. It also supports the merging of multiple artboards to export into single PDF file (one artboard per page).

Please note : if you export with "Preserve Illustrator editing capabilities" then opening the pdf in Illustrator will still retain all artboards while opening in Acrobat you see only the exported artboard. This is inherent to how Illustrator handle the export process, I may try to address this in next update.

Exporting with a print purpose setting should retain the bleed.

The script comes with a full user manual, and for those of you working with barcodes (EAN13 and/or GTIN14) I recommend you to check my free Editable Barcodes script (also on GitHub)

The reason that all artboards are saved in the PDF is because the option to Preserve Illustrator Editing is checked in the PDF Preset.
In Edit > Adobe PDF Presets, create a new one based on the settings you like and turn Off Illustrator Editing capabilities.
In Export for Screens select that preset when exporting PDFs.

MacOS 14.0
Ilustrator 28.0

10 artboards -- export for Screens > range 2,4,7 > multiple files > PDF > Export

I get 3 PDFs as expected. Open in Acrobat its the artboard expected.

Open any of those PDFs in illustrator and all 10 artboards are available.

When exporting individual PDF files in Illustrator using 'Export for Screens,' please ensure that each PDF only contains content within the artboard area, excluding any unnecessary elements. This issue sometimes results in significant workflow slowdown

I agree, this is stupid. If I select an art board to export, it should JUST export anything within that art board - if it were a png it wouldn't save anything outside the art board!

This isn't a bug, but is arguably something that could be changed. At least an option provided to save the illustrator data within the PDF as the entire illustrator document or only the art on the selected art board(s).

This feature request is for the same thing:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests/suggestions/44517945-save-as-pdf-range-without-all-canvases-being-sav

Expected result.
I want the content on the specified artboard to be saved to the .pdf and also when viewed in AI.

Actual Result.
saving .pdf with specific artboards or range selected glitches and gives you all content across all the artboards when viewed in AI.

MACos 12.0.1
AI 2022 26.0.2

Fair point :cD

Arno,

It wouldn't be the first time Adobe engineered something in a way that seemingly makes no sense.

Lance, this is exactly what I would expect to happen when I select a specific range to be saved as pdf. If I want all canvases, I wouldn't save a range, but the entire document.

I can find no logic in having the option to save a range and then having the entire document saved outside the visible area of the range.

Unfortunately, this is how retaining illustrator editing in PDF's works.

The way it's implemented, the PDF is a container for two sets of data: the PDF data which is not read by illustrator nor used by illustrator for anything, and the illustrator file which is embedded alongside the PDF data. Acrobat/other PDF readers will see the PDF data and ignore the illustrator data. Illustrator will ignore the PDF data and read in the native illustrator data.

If you want to reduce filesize of the PDF, you need to treat it as an un-editable output document by unchecking preserve illustrator editing.

I'm sorry that's not a great answer. I feel fairly certain sub-options could be added to the "preserve..." checkbox to ask "preserve only this artboard" or "preserve all artboards". Checking the first would discard all other artboards and their art and keep only the one you've selected in the range, while the 2nd checkbox would use the current behavior.

See here:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/single-page-pdf-from-illustrator-includes-all-canvases-in-document/m-p/12564633#M300920

When I save a range from a multiple-artboard Illustrator document, the PDF in Acrobat shows only the range requested, but when opening the PDF back into Illustrator, ALL artboards from the original document are in the document.

Example (see also screenshots):
I have a simple Illustrator document with 72 artboards. When I save ONE artboard from that document (Save as PDF, range X, Press quality), the PDF it creates shows to have only one page, but the file size of the PDF is 20+Mb, which for this simple work is exorbitantly high. Upon opening the PDF back into Illustrator, it shows all 72 artboards again.

I want to preserve Illustrator editing options, so I can't/don't want to uncheck that.

For anyone still having this issue, it is a problem with the PDF Preset you're using for exporting. It's not a "missing feature", but more like a hidden option that isn't clearly explained.

Panthera Press already answered this below, back in 2019, but it seems people are still having the problem. Just to reiterate their point, here's the problem and solution:

If the PDF Preset has "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" then it will essentially embed the entire Illustrator file, all artboards included, in the PDF.

You need to change the PDF Preset that "Export for Screens..." is using. The option to change this is hidden behind a little settings/cog/gear icon found just above the right corner of the "Formats" area of the Export for Screens window.

After clicking in this settings icon, navigate to PDF in the left column, then change the PDF Preset that's being used and click Save Settings. You MUST use a preset that you know for sure does not have the "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" selected.

Unfortunately you cannot change the PDF settings manually here, only choose from presets. So, if you don't already have a suitable PDF preset you'll need to create one.

To do this, go to Edit > Adobe PDF Presets > "+" icon, then name and set up your preset, making sure that "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" is not selected.

Now go back to Export for Screens, and select your new custom PDF Preset in the Format Settings.

The resulting PDFs should be single pages, without the entire Illustrator file embedded within.

Arrrg! Is this still an unresolved issue? I would like to use a single illustrator file to generate a bunch of individual PDFs. When I open the exported PDFs in illustrator, they still contain all the artboards!

Save as PDF with Illustrator editing checked saves all the artboards in the document, even when you chose to export only 1 artboard. These pages are not viewable in Acrobat but are if you open the PDF in Illustrator.
Export for screens > Artboards - has the same result.
Export for screens > Assets - this is the only option which works as expected.

It is great to be able to save a PDF with editing retained, as clients can view the file without Illustrator, and forward the file to other designers confident they know what the file contains.

The attached file was Save As PDF with only the cyan artboard selected. Open in Acrobat and Illustrator to see.

For everyone who is struggling with this (I have been having non-stop issues) I have found a sort of work around for the two main issues:

1. Exporting for Screens DOES NOT seem to include the bleed, even if it is checked. My printers can never find it, when I open the file in Illustrator the bleed is there, but it doesn't show up when viewed as a PDF in a pdf viewer

2. Export for Screens ghosts in ALL of the artboards - again you won't see them in PDF viewer but they bog down the file.

Go to Edit > Adobe PDF Presets
Create a Preset that has "Use Document Bleed Settings" checked (if you want this) and has "Preserve Adobe Editing Capabilities" unchecked
Save that Preset

When you Export for Screens and select PDF as your file type click the settings gear and select this new PDF profile. Your exported PDFs will now export with the bleed and will not include the ghosted artboards if you re-open them in Illustrator. Unfortunately, if you re-open in Illustrator you will not longer actually have your bleeds - the artboard will have been resized to just include them as part of the artwork. This is definitely not ideal, but it at least helps when going to print because you keep the file trimmed down to just the art you want to send, and ensure bleeds are visible for your printer.

It's 2019 and I STILL HAVE THIS ISSUE. When you have 20-30 artboards it's absolutely insane that it's doing this. I have a file where I'm designing business cards for multiple people within the company, and the printer wants each card as a unique but editable vector file, in the end I have to waste an hour deleting artboards.

I've had this problem as well. I certainly wouldn't call it a "new feature request."

I can confirm that the issue mentioned by a previous poster happens to me as well. Saving as... PDF and choosing a specific artboard will ghost export ALL artboards. The PDF file ill show the selected artboard but when opening the PDF file in Illustrator... it's the same as the original AI file with all the artboards :)) I did export though with the "High Quality Print" profile that has "Preserve Illustrator editing capabilities" checked.