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Jay

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  1. Remove canvas size limit

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    551 comments  ·  Illustrator (Desktop) Feature Requests » Documents and Artboards  ·  Admin →
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    Jay commented  · 

    Hi Yogesh,

    I think it's been mentioned already but for the work that I do and the way that the company I work for wants our workflow to be, a virtual scale is not an option that would be acceptable. Several people besides myself have expressed this concern already.

    It is a non-negotiable MUST that I build all the artwork that I do at full size. Whether it's channel letters for a storefront, an 80 foot mural that shows the history of a company or tanker trailer that carries propane. All of them, without question, have to be built full size. Working at scale, virtual or otherwise, has proven to cause problems when the workflow requires that the artwork done in my department moves to production and fabrication in that they typically don't check the artwork to make sure it's the correct size. They use it as it is. Their expectation is that the artwork has been provided to them print ready or cut ready. They may double check to make sure the sizes on the order match the size of the artwork but if it's not correct, it comes back to me so I can fix it and resave for them.

    We have to work 1:1. As I mentioned before, and I've noticed others mention as well, there is software that's been around for quite some time that has an unlimited canvas size already. Speaking only for myself, a "virtual scale" option is an unacceptable solution. The most compelling reason that it will not work for my situation is simple; how do I check the exported file to make sure that it's actually scaled to the correct size? From my perspective, I would have to open the exported file in software that allows me to see it 1:1 which completely defeats the purpose because if I can open it and see it 1:1 then why don't I just build it in that software 1:1?

    Virtual scale may work for some situations. It won't work for me. There are too many chances for mistakes.

    Jay supported this idea  · 
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    Jay commented  · 

    Removing canvas size limit is something that I've been hoping for and, quite frankly, expecting for a very long time. Illustrator is my go to for almost everything and it's what we used at work every day for over a decade. My bosses decided that it was time to stop building things at scale because it was starting to cause problems for production and fabrication. They wanted to use software that allows graphics to be built at 1:1 regardless of required size so we stopped using Illustrator because that limitation has always been there. I work for a sign company, building graphics that are much larger than the 227" square limitation that Illustrator has always had, especially when we're using elevation drawings to check fit and confirm survey measurements. Those things must be done full size. Vehicle graphics, specifically those for tractor trailers or aircraft should be built 1:1 to make sure that they people producing the graphics after I build them don't have to worry about whether they're the finished size or not.

    I would prefer to use Illustrator for all the work I do but I have to use what the company mandates. It's not Illustrator anymore because of this limitation. Another is dimensioning tools. Illustrator has none, or at least, it didn't have any. The only way to get any sort of dimensioning tools was to buy a third party plug-in.

    For my workflow, there can be no virtual scale option. I need to be able to build anything required at 1:1 scale. CorelDraw (which I am not a fan of at all btw) has had an unlimited canvas since I used it in college in the late 90's. We now use FlexiSign (again, not a huge fan) which also has an unlimited canvas but is rather clunky and sometimes difficult to work with. It allows us to build 1:1 and has decent dimensioning tools which we use for every project we do, large or small. Honestly, I figured that this is something that would have been addressed long ago and it's the number one issue that I've had with Illustrator since I started in the sign industry. For my personal use at home, I use Illustrator but this limitation is still a problem. Anything larger than 19 feet cannot be built at full size. I work larger than that daily.

    On a side note, alignment tools for artboards would be a welcome feature as well.

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