FAQs
The FAQs section is a collection of answers to some common problems that users experience with different areas of Impact Plugin for Adobe® Illustrator®.
How to check which version of the plug-in is installed?
This information is available in at least two places, the About menu item in Illustrator, as detailed in System Administration:
Or, via the installed program details from Programs and Features (aka Add/Remove Programs). In this case, look for a product named 'Impact Plug-in for Adobe® Illustrator®'.
Select the plug-in to view detailed information including product version, installation date etc.
In addition, if you have it configured, you can simply see this displayed in the 'Version' grid column alongside the name of the installed product. In the below example, the version is 2.0.0.15
Can I use the plug-in with multiple versions of Illustrator?
Yes, this is possible assuming each of the installed Illustrator versions is listed as compatible with the plug-in. Please refer to the plug-in installation instructions in the System Administration article for detailed steps in achieving this.
Can I suppress the option to process an Impact PDF and do it automatically?
Yes, whilst by default, Impact will show a message and tell you "We have detected that this PDF was generated by Arden Software Impact. Would you like to process it as such?".
The option to always process the file without notification is available in the plug-in Preferences.
Troubleshooting
The Troubleshooting section is a resource for users to find solutions to specific problems that they may encounter during their use of Impact Plugin for Adobe® Illustrator®.
I can't modify the Impact Dieline layer
Symptoms
Upon opening an Impact exported PDF in Illustrator when the plug-in is running, the 'Impact Dieline' layer is locked and is preventing you from editing its contents.
Cause
This is intentional as by default the plug-in will lock the 'Impact Dieline' layer and sub-layers to prevent unwanted changes to the structure of the design. This is so you can be sure you do not accidentally modify this and can trust that this template remains accurate.
Resolution
It is suggested that you leave this option enabled and the source 'Impact Dieline' layer locked, but if needed, you can disable this option within the plug-in preferences, as detailed here. Alternatively, you can manually unlock the PDF layers as needed, or copy them to a new layer, leaving the originals untouched.
Why do the original dielines appear on my placed graphic in Impact
Symptoms
When opening and placing PDF graphic artwork that is based on a file exported from Impact, you notice that it also contains the line geometry that was originally exported, along with any new artwork elements. These unwanted lines are then also visible within the textures of any 3D folded models you produce, as shown in the following example.
Cause
At this time, Impact is not capable of knowing which lines it created, and therefore which lines it should ignore. Instead, as part of the graphic placement from PDF, it converts the entire visible contents to a raster or bitmap image. This typically includes the cut, crease and any other geometric elements that formed part of the original drawing, as used for the artwork template.
Resolution
There are currently two options you can consider:
The first is to ask the supplier of the PDF to make any Illustrator layers invisible that you do not want to be included in the graphic at the point where the file is saved.
The second option is to flag any Illustrator layers as Template layers, which means they remain visible in Illustrator, but are not visible in any generated PDF files. Note, it's possible to automatically set the source 'Impact Dieline' layer and sub-layers as Template layers within the plug-in preferences, as detailed here
Getting Support
Should you run into any issues with any aspect of your Impact Plugin for Adobe® Illustrator® installation, it is recommended that you contact a member of the Arden team. This ensures that you will receive expert, professional assistance in a timely manner. There are a number of methods that you can use to contact Arden support.
All emails sent to this address will be sent to a member of the Arden support team, who will assist you with any issues.
Online
Submit a new ticket through this portal.
Phone
Support engineers are also available over the phone and are available between standard business hours should you need to contact them. A list of our offices and their associated phone numbers is below:
- Arden Software UK- +44 (0)161 449 6600
- Arden Software NA- +1 435 709 3100
- Arden Software Germany- +49 7021 80799-0
- Arden Software Denmark- +45 7620 1880
Glossary
Dieline - The structural layer(s) of an Impact produced PDF that will be used as a reference for graphic generation. This is typically made up of at least a cut and crease profile of a packaging design, but often including dimensions and text too.
Template Layers - Template layers are locked, non-printing layers that you can use to manually trace artwork, but which are excluded from PDF export.
Artboard - Artboards represent the regions in an Illustrator document that can contain printable or exportable artwork.
Page Boxes - Page Boxes describe the various sizes and positions of contents in a PDF document, starting with the largest Media Box, but often further defined by a series of Crop, Trim, Bleed and Art Boxes.