Tell me more ×
Graphic Design Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional graphic designers and non-designers trying to do their own graphic design. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite

Is it possible to print only the outline preview (View > Preview) of an artboard? Taking a screenshot and printing is not an option for me.

share|improve this question
Why is taking a screenshot not an option? – Lèse majesté Jan 24 '12 at 19:58
Because if the page's height does not fit into my screen, I can't take a screenshot of the whole page. I know I can take multiple screenshots and then stitch them together but if there is a way to print the preview version, would save me a lot of work. – matte Jan 24 '12 at 20:18
Well, my own Google research suggests that there isn't a way other than doing a screenshot, but I know that there are screen grab utilities out there that can capture a window that extends beyond the edge of your screen. So in theory, you should be able to just expand Illustrator to be big enough to show the entire image and do a screen grab that way. – Lèse majesté Jan 24 '12 at 20:40

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Unfortunately no. I've submitted a few feature requests to have the ability to actually use the Outline Mode in various ways - save it for web, print it. But currently Illustrator offers no abilities to actually export, print, or save the Outline Mode.

A screenshot is your only way.

What I've done in the past is save a copy of the file, Select all. Then apply a .75pt black stroke and no fill to everything. This comes close to mimicking the Outline Mode. But you may need to alter masks afterwards to remove the strokes. And some Effects may need to be removed.

share|improve this answer
.75pt black stroke is a good trick, thanks Scott. – matte Jan 25 '12 at 12:02

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.