- Illustrator User Guide
- Get to know Illustrator
- Introduction to Illustrator
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
- Create documents
- Toolbar
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Introduction to artboards
- Manage artboards
- Customize the workspace
- Properties panel
- Set preferences
- Touch Workspace
- Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
- Undo edits and manage design history
- Rotate view
- Rulers, grids, and guides
- Accessibility in Illustrator
- Safe Mode
- View artwork
- Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
- Files and templates
- Tools in Illustrator
- Tools at a glance
- Select tools
- Navigate tools
- Paint tools
- Text tools
- Draw tools
- Modify tools
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Quick actions
- Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
- Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
- Troubleshooting issues FAQ
- Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Create and combine shapes on the web
- Add and edit text on the web
- Apply colors and gradients on the web
- Draw and edit paths on the web
- Work with cloud documents on the web
- Invite collaborators to edit on the web
- Illustrator on the iPad
- Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
- Workspace
- Documents
- Select and arrange objects
- Drawing
- Type
- Work with images
- Color
- Cloud documents
- Basics
- Troubleshooting
- Add and edit content
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Drawing basics
- Edit paths
- Draw pixel-perfect art
- Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
- Draw simple lines and shapes
- Draw rectangular and polar grids
- Draw and edit flares
- Image Trace
- Simplify a path
- Symbolism tools and symbol sets
- Adjust path segments
- Design a flower in 5 easy steps
- Create and edit a perspective grid
- Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
- Use objects as symbols for repeat use
- Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
- Measure and plot dimensions
- 3D objects and materials
- Color
- Painting
- Select and arrange objects
- Reshape objects
- Crop images
- Transform objects
- Combine objects
- Cut, divide, and trim objects
- Puppet Warp
- Scale, shear, and distort objects
- Blend objects
- Reshape using envelopes
- Reshape objects with effects
- Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
- Work with Live Corners
- Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
- Edit clipping masks
- Live shapes
- Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
- Global editing
- Type
- Add text and work with type objects
- Create bulleted and numbered lists
- Manage text area
- Fonts and typography
- Convert text within images into editable text
- Add basic formatting to text
- Add advanced formatting to text
- Import and export text
- Format paragraphs
- Special characters
- Create type on a path
- Character and paragraph styles
- Tabs
- Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
- Arabic and Hebrew type
- Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
- Create 3D text effect
- Creative typography designs
- Scale and rotate type
- Line and character spacing
- Hyphenation and line breaks
- Spelling and language dictionaries
- Format Asian characters
- Composers for Asian scripts
- Create text designs with blend objects
- Create a text poster using Image Trace
- Create special effects
- Web graphics
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Import, export, and save
- Import
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
- Save and export
- Printing
- Prepare for printing
- Printing
- Automate tasks
- Troubleshooting
Learn how to print gradients, meshes, and color blends in Illustrator.
Files with gradients, meshes, or color blends can be difficult for some printers to print smoothly (without discrete bands of color) or at all.
Printing gradients, meshes, and color blends
Files with gradients, meshes, or color blends can be difficult for some printers to print smoothly (without discrete bands of color) or at all. Follow these general guidelines to improve the printed results:
Use a blend that changes at least 50% between two or more process-color components.
Use shorter blends. The optimum length depends on the colors in your blend, but try to keep blends shorter than 7.5 inches.
Use lighter colors, or make dark blends short. Banding is most likely to occur between very dark colors and white.
Use an appropriate line screen that retains 256 levels of gray.
If you create a gradient between two or more spot colors, assign different screen angles to the spot colors when you create color separations. If you’re not sure what the angles should be, consult your print shop.
Print to an output device that supports PostScript® Language Level 3 whenever possible.
If you have to print to an output device that supports Postscript Language Level 2, or when printing meshes that include transparency, you can choose to rasterize gradients and meshes during printing. As a result, Illustrator converts gradients and meshes from vector objects to JPEG images.
Rasterize gradients and meshes during printing
-
Choose File > Print.
-
Select Graphics on the left side of the Print dialog box, and select Compatible Gradient And Gradient Mesh Printing.Note:
The Compatible Gradient And Gradient Mesh Printing option can slow printing on printers that don’t have problems with gradients, so only select this option if you experience printing problems.
Setting the proper screen frequency for printing gradients, meshes, and blends
When printing your file, you may find that the resolution of your printer, when combined with the chosen screen frequency, allows fewer than 256 levels of gray. A higher screen frequency decreases the levels of gray available to the printer. For example, if you are printing at a resolution of 2400 dpi, using a line screen higher than 150 results in fewer than 256 levels of gray. The following table lists the maximum line-screen setting you can use with printers to maintain all 256 levels of gray:
Final Imagesetter Resolution |
Maximum Line Screen to Use |
---|---|
300 |
19 |
400 |
25 |
600 |
38 |
900 |
56 |
1000 |
63 |
1270 |
79 |
1446 |
90 |
1524 |
95 |
1693 |
106 |
2000 |
125 |
2400 |
150 |
2540 |
159 |
3000 |
188 |
3252 |
203 |
3600 |
225 |
4000 |
250 |
Calculate the maximum blend length for gradients
Illustrator calculates the number of steps in a gradient based on the percentage of change between the colors in the gradient. The number of steps, in turn, determines the maximum length of the blend before banding occurs.
-
Select the Measure tool , and click the beginning point and the endpoint of the gradient.
-
Note the distance displayed in the Info panel on a piece of paper. This distance represents the length of the gradient or color blend.
-
Calculate the number of steps in the blend using this formula:
Number of steps = 256 (number of grays) X Percentage change in color
To figure out the percentage change in color, subtract the lower color value from the higher color value. For example, a blend between 20% black and 100% black is an 80%—or 0.8—change in color.
When blending process colors, use the largest change that occurs within any one color. For instance, take a blend from 20% cyan, 30% magenta, 80% yellow, and 60% black to 20% cyan, 90% magenta, 70% yellow, and 40% black. This indicates a 60% change, because the greatest change occurs in magenta—from 30% to 90%.
-
Using the number of steps calculated in step 3, see if the length of the gradient is larger than the relevant maximum length indicated in the next chart. If it is, reduce the length of the gradient or change the colors.
Number of Steps Adobe Illustrator Recommends
Maximum Blend Length
Points
Inches
Cms
10
21.6
.3
.762
20
43.2
.6
1.524
30
64.8
.9
2.286
40
86.4
1.2
3.048
50
108.0
1.5
3.810
60
129.6
1.8
4.572
70
151.2
2.1
5.334
80
172.8
2.4
6.096
90
194.4
2.7
6.858
100
216.0
3.0
7.620
110
237.6
3.3
8.382
120
259.2
3.6
9.144
130
280.8
3.9
9.906
140
302.4
4.2
10.668
150
324.0
4.5
11.430
160
345.6
4.8
12.192
170
367.2
5.1
12.954
180
388.8
5.4
13.716
190
410.4
5.7
14.478
200
432.0
6.0
15.240
210
453.6
6.3
16.002
220
475.2
6.6
16.764
230
496.8
6.9
17.526
240
518.4
7.2
18.288
250
540.0
7.5
19.050
256
553.0
7.7
19.507
We've got you started on printing gradients, meshes, and color blends. Take a step forward and learn how to Change the printer resolution and screen frequency in Illustrator.
Got a question or an idea?
If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in Adobe Illustrator Community. We'd love to hear from you.