Select View > Show Transparency Grid. The grid appears as a gray and white checkered pattern in the transparent areas of the canvas.
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View transparency in the artwork
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Learn how to find transparent areas in your artwork using the transparency grid.
If your artwork contains transparency, you may need to flatten it before printing or saving. The transparency grid is a checkered background on the canvas that makes transparency easy to spot.
To adjust the transparency grid settings, select File > Document Setup. The Document Setup dialog appears.
To adjust the size of the squares in the grid, select an option from the Grid Size dropdown.
To change the grid colors, do one of the following:
- Select a preset from the Grid Colors dropdown.
- Select one of the color boxes to the right of the Grid Colors dropdown. In the Color dialog that appears, select a custom color. Repeat this for the second color box. These two boxes represent the colors of alternating squares in the grid.
You’ll see a preview of the selected grid size and colors in the larger checkered box to the right.
To see what your artwork will look like when printed on colored paper, select Simulate Colored Paper.
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