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Introduction to artboards

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Learn how to create and work with artboards.

Artboards let you streamline the design process and work on designs on an infinite canvas. In Illustrator, an artboard is like a sheet of white paper that forms the base for your artistic work. You can use provided presets for popular devices or create custom-sized artboards to design your artwork. You can also export or print them.

When you create a document or open a new file in Illustrator, you can choose your artboard's preset and dimensions. If you have more than one design, you can add or create multiple artboards. You can also resize, rename, replicate, and remove artboards according to your requirements. 

Preset ot custom

Create an artboard

Select artboards

Select artboards

Resize artboard

Resize and duplicate artboards

Delete artboards

Keep your Artboards, Properties, or Control panel handy to start with the artboard. Choose the below options to activate the panels after you create or open a document:

Windows > Artboards

Artboards panel
Artboards panel

Windows > Properties

Properties panel
Properties panel

Windows > Controls

Control panel
Control panel

Create an artboard

Let's say, you want to develop your design, export, or print them on multiple pages. Instead of creating multiple documents, you can create multiple artboards in the same document.
You can create an artboard using the Artboard tool or add new artboards to design your artwork. 

Use the artboard tool

Follow the steps below to create an artboard:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   in the tool panel, or press Shift + O.

  2. To apply preset or custom dimensions, use the artboard options or press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

  3. To apply preset or custom dimensions, use the artboard options or press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

Preset ot custom
Artboard tool

Use the artboard options

To use Artboard options, do the following:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and double-click your artboard.

  2. In the Artboard Options dialog, specify the Name of your artboard and do any of the following:

    • Select an option from the Preset drop-down list.
    • Enter values in the W and H fields to modify the width and height of the artboard.

  3. Select Landscape or Portrait to set the Orientation of your artboard.

    If you want to modify the display settings of the artboard, see the additional artboard options.

Preset ot custom
Artboard Options

Add new artboards

Follow these steps to add new artboards to your document:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and do one of the following:

  2. Press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

add an artboard
Artboards panel

A. New Artboard B. More options 

Select artboards

Selecting multiple artboards can save your time while duplicating, copying, moving, or deleting them.

Follow these steps to select multiple artboards:

  1. Click the Artboard tool   and do any of the following:

    • To select an artboard, click the artboard.
    • To select multiple artboards, Shift-click the artboards.
    • To select all the artboards, press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd+ A (macOS).
Select artboards
Select multiple artboards

Resize, rename, and duplicate artboards

While working with designs on multiple artboards, you'd want to resize, rename, duplicate, delete, or manage artboards to provide a convenient layout to your artwork. An artboard's name appears in its upper-left corner. 
When you want to resize, rename, or duplicate artboards, ensure that the Artboard tool   is selected.

Resize artboards

Resize artboard
Resize artboard

  1. Select the artboard and drag the bounding box to resize your artboard or do the following:
    1. In the Artboards panel, click More Options > Artboard Options.
    2. Set the reference points or specify the required width and height of your artboard in W and H.

Rename artboards

Preset ot custom
Rename artbaord

  1. Do any of the following:

Duplicate artboards

Duplicate artboards
Duplicate artboards

  1. Select one or multiple artboards.
  2. In the Artboards panel, click More options > Duplicate Artboards.
  3. Press Esc to exit the artboard-editing mode.

 See tips and tricks to explore additional ways to resize and rename your artboards.

How to set reference points when resizing artboards?

A reference point allows you to hinge a corner or center of an artboard when you resize it.
To set a reference point, do the following:

  1. In the Artboards options, click one of the nine reference points in the reference point grid.

  2. Specify width and height values.

Reference point
Reference point grid

Delete artboards

Artboards are the base of your designs. You can remove artboards that are inessential or do not contribute to your artwork. However, your document needs at least one artboard in it. If you try to delete all the artboards, the artboard that's numbered 1 will remain.

Follow the steps below to delete your artboards:

  1. Click the Artboard tool  .

  2. Select one or multiple artboards that you want to delete and click the   icon in the Artboards, Properties, or Control panel.

  3. To delete all empty artboards at once:

    1. Click More options in the Artboards panel.
    2. Select Delete Empty Artboards.
Artboards panel
Artboards panel

A. Delete Artboard B. More options 

Tips and tricks

Learn more

Watch these 4-minute videos to learn how to create and edit artboards in Illustrator. To learn more, see Work with artboards.

Create artboards

Edit artboards

What's next?

We've got you started on how to create and use artboard to work on your designs. Take a step forward and learn how to cut, copy, rearrange, reorder, and manage your artboard view for your designs.

Got a question or an idea?

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