Help with Illustrator File!

[x2chris7x]

So I have a customers files that I can't open... 180mb .pdf. Every time I try to open the files I get "Out of Memory" message. I had the same problem with another file from the same customer, but was able to open it on my mac from home. I wondering if it would open differently with a newer version of illustrator? I'm using cs4. The files also say they were created with a newer version of illustrator, but I was able to open one from home and I'm running cs3 on my mac... Can anyone give me any ideas on ways to open this file? Or possibly let me send it to someone with a newer version of illy and let them try to open??

 

[J Hill Designs]

did you try to place and vectorize per this thread?

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11988

(worth a shot)

 

[Aklaim]

PM sent.

 

[MikePro]

The limiting factor is AI's memory management. And file size on disk doesn't mean anything. An 18 or 22 MB JPEG can easily expand to 2GB uncompressed and then you already break AI's measly 2GB limit.

no way around it except to possibly open the .pdf in Acrobat Pro (or possibly photoshop) and downsave to a smaller filesize.

 

[MikePro]

did you try to place and vectorize per this thread?

http://www.signs101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11988

(worth a shot)

actually, this sounds like it could do the trick! VectorDoctor to the rescue!
(reposting quote since I like adding to my postcount)

1. Create a new file, any size will do.

2. Click on File -> Place and select the pdf file. The dialog box will show link and template. Checkmark on Link but DO NOT check template. Click OK

3. The file should display with the bounding box around it. Now click on object -> flatten transparency in the menu. You will get another dialog box to come up. Make sure raster/vector balance is set to 100% vectors. Also check "convert all text to outlines". All other checked boxes are not of great concern when it is the missing font you are after. I have attached a screen shot of the "flatten transparency settings. Click OK.

4. YOU'RE DONE! You now have a pdf file and you did not need the fonts in order to open. IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that this does not help you out if you want to edit the text. If that is needed, then you must buy the font. This simply allows you to open up pdfs without having the necessary fonts installed.

5. The only thing left may be a bounding box that you can remove. In Illustrator, I click on the direct selection tool (shortcut A on keyboard). Drag across the bounding box only. Hit delete twice, and that is now gone.

Fred, maybe you can put this up somewhere as a tutorial.

 

[Mainframe]

Sometimes (on a Mac) if you have a file that won't open in illustrator because it was generated by a newer version, you can just click on the actual file and open it in preview, save (or export I forget) it as a .pdf and then you can open it in illustrator with the vectors intact. Not 100% fool proof but close. By the way preview also works for some word and pages files, just export as a .jpg for placement to print them, I also do this a lot.

 

[x2chris7x]

Thanks for all the replies... Many of the things mentioned I have already tried. Sent the file over to GB2. Hopefully he can make some sense of it. I will however attempt to place the .pdf and see if that does anything to help. Thanks again.

 

[x2chris7x]

Ok, so placing the file works, but this is a print/cut job, so the artwork has the cut lines layered over the top... I need it without cut lines or at least the ability to edit them...

 

[Aklaim]

Go Object, expand, click the box to convert all fonts to outlines. That works sometimes for me.

 

[x2chris7x]

Go Object, expand, click the box to convert all fonts to outlines. That works sometimes for me.

Yea, looks like it was trying to work for me then... "Out of Memory"