AI to PDF Converter
Someone sent you a logo or a print layout as an .ai file and you do not own Illustrator. Converting it to PDF shows the artwork as the designer saved it, on a page that opens in any browser or PDF reader.
Image to PDF
or drop JPG, JPEG, JFIF … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 50 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
White space around each image: small is 5 mm, medium 10 mm, large 20 mm. Ignored when page size is the same as the image.
Fit shows the whole image with white space if the shapes differ; fill covers the page and crops the edges; actual size places it at its print size from DPI.
Put 2 or 4 images on each page in a grid, for ID cards front and back or contact sheets.
Custom page width in millimetres (A4 is 210 mm).
Custom page height in millimetres (A4 is 297 mm).
One PDF with a page per image, or a separate PDF for every image downloaded as a ZIP.
The order you added the files (drag to rearrange), alphabetical by file name, or by the date the photo was taken.
JPEG quality of photos inside the PDF. 85 keeps them sharp; with a target size this is the starting point.
How to use this tool
- 1
Upload the .ai files
Add up to 50 Illustrator files, 95 MB each. Files from Illustrator 9 and every later version, including Creative Cloud releases, normally carry the PDF content this converter reads.
- 2
Leave the page at artwork size
Page size starts at Same as image with no margin, so the page follows the artboard. Choose A4 or Letter with a Margin when the logo should sit on a printable sheet.
- 3
Download the PDFs
Press Convert to PDF. Each .ai file becomes its own PDF; set Output to One PDF to gather a set of logo variants into one proof.
Most AI files already contain a PDF version of themselves. Converting pulls that version out and hands it over as a normal PDF, while the Illustrator editing data stays behind.
Why most AI files can be converted to PDF
Early Illustrator files were written in a subset of PostScript, much like EPS. That changed with Illustrator 9 in 2000, which started saving .ai files on top of PDF and added the Create PDF Compatible File option to the save dialog. With it ticked, which is the default, every save writes two things: a finished PDF of the artwork for other software, and Illustrator's private data for editing.
This converter uses the first part, so what you get is what the designer saw at the moment of saving: artboard size, colors, embedded fonts and placed images. Layers do not become separate editable objects, and nothing is changed in the original. For logos delivered as web graphics instead, SVG to PDF does the same job; for older print files, EPS to PDF handles the PostScript side.
Designers sometimes untick PDF compatibility to make huge files smaller, since the PDF copy can almost double the size. That saves disk space but turns the file into something only Illustrator can open, which is the most common reason a conversion fails.
From PostScript to PDF: how the AI format changed
1987
Illustrator 1.0
Adobe's first drawing app for the Mac saves artwork as PostScript code.
1993
PDF 1.0 and Acrobat
Adobe publishes the Portable Document Format, itself derived from PostScript.
2000
Illustrator 9
AI files become PDF-based and gain the PDF compatible option.
2003
Illustrator CS
Illustrator joins the Creative Suite alongside Photoshop and InDesign.
2008
ISO 32000-1
PDF becomes an open international standard, independent of Adobe.
AI
Adobe Illustrator Artwork
AI is the native file format of Adobe Illustrator, introduced in 1987. Modern AI files are built on PDF and store vector paths, artboards, layers, text and effects so the artwork remains fully editable. They are the usual source files for logos and print designs. Full editing requires Illustrator; other apps may open only a flattened PDF view or fail altogether, and browsers cannot show AI files.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1987 · Adobe
Portable Document Format
PDF was created by Adobe in 1993 and became the open ISO 32000 standard in 2008. It fixes text, fonts, images and layout so a document looks the same on every screen and printer. PDFs can contain forms, signatures, links, attachments and searchable text, and the PDF/A variant is used for long-term archiving. The fixed layout makes PDFs hard to edit, and scanned PDFs contain only images unless OCR is applied. Every browser and operating system can open them.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1993 · Adobe
An .ai file is the designer's editable source and opens properly only in Illustrator, so it is converted to PDF whenever artwork goes to a client for approval, to a printer for a proof or into a brand folder for colleagues.
AI files that will not convert, and what to ask for
| What you received | Converts here | If not, ask for |
|---|---|---|
| AI from Illustrator 9 or later, PDF compatible on (the default) | Yes, as saved | Nothing; this is the normal case |
| AI saved with PDF compatibility off | No; only a notice page is stored | The same file resaved with Create PDF Compatible File ticked |
| AI from Illustrator 8 or earlier (before 2000) | Not reliably; PostScript only | An EPS or a PDF export |
| AI over 95 MB with full-size embedded photos | No, above the upload limit | A copy saved with Use Compression, or a PDF export |
| Artboard much larger than the logo | Yes, with white space | An artboard resized with Object > Artboards > Fit to Artwork Bounds |
AI to PDF questions
What does Create PDF Compatible File mean when saving in Illustrator?
It is a checkbox in the Illustrator Options dialog that appears when you save as .ai. With it on, Illustrator stores a complete PDF version of the artwork inside the file next to its own editing data, so other programs can display it. It is on by default.
Is an .ai file basically a PDF already?
Since Illustrator 9, an AI file saved with PDF compatibility is built on the PDF format, which is why Acrobat and some browsers can sometimes open it after renaming. But the file also contains private Illustrator data, so a clean PDF is the safer thing to send.
Can I open an AI file without Illustrator?
To view or print it, yes: convert it here and open the PDF. To edit paths, colors or text you need a vector editor; Inkscape and Affinity Designer can import many AI files, with varying fidelity.
Will the fonts look right in the PDF?
The PDF content inside the .ai already contains the fonts Illustrator embedded when saving, so text normally matches. Fonts whose license forbids embedding are the exception; ask the designer to outline the text with Type > Create Outlines if letters change.
My printer wants an EPS, not a PDF. What now?
Many sign makers and engravers still run older software built around EPS. Ask whether a PDF is acceptable first; if not, the designer can save an EPS from Illustrator, or you can use PDF to EPS on the PDF made here.
Can I convert several AI files into one PDF proof?
Yes. Upload them together, set Output to One PDF and choose a Page order. Each file becomes a page, which suits a sheet of logo variants that a client signs off in one go.
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