Saving Symbol Sets in Illustrator

/*for advanced users*/

Saving Symbol Sets

Symbols are graphics you might want to use later and not have to recreate.



Even graphics with gradient fills or gradient meshes can be saved as a symbol for use later.

To save a graphic as a symbol, simply grab it and drag it to the symbols palette and drop it.


It's now a symbol and you can use any of the symbol tools on it.



To save the symbol to be loaded later, however, there are a couple rules you have to follow.

• Drag the symbol to the page from the Symbols palette to use it. Like the brush, it has to be used on the page to be saved.
• Delete all unused symbols, graphic styles, brushes, and swatches as you did when you saved the brush.
• Delete the symbol and any other artwork from the page.
• Go to File > Save As and save the file. I recommend using the word 'symbol' (or something like sym that you know means 'symbol' in the file name, so you know at a glance it's a symbol file.
• Save it in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS3\Presets\Symbols or anywhere on your hard drive or an external drive to be loaded later.

When you want to use them, symbol files are loaded in the same manner as brushes.

Because symbols are vector, they can be resized as desired with no loss of quality.