Artboards for Multipage Layouts

What are artboards?

Artboards are like pages. Illustrator lets you create multiple artboards in a single document so you can design several pieces at once — perfect for things like multi-page PDFs, zines, presentations, or business cards with variations.

Create a new document with multiple artboards

File > New

In the New Document window, adjust:

Number of Artboards to how many pages you want

Use the Columns setting to control layout (e.g. 2 columns = grid)

Set desired Size (e.g. Letter, A4, custom)

Rearrange or add artboards later

Open the Artboards panel: Window > Artboards

Use the Artboard Tool (Shift + O) to:

Resize, move, or duplicate artboards

Add new ones by clicking and dragging

Hold Alt (Option on Mac) while dragging to duplicate

Export a multi-page PDF

File > Save As

Choose Adobe PDF (.pdf) as the format

In the export window, check:

All under “Range” to include all artboards

Under “Marks and Bleeds,” check “Use Document Bleed Settings” if needed

Click Save PDF

Tips

Rename your artboards in the Artboards panel for better organization

Use View > Fit All in Window to see all artboards at once

Remember: artboards act like pages in a PDF, but Illustrator is not a layout program like InDesign—use it when visuals or vector precision matter most

Last updated by Abigail Green - May 2025