InDesign

Pasting Illustrator graphics into InDesign

When you paste a graphic from Illustrator 8.0 or later into an InDesign document, the artwork appears in InDesign as a grouped collection of editable objects. For example, if you paste an Illustrator drawing of a soccer ball with individually created patches into InDesign, the patches are pasted as a group, which can be ungrouped and edited using tools in InDesign. You cannot change the visibility of layers within the illustration.

Illustration of soccer ball in Illustrator (left) and same illustration pasted into InDesign (right)

Important: Before pasting a graphic, make sure that Illustrator is configured to copy as AICB (see Illustrator Help). In InDesign, make sure that Prefer PDF When Pasting isn’t selected in the Clipboard Handling preferences. If these options aren’t set properly, the Illustrator graphic cannot be edited in InDesign.

Issues you may encounter when pasting or dragging art from Illustrator to InDesign

Color
Illustrator supports the Grayscale, RGB, HSB, CMYK, and Web Safe RGB color models. InDesign supports LAB, CMYK and RGB. When you paste or drag artwork from Illustrator into InDesign, RGB and CMYK colors convert in the expected color model. Grayscale colors are converted to the appropriate K value in a CMYK color in InDesign. HSB and Web Safe RGB objects are converted to RGB color in InDesign. Colors in smooth shades and gradients can be edited in InDesign.

Gradients
Linear or radial gradients created in Illustrator can be modified using the Gradient tool or Gradient panel in InDesign. Gradients with multiple spot colors or complex patterns may appear as non‑editable items in InDesign. If your illustration contains complex gradients, import it using the Place command instead.

Transparency
Transparency is flattened when Illustrator art is pasted or dragged into InDesign.

Graphic styles
Illustrator Graphic Styles don’t become InDesign Object Styles when art is pasted or dragged into InDesign.

Patterns
Illustrator objects filled or stroked with patterns become embedded EPS images when pasted or dragged into InDesign.

Text
If you drag text from Illustrator into InDesign, it’s converted to outlines and isn’t editable with the Text tool. If you select text using the Text tool in Illustrator, and then copy it into a text frame in InDesign, the text loses its formatting but is editable. If you drag the text into InDesign without a frame selected, the text loses all formatting and isn’t editable.

When you paste text from Illustrator, the text is imported as one or more objects that can be transformed and colorized in InDesign, but not edited. For example, if you create text on a path in Illustrator and paste it into InDesign, the text can be colorized, rotated, and scaled, but it cannot be edited using the Type tool. If you want to edit the text, use the Type tool and paste it into a text frame.

Artwork
Artwork copied from Illustrator and pasted into InDesign is embedded in the InDesign document. No link to the original Illustrator file is created.