Practical instructions / Illustrator import
Import your PDF layer package into Illustrator
Get your extracted layers into Illustrator in three steps: unzip the package, keep its PDFs with the JSX and run the script. Then check the named layers and prepare the handoff.
1. Unzip the package and open its import script.
Extract the complete ZIP. Keep the 02-IMPORT_IN_ILLUSTRATOR.jsx file and the 03-LAYERS folder together. The JSX is the import script. The folder contains the separate PDFs for the layers.
FileScriptsOther Script
Choose 02-IMPORT_IN_ILLUSTRATOR.jsx from the extracted folder.
The script creates a new Illustrator document and places each layer PDF on a named layer. You do not need to install it in Illustrator's application folder. Adobe documents the Other Script command. If the package readme lists several import scripts, run each one you need.
2. Check the three layers of the map.
The Cove PDF has one page with three layers: Ground contains the background, Route contains the orange path and numbered stops, and Labels contains the title and place names. The package saves each layer in its own PDF.
The switch below shows why the whole folder must stay together. Move the Route PDF out of the folder: the background and labels remain, but the orange route is missing.
Extracted folder
02-IMPORT_IN_ILLUSTRATOR.jsx- GroundFound
page_001_Ground_Ground.pdf - LabelsFound
page_001_Labels_Labels.pdf - RouteFound
page_001_Route_Route.pdf
Readme and technical report omitted from this diagram.
No layer PDF has been moved.
The complete map.
PDF content illustrationGround, Route and Labels are layers on the same page. The three PDFs each contain one of those layers.
Check what each imported layer controls.
In Illustrator, open Window > Layers. For this map, look for Ground p1, Route p1 and Labels p1. Use each layer's eye icon to hide and show it. The background, orange route and text should disappear and return separately.
If one part is missing, check that its PDF is still in 03-LAYERS. Put it back and run the import script again. The script creates a new document, so compare the new result with the original map before continuing.
Use the steps at the start of this guide to run the import with all three layer PDFs beside the script.
Run the import, check the named layers and keep the linked PDFs with the Illustrator file. The Cove example takes you through the package step by step.
Follow the import stepsPreview free. Buy the files when you are ready.3. Embed a placed PDF when you need to edit its objects.
Each imported layer initially holds a linked PDF. You can hide and show the layer immediately. To work with its individual paths or text, embed that placed PDF first, then inspect the objects Illustrator creates.
Open Window > Links and select the PDF you need. In the Links panel menu, choose Embed Image(s). The selected PDF becomes part of the Illustrator document. Adobe's embedding instructions show the control.
If you leave a PDF linked, keep it with the saved Illustrator document. If Illustrator reports a missing link, use Relink in the Links panel to find the PDF again. See Adobe's Links panel guide.
After embedding, inspect the objects you need to change: live text, outlined shapes and raster images each call for a different edit. Use the PDF editability guide to choose the right approach, or the separate-file reference for package contents and naming.
Try the complete Cove package.
Our own demonstration map has one 210 × 148 mm page and three layers. The ZIP contains the three layer PDFs and the import script. It always includes every file, regardless of the switch above.