If Illustrator exports only one version from a multi-artboard document, check the selected artboards and export scope before duplicating the artwork again. An object selected on the canvas is not necessarily the same thing as an artboard selected for export. Verify the output files against the versions you intended to deliver.
Make the expected set visible
For a fictional event campaign, the document contains an approved square, a vertical poster, a sponsor variation and two discarded drafts. The delivery requires three files, not every artboard in the document. List those approved versions before entering the export dialog.
Adobe documents a selected-artboard export workflow: select artboards with the Artboard tool or panel, then export those selected artboards as separate files. The useful fact is the explicit selection boundary, not an assumption that all visible layouts will be included. Adobe: Export selected artboards.
Separate asset selection from artboard selection
Keep artwork and artboards clearly named. Confirm which artboards are active in the Artboards panel and compare the selection with your expected list. If you intend to deliver complete layouts, do not accidentally choose an asset-export route that captures just one selected logo or decorative object.
Check export destination as well as scope. An old file with the right name can make a missing new export look present. Use a new delivery folder for the reviewed batch, preserving older deliveries independently. This gives the review a defined set without requiring deletion of earlier work.
Run a three-file reconciliation
This is a proposed handoff test, not a completed Illustrator session. Export the three approved fictional variants into a fresh folder. Open each resulting file individually and compare its composition, dimensions and exact event text with the corresponding artboard.
| Expected version | What to confirm in the file |
|---|---|
| Square | Complete square layout and current date |
| Vertical | Correct tall composition, no square crop |
| Sponsor variation | Approved sponsor line and correct orientation |
A file count of three is necessary in this example but insufficient. Three copies of the square would still fail. Conversely, one format exported at several scales may legitimately create more than three files; record the expected size and format combinations before judging the count.
Leave a usable version record
Write a compact manifest naming each approved artboard, its destination filename, intended use and review status. Mark drafts as excluded rather than relying on their position at the right side of the canvas. Reordering artboards should not silently redefine the delivery.
Pass when every expected version opens correctly and no discarded layout appears in the delivery folder. Fail when an expected composition is missing, filenames point to the wrong version, or the export contains an isolated asset instead of the complete layout.
Imagild can provide artwork for the campaign. Multi-artboard organization and selected-artboard export belong to external Illustrator; this guide does not promise those controls inside Imagild.