Linked Illustrator Files Not Displaying Correctly in InDesign
We are experiencing an issue where Illustrator (.ai) files with linked assets are not displayed correctly when placed in InDesign.
InDesign does not properly render or recognize the linked content inside the Illustrator file, which affects preview and output accuracy. Currently, the only workaround is to embed all links in Illustrator before placing the file, which increases file size and slows down the workflow.
Please advise if there is a fix or recommended workflow for handling linked assets between Illustrator and InDesign.
Nikola Ćosić
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monokano
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The cause lies entirely with Illustrator. Please refer to the following.
What Does “Create PDF Compatible File” Mean in Adobe Illustrator?
https://note.com/monokano/n/n9df9cfc584f4In Illustrator 2026 (30.2), a bug occurred where linked images disappeared in the PDF data of the PDF-compatible file. This bug was fixed in 2026 (30.3). Nevertheless, all background features in Illustrator should continue to be disabled.