Crop This: More Useful Trim Marks in Illustrator

A while back, I posted a few scripts from Shane Stanley, which added some important functionality to the multiple artboards feature in Illustrator.

Most folks are also familiar with the fact that multiple artboards were once called "crop areas" back in Illustrator CS3. But there's also another feature in Illustrator that helps you define cropping areas, with drawn objects. In previous versions of Illustrator, this command, Create Trim Marks, was found in the Filter menu.

But alas, in Illustrator CS4, the Filter menu has been removed altogether, and the Trim Marks function was moved into the Effect menu. As such, the command is now a live effect, and must be expanded if you want to edit the marks that are drawn.

But let's be honest here -- the trim marks that Illustrator have always created aren't very useful. They are large, and they are offset quite a ways off from the selected artwork that is used to define them. Chances are, if you've used the Create Trim Marks feature before, you've also manually adjusted them afterwards.

I asked Shane if he thought it would be difficult to add some functionality to his already-wonderful Artboard Coordinates script to also have it create custom trim marks. His response came in the form of an email that read: "you mean like this?" and there was a script attached :)

And so now, I pass on the golden prize to you -- a script that not only takes multiple artboards to a new level, but that also creates customized trim marks. All you need to do is select an object and click on the Trim Marks button and a dialog box appears asking you for the desired length, offset, and weight of the strokes, and even offers an option to create dashed lines to indicate folds. You can also choose to place the marks on a specific layer.

Download the script here, and don't forget to thank Shane. Please note: This is an AppleScript, and as such, is a Mac-only application.

P.S. I wrote this post using some new blogging software that I was introduced to, called blogo. I've tried a few editors in the past and haven't come across one that I've really liked, but this one seems pretty cool so far. Hopefully it will mean I'll be blogging more often without the hassle. If you do blog on your own, you should check it out.