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Format

Adobe Illustrator

Summary

Name
Adobe Illustrator
Version
3.0 / 3.2
Identifiers
  • MIME: application/postscript
  • Apple Uniform Type Identifier: com.adobe.illustrator-image
  • PUID: fmt/418
Format type
Image (Vector)
Description
The documents (files) created by Adobe Illustrator are PostScript language documents. A PostScript language document description that minimally conforms to the Document Structuring Conventions has two main parts: a prolog and a script. The prolog encapsulates information needed by other programs to interpret the file. The script describes the graphic elements on the page. Version 3 includes graph creation.
File extensions
ai
Source
Georgia Tech Research Institute / Georgia Tech Research Institute
Developed by
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Supported by
Adobe Systems Incorporated

Relationships

Has lower priority than
Has priority over

Internal signatures

Adobe Illustrator 3.x v1

Note
The first line of the file is a unique comment that declares the file contains a Postscript program and identifies the version of the Document Structuring Conventions to which the document conforms as 2.0 or 3.0. The first line may also specify that the file conforms to a version of the Encapsulated PostScript File format (EPSF). The prolog contains %%DocumentNeededResources: and the continuation %%+ procset Adobe_Illustrator_AI3 or %%+procset Adobe_IllustratorA_AI3

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
252150532D41646F62652D322E30{16-512}2525446F63756D656E744E65656465645265736F75726365733A{1-512}25252B2070726F637365742041646F62655F496C6C7573747261746F72(5F414933|415F414933)
Endianness
None

Adobe Illustrator 3.x v2

Note
The first line of the file is a unique comment that declares the file contains a Postscript program and identifies the version of the Document Structuring Conventions to which the document conforms as 2.0 or 3.0. The prolog did not contain %%DocumentNeededResources: but did contain %%DocumentSuppliedResources: and the continuation %%+ procset Adobe_Illustrator_AI3 or %%+procset Adobe_IllustratorA_AI3

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
252150532D41646F62652D322E30{16-512}2525446F63756D656E74537570706C6965645265736F75726365733A{1-512}25252B2070726F637365742041646F62655F496C6C7573747261746F72(5F414933|415F414933)
Endianness
None

Adobe Illustrator 3.x v3

Note
The first line of the file is a unique comment that declares the file contains a Postscript program and identifies the version of the Document Structuring Conventions to which the document conforms as 2.0 or 3.0. The first line may also specify that the file conforms to a version of the Encapsulated PostScript File format (EPSF). The prolog contains %%DocumentNeededResources: and the continuation %%+ procset Adobe_Illustrator_AI3 or %%+procset Adobe_IllustratorA_AI3

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
252150532D41646F62652D332E30{16-512}2525446F63756D656E744E65656465645265736F75726365733A{1-512}25252B2070726F637365742041646F62655F496C6C7573747261746F72(5F414933|415F414933)
Endianness
None

Adobe Illustrator 3.x v4

Note
The first line of the file is a unique comment that declares the file contains a Postscript program and identifies the version of the Document Structuring Conventions to which the document conforms as 2.0 or 3.0. The prolog did not contain %%DocumentNeededResources: but did contain %%DocumentSuppliedResources: and the continuation %%+ procset Adobe_Illustrator_AI3 or %%+procset Adobe_IllustratorA_AI3

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
252150532D41646F62652D332E30{16-512}2525446F63756D656E74537570706C6965645265736F75726365733A{1-512}25252B2070726F637365742041646F62655F496C6C7573747261746F72(5F414933|415F414933)
Endianness
None

Adobe Illustrator 3.x v5

Note
The first line of the file is a unique comment that declares the file contains a Postscript program and identifies the version of the Document Structuring Conventions to which the document conforms as 2.0 or 3.0. The prolog did not contain %%DocumentNeededResources: but did contain %%DocumentSuppliedResources: and the continuation %%+ procset Adobe_Illustrator_AI3 or %%+procset Adobe_IllustratorA_AI3

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
0
Byte Sequence
C5D0D3C6
Endianness
None
Min Frag Length
Variable
Offset
None
Max offset
None
Byte Sequence
252150532D41646F62652D332E30{16-512}2525446F63756D656E74537570706C6965645265736F75726365733A{1-512}25252B2070726F637365742041646F62655F496C6C7573747261746F72(5F414933|415F414933)
Endianness
None

Changelog

  • Updated in V115

    Release date
    15 November 2023

    Adobe Illustrator 3.0 / 3.2: Modified the offset values from null to 0 as part of a project to match PRONOM data with the xsd standard. Submitted by Digital Preservation Department, The National Archives (UK) (UK).

  • Updated in V91

    Release date
    25 July 2017

    Adobe Illustrator 3.0 / 3.2: Added additional signature for variation in BOF.

  • Updated in V89

    Release date
    8 March 2017

    Adobe Illustrator v3.0/3.2: Added mimetype - application/postscript

  • Added in V69

    Release date
    19 July 2013

    Adobe Illustrator 3.0/3.2: Signature provided by Georgia Technology Research Institute.

  • Added in V60

    Release date
    11 June 2012

    Adobe Illustrator 3.0/3.2: Description information submitted by the National Archives and Records Administration. Partial entry added.