CD Digipack 4-sided print file design in Adobe Illustrator

Introduction

In this article, you will learn how to create the print data for the 4-panel CD digipak according to our specifications in Adobe Illustrator.

1. Download the Template

You can download the 4-panel CD digipak template for Illustrator:

Download 4-Panel CD Digipak Illustrator Template

2. Open the Template in Adobe Illustrator

After downloading the template file, you can open it in Adobe Illustrator by double-clicking on the file.

You will now see the opened Illustrator template.

3. Design the Front and Back Covers

3.1. Prepare the Artboard

IIn the Layers panel, unlock the layer named "delete after work" by clicking on the lock icon once.

To better edit the front and back covers, rotate the artboard first. Do this by dragging the mouse across the entire artboard.

Next, click on a white box in any corner and hold down the Shift key while rotating the artboard 180° clockwise.

The artboard should now look like this:

Afterward, lock the "delete after work" layer again and select the "print" layer to begin designing.

3.2. Design

To distinguish between the layers, we recommend renaming them accordingly.

Now, start designing the front and back covers and name them appropriately for better organization

Click on the Rectangle Tool in the toolbar.

Click anywhere in the program to set the width and height of the rectangle. Since we are only designing the front and back covers in this step, the dimensions should apply only to these two sides. For this example, set it to 291x128 mm.

You should now have a rectangle with the specified dimensions. Center it for the front and back covers. At the top or bottom of the toolbar, choose your desired color and set the stroke to 0.

For better organization, create a new layer in the bottom right corner by clicking on the plus sign and name it "Text & Images" for additional elements. Lock the front and back cover layer to avoid accidentally moving or editing it.

Next, add a text box. Select the Text Tool from the toolbar.

Drag a text box onto the front cover and type your desired text. You can freely choose the font, color, and text.

Now, insert your band photo. Click on File -> Place in the menu.

Select the image file in the file selection dialog and click "Place."

The image should now be centered. If necessary, resize it by clicking the white point in the top left corner and dragging it diagonally to the bottom right while holding the mouse button, then release.

4. Design the Inner Pages

To design the inner pages, rotate the artboard back to its original orientation. Unlock all layers, drag across the artboard with the left mouse button, click on a white box in any corner, and hold the Shift key while rotating the artboard 180° clockwise.

Now, lock the "delete after work" layer and the "Front and Back Covers" layer, and create a new layer for the inner pages.

You can now design the inner pages as desired. Here's an example of how they could look:

5. Export the Print File (PDF-X/3)

Now let’s move on to exporting your design as a print-ready file.

6.1. Remove the Helper Layer

In the Layers panel, unlock the helper layer or group, such as "delete after work," by selecting it and clicking the lock icon, then the trash can icon.

The artboard should now look like this. The template layers have been completely removed. If we don’t do this, the print file would include visible guides and markings.

6.2. PDF Export

In the menu, click File -> Export...

You can now set a file name and location and click Save at the bottom right.

A window titled "Save Adobe PDF" will open. Set the PDF version by selecting PDF/X-3:2002 under "Adobe PDF Preset." To save, click Export at the bottom right.

Done!

The print file is now saved and ready to be uploaded to us for data checking.