Guide

How to Send InDesign or Illustrator Files to a Client

Most clients cannot open .indd or .ai files, and the ones who can also need your fonts and linked images. Here is what to send for review, what to send as source files, and the font question to settle before you send anything.

Published Oct 24, 2026 · 3 min read

Can a client open InDesign or Illustrator files without Adobe?

Not properly. An .indd file needs InDesign. An .ai file saved with Create PDF Compatible File, which is on by default, will preview in a PDF viewer, but it cannot be edited without Illustrator. So send PDFs for anything the client needs to see, approve or print. Send source files only when the contract includes them and the client, or their next designer, has the Adobe apps to use them.

For review: send a PDF

  • InDesign: File > Export, then Adobe PDF (Interactive) for reading on screen, or Adobe PDF (Print) for proofs.
  • Illustrator: File > Save a Copy, then Adobe PDF. Uncheck Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities to keep the file small; the client does not need it.

Then put the PDF at a link. Go to droply.so, type a name such as fernway-catalog-proof-2, and drop the PDF. It opens in a viewer with page thumbnails on any phone or computer, with no account needed. On Starter and above you can turn on comments, so the client leaves notes next to the proof instead of in a long email.

For print: ask the printer

Printers usually want a PDF/X file (often PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4) with bleed and crop marks set to their spec. Ask them which preset to use rather than guessing, and send the print PDF to them directly or as a link.

For source files: use Package

Both apps can collect everything a file needs into one folder:

  • InDesign: File > Package. It copies the document, the linked images and the fonts it is allowed to copy, and can add an IDML file (which opens in older InDesign versions) and a PDF.
  • Illustrator: File > Package. It copies the document with its linked files and fonts.

Run InDesign's Preflight panel first, so missing links or fonts do not end up in the package. Fonts activated from Adobe Fonts are not copied: the client activates them with their own Adobe account.

The font license question

Packaging copies font files, but that does not mean you are allowed to hand them over. Many commercial font licenses do not let you pass fonts to a client; the client needs their own license. Check yours, and if it does not allow it, tell the client which fonts to license and leave them out of the package. Google Fonts are free to use and fine to include.

How to send the package

A package is a folder with subfolders for links and fonts, so send it as a ZIP through a shared folder (Google Drive, Dropbox) or a transfer service. Do not upload the package ZIP to Droply: Droply treats every ZIP as a website.

Use Droply for what the client opens day to day: the approved PDF and the final exports (PDF, PNG, SVG), all on one page with Download all. Add a README that points to the package for anyone who needs to edit the source. The full checklist is in How to hand off final files to a client.

Before you send

  • Open the package on another computer, or ask a colleague to, and check that nothing is missing.
  • For logos sent as final artwork, convert text to outlines in a copy, so it looks right without the fonts. Keep live text in the source file.
  • Name files so the client knows what they are: fernway-catalog-2026-print.pdf, not catalogue_FINAL2.pdf.

Send the review PDF and final exports as one link.

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