Create multiple artboards in new file creation.

[Sundragonfly]

I create coloring books in Illustrator, where I could easily create multiple artboards (mostly 70+) all at once. I then draw my designs, and export it as a pdf, with each artboard as a page.

I can't do this in "one step" in Affinity. It's a lot of clicking, copying, pasting, moving and aligning to make it a neat grid. I know I can save as a template and reuse it, but it is "set" at letter-sized artboards at portrait orientation.

If I want to create a project with different sized artboards, I would need to do all the work from scratch.

• 50 landscape artboard at 3 in x 5 in (i.e. for a wedding invitation with different names + address)
• 30 square artboards for Instagram
• 78 portrait artboards for tarot cards
• different sized children's picture books (Publisher isn't really a illustration app. It's more text focused.)

I would greatly appreciate this time-saving feature being added.

In Illustrator, there is settings for "Number of Artboards", how it is organized (left to right, down then left, single row, or single column), the spacing between each artboard, and the number of columns.

 

Edit (Added)

I just did a practice PDF export, and it doesn't export in the order I expected.

I created the artboards going across, and then copy and pasted down.  I expected the PDF to show 1, 2, 3, etc. but it is showing page 1, 11, 21, 31, etc. 

It created pages going down the artboard, which is not intuitive for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6 by Sundragonfly
Added PDF export sample at the end.

[Pšenda]

5 hours ago, Sundragonfly said:

I just did a practice PDF export, and it doesn't export in the order I expected.

The order during Export is determined by the order in the Layers stack. Look in the Layers panel, or provide a screenshot of it. 

[Pšenda]

5 hours ago, Sundragonfly said:

I could easily create multiple artboards

Try Move data entry command.

https://affinity.help/designer2/English.lproj/pages/ObjectControl/duplicate.html

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Affinity forums, @Sundragonfly.

I can see that your suggestion would be a useful addition, and perhaps Serif will consider adding it someday.

For now, if you have a layout you commonly use, I would suggest creating a Template, and rather than starting a new project as you are now, start it by using that Template. That won't help get the grid of Artboards created in the first place, but will help with subsequent projects. 

For creating them, and the export order, @Pšenda's suggestions should help.

Even better, in my opinion, would be for you to use Publisher, rather than Designer. Publisher natively has the concept of Pages, and when you have both Publisher and Designer you can use Designer's Tools within the Publisher application. This includes Artboards, but as you really seem to want Pages you shouldn't really need them for what you've described so far.

[Sundragonfly]

I don't know how to reply to Pšenda directly. . . 

I did duplicate my artboards to "save" time, and that is how I ended up printing pages 1, 11, 21 . . . because I was copying artboard 1-10 and duplicating ten artboards multiple times. And yep, the layers shows each duplicate is right above the original one.

By using duplicate, it messes up the printing order. To make the artboards print in correct order, I have to do one by one, repeat as many times as I need artboards, which is time-consuming.

 

In reply to Walt Farrell, thank you for considering adding it in the future. It would be a great time-saver.

As an Adobe user, I never thought of using Publisher as an illustration tool. I just tried it in Designer mode, and it works for my projects that are for coloring pages. I'm happy for that. Thank you.

I did search forum for "multiple artboards" before submitting my feedback, and I found this (almost similar but not quite) the same request. I think having multiple artboards creation would help sewing pattern makers, since Publisher does two page spreads only.

 

 

 

[Pšenda]

24 minutes ago, Sundragonfly said:

I have to do one by one

No need to duplicate one by one - select the required number of artboards (objects), Ctrl+C, select the top artboard (object), and Ctrl+V.
Duplicating multiple layers places a duplicate of each layer above the duplicated layer, which is inappropriate in this situation - it changes the order during export.

[Pšenda]

38 minutes ago, Sundragonfly said:

I don't know how to reply to Pšenda directly. . . 

Use Quote button bellow post,

or select partial text in post, and click to Quote selection.

If you want to address a user to receive a notification from the forum, type the "@" sign and the next letters of their name - a list of users will appear, from which you can then select the corresponding name.

[walt.farrell]

20 hours ago, Sundragonfly said:

In reply to Walt Farrell, thank you for considering adding it in the future. It would be a great time-saver.

Sorry, but I'm a user like you, so I can't consider adding it; but Serif may. They will probably not discuss that, however, as they don't discuss future plans.

[Petar Petrenko]

Beside adding more artboards at once, it would be nice to have an option how they have to be placed (rows, columns).