How to Get Crop Marks to Show in Illustrator
Crop marks, also referred to as trim marks, designate where the printer should cut the artwork. A horizontal and vertical line is placed at each corner of the artwork. When the artwork is printed, the printer cuts along the lines. This is especially important if you are printing artwork that requires a bleed, artwork that extends beyond the edge of the paper's margin so that your final artwork will extend to the edge of the paper once trimmed. Adobe Illustrator provides two ways to create crop marks. The Object menu will add editable trim marks as part of the artwork, while the Effects menu will create live crop marks that automatically adjust with the artwork.
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Instructions
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Open your Illustrator document. Select the “Rectangle” tool.
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Click on the “Stroke” icon in the Tools panel. Click on the “None” icon, which has a red, diagonal line, to make the stroke of the rectangle invisible.
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Draw a rectangle around the area to be trimmed.
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Click on the “Object” menu and select “Create Trim Marks” to create static crop mark paths that will not adjust when you change the rectangle, but that can be manipulated like other paths. Click on the “Effects” menu and select “Crop Marks” to create live-effect crop marks that will adjust with the rectangle. A vertical and horizontal line appears around each corner of the rectangle.
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