InkQuest pre-press plugin for Adobe Illustrator

InkQuest is a plugin for Adobe Illustrator, previously part of the Astute Graphics subscription service. It was announced that it would be removed from the subscription in October 2024. Following the notification period, it became freely available here, April 2025.

InkQuest provides the following functionality for pre-press and print operators, including:

• Overprint area preview

• Ink coverage

• Swap channels (as a live effect or filter)

• Generate separations

InkQuest is compatible with:

• Adobe Illustrator 2020.3 to 2025

• Windows 10 (64-bit only) & 11

• macOS 11 to 15 (Apple Silicon and Intel hardware)

Astute Graphics does not provide other variants for different versions of Adobe Illustrator and/or operating systems.

You can download InkQuest here:

• macOS

• Windows

Step 1: Download the Correct Plugin Version

1. Ensure you download the Windows plugin ZIP file.

Step 2: Extract the Plugin Files

1. Locate the downloaded ZIP file in your Downloads folder.

2. Right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All….

3. Choose a destination folder (e.g., Desktop) and click Extract.

Step 3: Install the Plugin

1. Close (Quit) Adobe Illustrator.

2. If you have the Astute Manager installed:

   • Open the Astute Manager

   • Uninstall InkQuest, if already installed.

   • Close the Astute Manager.

3. Open the extracted folder.

4. Locate the InkQuest.aip plugin.

5. Copy the plugin file.

6. Navigate to your Adobe Illustrator Plugins folder:

   • Default location:

     • C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [Your Version]\Plug-ins\

7. Paste the plugin into this folder.

Step 4: Allow Windows to Recognize the Plugin

1. If Windows displays a security warning when launching Illustrator, do the following:

   • Click More info > Run anyway.

   • If prompted by Windows Defender, click Allow.

Step 5: Restart Adobe Illustrator

1. Reopen Adobe Illustrator.

2. Go to Help > About Astute Graphics Plugins > InkQuest…

3. Verify that the plugin is available.

4. Close the About InkQuest window.

InkQuest should be installed and ready to use! 🚀

Step 1: Download the Correct Plugin Version

1. Ensure you download the macOS plugin ZIP file.

Step 2: Extract the Plugin Files

1. Locate the downloaded ZIP file in your Downloads folder.

2. Double-click the ZIP file to extract its contents.

3. Open the extracted folder.

Step 3: Install the Plugin

1. Close (Quit) Adobe Illustrator.

2. If you have the Astute Manager installed:

   • Open the Astute Manager

   • Uninstall InkQuest, if already installed.

   • Close the Astute Manager.

3. Locate the relevant downloaded InkQuest.aip plugin.

4. Open Finder and navigate to:

   • /Applications/Adobe Illustrator [Your Version]/Plug-ins/

5. Drag and drop the InkQuest.aip plugin into this folder.

Step 4: Overcome macOS Notarization Issues

macOS may block the plugin, showing a warning about an "unverified developer". To fix this:

1. Open the Terminal application (found in Applications > Utilities).

2. Type the following command:

   • sudo xattr -c -r 

1. Ensure you add a single space following “-r”.

2. Do not press Enter yet.

3. Drag the installed InkQuest.aip plugin file from Finder into the Terminal window.

   • This appends the full file path to the command, eg. “sudo xattr -c -r /Applications/Adobe\ Illustrator\ 2025/Plug-ins.localized/InkQuest.aip”

4. Press Enter and enter your macOS administrator password (you won’t see it as you type) followed by Enter.

5. Once the command completes, close Terminal.

Step 5: Restart Adobe Illustrator

1. Reopen Adobe Illustrator.

2. Go to Illustrator > About Astute Graphics Plugins > InkQuest…

3. Verify that the plugin is available.

4. Close the About InkQuest window.

InkQuest should be installed and ready to use! 🚀

If Adobe Illustrator fails to load following installation of the plugin, or provides a warning that InkQuest is not installed correctly whilst loading, please:

1. Quit Adobe Illustrator (if running).

2. Delete the plugin from the Illustrator Plug-ins folder.

3. Start Illustrator to ensure it runs once more without issue.

4. Follow the instructions above once more, paying special attention to:

   • Checking your installed version of Illustrator is 2020.3 (v24.3) to 2025 (v29).

   • Download for the correct operating system.

   • Windows Defender has been set to allow the plugin to run, or the manual macOS notarization by-pass steps have been accurately followed.

If you still experience issues, please visit the InkQuest channel as part of the Astute Graphics community Slack and request help from fellow users: https://agcommunity.slack.com/archives/C08K3G5H5FB

Once the InkQuest plugin is installed, the various functions are accessed using the following menus and/or windows.

Swap Channels

Swap Channels is available as both a non-destructive live Effect and permanent Filter. With the object selected, either follow Effect > InkQuest > Swap Channels... or Object > Filters > InkQuest > Swap Channels...

Swap Channels does what it says on the tin. It allows you to swap ink, color and alpha channels—plus allowing your copy levels from one channel into another.

Ideal for working in CMYK documents, it will also cater for RGB artwork.

For a full overview, please watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWzcUsQrd0c&list=PLVuiTl_w4-zAPle96EWYIpN7ms4FQXVtM&index=2

Quick Separations / Overprint Preview / Ink Coverage

⚠️ These functions are only accessible in CMYK documents which are being viewed in Overprint Preview mode (View > Overprint Preview).

A single modal dialogue window provides these functions and may be accessed via View > InkQuest Output Preview > ...

Once the window is open, it is possible to quickly change between the various output preview modes by selecting from the Preview pull-down menu.

Overprint [object] Preview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcd4Yq4lhp0&list=PLVuiTl_w4-zAPle96EWYIpN7ms4FQXVtM&index=4

Ink Coverage video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQfrEpXhEgY&list=PLVuiTl_w4-zAPle96EWYIpN7ms4FQXVtM&index=5

Quick Separations was subsequently duplicated in Illustrator natively. You may wish to use the Window > Separations Preview… instead.

Full Separations

⚠️ This functionality is only relevant to CMYK documents.

Full artwork separations are accessed through a panel. To access the panel, open Window > InkQuest > Separations Panel...

Once the Separations panel is open, it may be docked as standard. If the artwork has not yet been fully separated, or a full separation has been released (please refer to the product movies for full information) this panel will only give the option to Generate Separations. Click on this button to produce fully separated artwork in a new document.

Once the artwork is separated, the panel changes, providing control and adjustment of the separations and printer marks.

Full Separations instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdfo_-lHHoY&list=PLVuiTl_w4-zAPle96EWYIpN7ms4FQXVtM&index=6