Historical

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

InkQuest is one of Astute Graphics' earliest plugins. Originally part of the Phantasm Publisher collection of functions in 2009, it was subsequently split out into its own product before Astute Graphics' transition to SaaS.

In many ways, it was an outlier in the Astute Graphics plugin feature set, focusing purely on specialist pre-press operations such as ink coverage, ink channel swapping and the like, whereas all other functions concentrate on the creative workflow.

For the past year, Astute Graphics has been monitoring use and user feedback relating to InkQuest and has concluded that its unusual fit within the overall SaaS focus is reflected in the minimal usage figures. Coupled with deep technical issues the latest releases of Adobe Illustrator is presenting to InkQuest's maintenance requirements, it has been decided that this plugin is now end-of-life.

The most recent release, v2.8.2, allows the plugin to be installed in Illustrator 2020 through to 2025 via the Astute Manager. However, Astute Graphics can not assure of its functionality in Illustrator 2025 and users are advised that use of it in Illustrator 2025 is at their own risk. Whereas, we are not noticing any unusual stability issues, internal testing has found rendering issues in some circumstances on some systems.

With the Astute Graphics plugin service expanding extensively and continuously since its introduction in 2019, with new plugins and numerous new tools and functions, we will continue to invest in the creative workflow elements of the plugins, documentation — including AG Docs — and a high level of support.

Astute Graphics intends to remove the InkQuest plugin from the Astute Manager in the near future, at which point it will be made freely available as a manually-installed and unmanaged plugin for the pre-press community.

With the introduction of support for Illustrator 2025, we have ended support for Illustrator 2019.

If you still have Astute Graphics plugins installed in Illustrator 2019, you will be notified in the Astute Manager that these are now orphaned. For full guidance on this, please refer to the What are Orphaned plugins?

Full compatibility information can be found here.

With the introduction of support for macOS 15, we ended support for macOS 10.x.

If you are still using older versions of Adobe Illustrator, such as Illustrator 2020, on higher versions of macOS 10.x, such as macOS 10.15, it’s likely to function correctly. It must be stressed however, that Astute Graphics can no longer guarantee this, and we are not able to provide technical support for pre macOS 11 operating systems.

Full current compatibility information can be found here.

License keys are only necessary for use of very old legacy licenses. Since 2019, all customers install their plugins and receive updates via the Astute Manager and license keys are not necessary.

If you are a legacy customer using the older unified installer installation method, you will find your legacy keys within the email/s received upon purchasing your license/s.

Updated October 2023
Adobe typically allow users to install previous versions of Adobe Illustrator. At the time of writing (18 October 2023), the current Illustrator version is Illustrator 2024 (v28). Through the Creative Cloud application, it is possible to install this and Illustrator 2021 (v25.x).

By request, Adobe also provide installers for Illustrator 2019 (v23.x) and earlier however, Adobe no longer provide installers for Illustrator 2020 (v24.x), either via the CC application, or as stand-alone installers. We have checked this status with Adobe (support and engineering) and can confirm this policy will not likely change.

If you already have Illustrator 2020 installed on your computer, it should remain functional however, if you uninstall it you will not be able to reinstall it.

Following this development, Astute Graphics have had to cease support for Illustrator 2020 plugins. They will remain available via the Astute Manager, but their operation cannot be backed up with any technical assistance. This is because Astute Graphics is, itself, unable to install Illustrator 2020 on a full range of test environments.

We thoroughly recommend that all users update Illustrator to 2021, or above. These versions of Illustrator are also proving to be more stable.

Full current compatibility for Astute Graphics can be found here.

Yes, our software is now fully Illustrator 2025 compatible.

How do I update?

With the release of Illustrator 2025, the Astute Manager now automatically recognizes if this latest version is installed, and allows all new builds of every Astute Graphics plugin to be added, so there is no need to download and reinstall your Astute Manager.

So to update, simply install 2025 in your Adobe Illustrator, then run and quit it.

Once you have done this, quit the Astute Manager (using the ☒ Quit option at the bottom of the left-hand menu in the Astute Manager window) and restart. IfIllustrator 2025 has been installed, it will be auto-detected and available for plugin installation.

Full step by step guidance on how to detect new versions of Illustrator in the Astute Manager can be found here.

What's new in this release?

• Access to latest plugin updates, which are now all Illustrator 2025 ready. All technical updates listed here.

I'm having problems updating, what should I do?

• If you are seeing a Host application error, please see Host Application error in Astute Manager.

• If you have updated and you are not seeing your plugins, please see Detecting and adding plugins to new installations of Illustrator.

The above guides will resolve these issues however, if you continue to experience problems, please Contact us and one of the team will be happy to help.

End of support for Illustrator CC2019

With the introduction of support for Illustrator 2025, we have ended support for Illustrator 2019. If you still have Astute Graphics plugins installed in Illustrator 2019, you will be notified in the Astute Manager that these are now orphaned. For further information on this, please see What are Orphaned plugins? for guidance on this.

macOS 15 (Sequoia) ready

The latest plugins and Astute Manager have now been tested to be fully compatible with macOS 15. No further updates to the software are required for users of this latest Apple operating system.

End of support for macOS 10.x

With the introduction of support for macOS 15, we have ended support for macOS 10.x.

If you are still using older versions of Adobe Illustrator, such as Illustrator 2020, on higher versions of macOS 10.x, such as macOS 10.15, it’s likely to function correctly. However, Astute Graphics can no longer guarantee this, and we are not able to provide technical support for pre macOS 11 operating systems.

InkQuest plugin End-of-Life

InkQuest is one of Astute Graphics' earliest plugins. For the past year we have been monitoring use and user feedback relating to InkQuest and we have concluded that its unusual fit within the overall SaaS focus is reflected in the minimal usage figures. Due to this and the deep technical issues that the latest Adobe Illustrator releases are presenting to InkQuest's maintenance requirements, it has been decided that this plugin is now end-of-life.
We intend to remove the InkQuest plugin from the Astute Manager in the near future, at which point it will be made freely available as a manually-installed and unmanaged plugin for the pre-press community.

For full information, please see InkQuest plugin End-of-Life.

Full compatibility information can be found here.

The following legacy Unified Installers are for customers who haven't upgraded to the subscription or those remaining with Adobe Illustrator CS6.

Please use the table below to discover which Unified Installer Version you require.

Download for macOS:

• Unified Installer Version 1.1.9

• Unified Installer Version 1.2.5

• Unified Installer Version 1.3.0

• Unified Installer Version 1.3.3

• Unified Installer Version 1.3.6

Download for Windows:

• Unified Installer Version 1.1.9

• Unified Installer Version 1.2.5

• Unified Installer Version 1.3.0

• Unified Installer Version 1.3.3

• Unified Installer Version 1.3.6

What Astute Graphics software is compatible with macOS Sequoia?

All subscription software.

The current Astute Manager (and all subsequent versions) are fully macOS 15 (Sequoia) compatible. No further updates to the software are required for users who upgrade to this latest Apple operating system.

I don't have an active Subscription, am I compatible with macOS Sequoia?

If you are on a Free Trial, yes the plugins are compatible.

They are not compatible however
- If you purchased between 14 September 2019 and 3 September 2020 and you haven't purchased since.
Or
- if you purchased individual legacy plugins prior to September 2019.
In both of the above cases, you would not have compatibility with macOS 15 (Sequoia) and you would need to upgrade to the subscription.

Full compatibility information can be found here.

This only applies for individual legacy plugins purchased pre-September 2019. Here you can check if your legacy plugin is compatible with any older versions of Illustrator that you might have access to.

All plugins labelled "Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019" can still be installed with our last released Unified Installer.

Phantasm CS - September 2006 – Previous generation, predates CC17.1

Phantasm CS v2 - May 2007 – Previous generation, predates CC17.1

Phantasm CS Designer - March 2008 – Previous generation, predates CC17.1

Phantasm CS Studio - March 2008 – Previous generation, predates CC17.1

Phantasm CS Publisher - November 2009 –  Previous generation, predates CC17.1

Phantasm CS D|S - March 2011 – Previous generation, predates CC17.1

VectorScribe v1 - May 2011 – Previous generation, predates CC17.1

DrawScribe - March 2012 – Since split into InkScribe and DynamicSketch

SubScribe - April 2012 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

WidthScribe  v1 - January 2013 – Previous generation, predates CC 2015.2

ColliderScribe v1 - March 2013 – Previous generation, pre-dates CC2014

InkScribe - May 2013 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

DynamicSketch v1 - May 2013 – Previous generation, pre-dates CC2018

Phantasm v3  -  May 2013 – Previous generation, pre-dates Illustrator 2019

Rasterino - May 2013 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

InkQuest - May 2013 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

MirrorMe - July 2013 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019 - Since changed to a free product on subscription

VectorScribe v2 - October 2013 – Previous generation, pre-dates CC2017

Stylism - April 2014 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

Autosaviour Free - June 2014 – Since merged with Autosaviour Pro and now a free product on subscription

WidthScribe v2 - October 2014 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

Autosaviour Pro - December 2014 – Since changed to a free product on subscription

ColliderScribe v2 - June 2015 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

Stipplism - October 2015 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

Texturino - February 2016 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

VectorScribe v3 - October 2016 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

DirectPrefs - October 2016 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019 - Since changed to a free product on subscription

VectorFirstAid - March 2017 – Previous generation, pre-dates Illustrator 2019

DynamicSketch v2 - June 2017 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

Phantasm v4  - April 2018 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

VectorFirstAid v2 - September 2018 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

SubScribe v2 - February 2019 – Compatible CS6 - Illustrator 2019

To improve power consumption, the Astute Manager v3 is separated into two components:

1. The background "Astute Manager Tray" (running in the background checking for updates, etc., and existing only in the macOS menu bar, top right of the screen)

2. The user interface "Astute Manager" window (which allows you to manage your plugins)

If the Astute Manager window is open, CMD-Q will only quit the "Astute Manager" app and user interface. It does not automatically quit the background "Astute Manager Tray" app.

If you want to quit both in macOS, either:

1. With the Astute Manager window open, click on the Quit button (bottom left):

Click on the Quit button

2. Right-click on the menu bar icon and opt for Quit Astute Manager:

Right click on the menu bar icon

If you need to Force Quit the Astute Manager

If the Astute Manager become unresponsive for any reason, and you are unable to quit using either method described above, take the following action.

1. Open the macOS filer and navigate to the Applications > Utilities folder

2. Locate and run the Activity Monitor app:

Locate and run the Activity Monitor app

3. Locate all instances of "Astute Manager" in Processes:

Locate all instances of Astute Manager in Processes

4. Click on the Stop button as highlighted above

Legacy Licenses are historical licenses (a license type that is no longer offered and so cannot be renewed) for plugins which customers purchased prior to our change of service model on 14 September 2019.

In the past, our plugins were compatible with CS6 and customers who bought these licenses can still use them by reinstalling. To use these “Legacy Licenses” you must have already purchased them in the past as we no longer make them.

In the past we also sold individual license keys. It's no longer possible to purchase individual license keys as due to the change in the structure of our licensing we no longer produce individual keys.

While these legacy licenses will no longer be updated, and are not compatible with future operating system or Adobe Illustrator releases, the licenses remain valid and available for:
Adobe Illustrator CS6 to Illustrator 2019
Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10 and macOS 10.10 through 10.14.

You should have kept a record of your license keys for future reinstallation with the older Unified Installer Installation Method. If you are experiencing any issues locating your license keys, please contact us quoting any known email addresses to which your plugin(s) are currently registered.

Do not upgrade from Mojave to Catalina or above:
Please note that legacy customers should avoid upgrading from Mojave to Catalina, Big Sur or above.

Do not move to Illustrator 2019 or above:
Legacy customers should also avoid upgrading beyond Illustrator 2019 as previously purchased plugins are not compatible with Illustrator 2020 or above.

When you upgrade to a new version of Illustrator, in the advanced options of the creative cloud app, deselect "removal of previous versions of Illustrator".

If your first purchase with us was made after 14 September 2019 then you don’t own any legacy licenses.

Full compatibility for current subscription licenses can be found here.

Astui was a subscription service from Astute Graphics. The service offered Design tools for XD, Sketch and Illustrator including Smart Point Removal and Move Points to Tangencies, Off-Set Path, Rounded Corners, Brush Sets and Variable Width Strokes Tools. You could also clean paths and process and optimize SVG Vectors in Dropbox.

It is no longer possible to sign-up to Astui as the service was withdrawn on March 10 2021. This decision was made due to the functionality of the Offset and Block Shadow tools now being present and enhanced within our Astute Graphics subscription.

We are assessing the best route by which the Astui online SVG service and API can make a return to public availability. We would be interested to hear from potential users and licensees of this technology via our contact form.

In July of 2019 it was decided that the time had finally come for Astute Graphics to end support on all releases for Adobe Illustrator CS6. Compatibility for all releases is currently Illustrator 2019 and above.

We have consistently issued major upgrades to our plugins every few years and each of these releases has crossed several major Illustrator and OS updates. Due to the ever-expanding set of Creative Cloud releases however and with Adobe no longer supporting CS6, our support for CS6 had to cease for practical reasons as it had reached the point of no longer being practically testable or maintainable.

An eventual cut off point for maintaining older versions is necessary also owing to the time and work put in by our engineers and wider team in the research and development of all major new tools and services. So, in the spirit of striving to offer innovative design software whilst making it affordable, our increased support cycle for new releases has to prioritize the newer Illustrator versions on both Windows and macOS.

In August 2019 there was one final minor update release via our legacy Unified Installer,  this means that any plugins purchased from us up until 14 September 2019 are useable in CS6. In September 2019 we strongly advised all existing customers that a copy of that last Unified Installer is stored for future use by all those intending to remain with CS6.

What are compatibility releases going forward?

Please ensure you follow us on social media ( Facebook / TikTok / Instagram ), and subscribe to our emails for important notices on future compatibility updates.

Full Astute Graphics compatibility can be found here.

Please note that in October 2022 we dropped support for CC17.1 to CC2017, this means that compatibility with the following CC versions ended:

• CC17.1

• CC2014

• CC2015

• CC2017

In October 2023 we dropped support for CC2018, this means that compatibility with the following CC versions ended:

• CC 2018 (22.0.0)

• CC 2018.1 (22.1.0)

In October 2024 we dropped support for CC2019, this means that compatibility with the following CC versions ended:

• CC 2019 (23.0.0)

• CC 2019 (23.0.2)

• CC 2019 (23.1.0)

Customers using older Illustrator versions

Whilst releases for Illustrator CS6 are no longer available, CS6 users did not lose access to the licenses they had already purchased from us. All CS6 compatible licenses previously purchased from Astute Graphics are perpetual and so as long as your operating system doesn’t gain updates which break the software, you are able to continue enjoying these tools in CS6. For advice on reinstalling your older CS6 compatible plugins, please see our advice on Legacy licenses.

Since the Software is being delivered to the Licensee “AS IS", we will only issue refunds on incompatible licenses purchased in error if the request is made within the 7 day money back period. Please see Terms & Conditions for our full refund policy.

As of March 2022 we are no longer Windows 7 and 8 compatible.

We always endeavour to keep as much backward compatibility as possible, however an eventual cut off point for maintaining older versions is necessary partly owing to the time and work put in by our engineers and wider team in the research and development of all major new tools and services.

All current compatibility for our software can be found here.

To improve power consumption, the Astute Manager is separated into two components:

1. The background "Astute Manager Tray" (running in the background checking for updates, etc., and existing only in the Windows tray, normally bottom right of the screen)

2. The user interface "Astute Manager" window (which allows you to manage your plugins)

If the Astute Manager window is open, Ctrl-Q will only quit the "Astute Manager" app and user interface. It does not automatically quit the background "Astute Manager Tray" app.

If you want to quit both in Windows, with the Astute Manager window open, click on the Quit button (bottom left):

Click on the Quit button

If you need to force quit ("End task") the Astute Manager

If the Astute Manager become unresponsive for any reason, and you are unable to quit using either method described above, take the following action.

1. Open the Task Manager and view the Processes

2. Locate all instances of "Astute Manager", selecting them

3. Right-click on these instances and opt for End task