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  GridCraft  —  Layout, Logo & Gridframe construction grids
  for Adobe Illustrator
  Installation Guide  (v1.0)
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GridCraft is a panel (CEP extension) for Adobe Illustrator. It builds
classic layout/typographic grids, logo construction grids, and clear-
space (Gridframe) zones from your selected artwork or artboard.

Works in: Adobe Illustrator CC 2019 through 2025 (Mac & Windows).


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WHICH METHOD SHOULD I USE?
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There are two ways to install. You only need ONE.

  • METHOD 1 — Copy the folder yourself  (no extra software needed)
        Works for everyone. You copy the GridCraft folder into Adobe's
        extensions folder and flip a one-time "debug mode" switch.
        >>> If you skip the debug-mode step, the panel opens BLANK. <<<
        This is the #1 cause of a white/empty panel — see STEP 2.

  • METHOD 2 — ZXP installer  (only if you already have one)
        If you use a tool like ZXP/UXP Installer or Anastasiy's
        Extension Manager, it installs GridCraft for you and you can
        skip the debug-mode step. Not everyone has this tool, so if
        you don't, just use METHOD 1 — it works fine.

Most people use METHOD 1. Follow STEP 1–3 below.


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  METHOD 1 — COPY THE FOLDER  (recommended, no extra tools)
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STEP 1 — COPY THE FOLDER INTO THE CEP EXTENSIONS DIRECTORY
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Unzip this download, then move the "GridCraft" folder into:

  macOS:
    ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/
    (the ~ is your home folder. In Finder use Go > Go to Folder…
     and paste:  ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions )

  Windows:
    C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CEP\extensions\

If the "CEP" or "extensions" folders don't exist, create them.

Final path should look like:
  …/Adobe/CEP/extensions/GridCraft/CSXS/manifest.xml


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STEP 2 — ENABLE UNSIGNED EXTENSIONS (one-time)  ← DON'T SKIP THIS
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GridCraft is unsigned, so Illustrator hides it (and shows a BLANK
panel if you force it open) until you turn on "debug mode" once.
This single step is what makes the panel actually appear and load.

  macOS — open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal),
  paste each line, press Return after each:

    defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.12 PlayerDebugMode 1
    defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.11 PlayerDebugMode 1
    defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.10 PlayerDebugMode 1
    defaults write com.adobe.CSXS.9  PlayerDebugMode 1

  Windows — press Win+R, type  regedit  and press Enter. Go to:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\CSXS.12   (also .11, .10, .9)
  In each, create/edit a String value named  PlayerDebugMode
  and set its data to  1.
  (If a CSXS.x key doesn't exist, you can skip that one.)

Tip: the CSXS number matches the CEP version of your Illustrator.
Setting 9–12 covers all recent versions, so just do them all.


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STEP 3 — RESTART ILLUSTRATOR & OPEN THE PANEL
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1. Fully quit Illustrator (Cmd+Q / Alt+F4), then reopen it.
2. Go to:   Window  >  Extensions  >  GridCraft
3. The GridCraft panel opens. Dock it anywhere you like.


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  METHOD 2 — ZXP INSTALLER  (optional, only if you have one)
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If you already use a ZXP/UXP installer or an Extension Manager:

  1. Open your ZXP installer.
  2. Drag the GridCraft .zxp onto it (or use File > Install).
     (No .zxp in this download? Then use METHOD 1 instead.)
  3. Restart Illustrator and open  Window > Extensions > GridCraft.

A ZXP installer registers the extension for you, so you do NOT need
the debug-mode step from METHOD 1.


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HOW TO USE
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The panel has three tabs at the top:

• LAYOUT — pick any of 30+ grid systems (columns, modular, golden
  section, Fibonacci, rule of thirds, baseline, 8-point, bento,
  isometric, Van de Graaf, and more). Draw a rectangle (e.g. an A4
  frame) or select an artboard, choose a grid, set the parameters,
  and click "Build Grid".

• LOGO GRID — select your logo artwork (outline live text first:
  Type > Create Outlines). Toggle Anchors, Handles, Outlines and
  Gridlines, adjust the Gridline Sensitivity slider, then click
  "Build Logo Grid". Construction lines extend to the artboard edges.

• GRIDFRAME — select your logo to generate a clear-space / exclusion
  zone. Choose the unit (X-height auto-detect, logo height, or a
  custom value) and a multiplier, pick a fill (diagonal hatch, unit
  tiles, or frames only), then click "Build Gridframe".

Picking a color: click any color swatch to open GridCraft's built-in
color picker — drag in the square, move the hue slider, or type/paste
a hex code. (GridCraft uses its own picker so colors work reliably
inside Illustrator.)

Everything is created as one named, editable group — a single Undo
(Cmd+Z / Ctrl+Z) removes it. You can export the result as SVG/PDF
or keep it as guides.


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TROUBLESHOOTING
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• The panel is BLANK / white when it opens:
    – This almost always means STEP 2 (debug mode) wasn't done, or
      Illustrator wasn't fully restarted afterward. Redo STEP 2,
      fully quit and reopen Illustrator, and open the panel again.

• "GridCraft" isn't in Window > Extensions:
    – Make sure you completed STEP 2 (debug mode) and fully
      restarted Illustrator.
    – Double-check the folder path from STEP 1 is exact.

• Panel still blank after debug mode:
    – Confirm the whole GridCraft folder (with js/, jsx/, CSXS/) was
      copied, not just some of the files inside it.

• "Select your logo artwork first" / "no vector paths":
    – Select your artwork. For text, run Type > Create Outlines
      first so it becomes vector paths.

• A grid looks off or extends off the artboard:
    – Clear space / construction grids draw outside the logo, so
      give your logo some room on the artboard, or zoom out to see
      the full result.


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UNINSTALL
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Delete the "GridCraft" folder from the CEP/extensions directory.
(Optional) set the PlayerDebugMode values back to 0 if you don't
use other unsigned extensions.


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GridCraft v1.0
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