Is it better to Print PDF's from Illustrator: Colour Management

[NStocks]

So lately I've been having a little trouble with using Epson ICC profiles in Adobe Acrobat... I've most likely mistaken what they are exactly and how I need to use them int he software i.e not ALL the paper profiles I download show up under the print settings.

If I have colour PDF files, would it be pointless printing in Adobe Acrobat as it has limited colour management (so I've heard) or should I print all my PDF's from Illustrator?

The reason I ask is because I'm not 100% sure if Acrobat and Illustrator have the same colour management capabilities. Furthermore, I will not be using Profiles created by myself (I no longer have a printer +monitor collaborator) so I will be using Epson's own Paper profiles. When it comes to colour management, I know to "Let the software manage Colour" but I'm not sure if Illustrator does this in the same way as Acrobat.

On a separate note, Epson told me that I should NOT download the latest 'Epson' drivers from the Apple software Update as they are not made by Epson. Epson said that Apple push this update (from Epson Driver 6.X to 'Apple driver' 8.X) and said that it's a generic update so I may have issues with profiles etc. I'm not inclined to believe this as I had issues with Epson 'old' 6.X driver... Please can someone verify wether this is true or not.


Thank You.

 

[irishgrizzly]

Are you sending these to a printer or only printing yourself? If I'm going to be sending out a PDF I'll always print my proofs from a PDF.

You should have Illy and acrobat set to the same colour profile. These profiles would be separate from your local printer files and come with the program (not loaded locally).

 

[NStocks]

I'm printing for myself, at home on Epson R2880.

In acrobat I have the option of colour matching http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1055166/Screen%20shot%202010-07-10%20at%2010.38.37.png wereby from that list I can choose the ICC profiles, and ensure I select the correct media type too. From the above link, does Illustrator have the same colour management as Acrobat?

Would InDesign be better for color management thanAcrobat/Illustrator or in general for printing PDf? I know ID is more of a 'layout' application and that AI is vector based, I'm not sure on ID

Thank You

 

[irishgrizzly]

Here's my list of Illy profiles. They should be the same available to both Illy/Acrobat. Unless you've made a PDF for online use only (viewing on monitors) you shouldn't be using an RGB profile.

You should print out a few samples using different profiles and compare by eye to check which one gives the best results.