Illustrator 10: Color Settings/Printing screwup!

[Joann Leonard]

I'm in OS 9.2.2 on a G4 500 using calibration, settings and profiles from ColorVision Optical and Profiler Plus. I have been using this CMS for over a year with no problems. I am using A10.0.3 and AI8.1.

In A10 I modify a vector image and go Edit>Color Settings. Load the .csf file set up in PS7 and click ok. Go to Page Setup and set the appropriate paper, click "Advanced" and click "No Color Adjustment", go to Print and notice the Print Space section is grayed out to "Same as Source" and "Relative Colormetric", and the Source Space is set to "Untagged RGB" When I print to my Epson 2200 the file prints highly desaturated.

When I go back to Color Settings I discover that the setting I saved has reverted to "Emulate AI6". No matter what I do (tried trashing the perfs file, rebuilding the DT), the setting reverts. When I try to print the file from AI8 it prints the same lousy way even though the file originated in AI8 and originally printed OK.

I now take a look at the saved settings, System>Adobe>Settings and find the settings I saved from A10 have blank icons, but contain data. I try printing other files from A10 and they all, vector or bitmap, print severely desaturated. Ditto for AI8. This problem has been there for a couple of weeks, however I have been too busy to deal with it. Now I have a job that must be printed on the 2200 and I'm digging for a solution, running Norton, TechTool etc. I'm sure that a few months ago, before I installed A10, files were printing OK from AI8.

All my files print perfectly from PS7 to the 2200. Recent AI8 files have aIso printed fine to offset presses... and to my Epson C80 (but not to the 2200 once A10 was installed)! The A10 files also print OK to the C80, but not to the 2200. All my press checks for files done in AI8 have gone as expected. I have no other problems with my system or setup.

What I've done so far:

1. I called Pantone/Color Vision. After a long discussion they tried to replicate the problem, but could not. All the Print Space settings showed up OK with their pop down menus in A10. I called back and they told me it was either an Epson or Adobe problem.

2. I called Epson and had a discussion with them. They were interested in that the file printed just fine to the C80, but desaturated on the 2200. They think it is a combination of things interfacing, but could not identify the problem.

3. So now I'm contacting this forum. Does anyone out there Have Any Idea what may be going on here?? I am working with a trial version of A10, but am loath to make a purchase after reading all the negatives and dealing with its apparent foul up of AI8 on my system.

Actually I'm happy with AI8 if I can get it printing correctly again. Please help.

[Joann Leonard]

Am I requesting info that's impossible to provide or what? Everyone else seems to get a response...why not me?

It's a 2 way street, I've responded to others when I have a possible answer to their problem.

Anyway, I have figured out two work-arounds.

1. Completely remove any trace of AI 10 and print out of AI 8 with the default Epson settings.

2. Move everything to PS7 and get an 80mg file instead of a 500KB file.

It's amazing. Once I banished AI 10 the file printed perfectly from AI 8, BUT, when I tried to print from AI 10 from a second remote workstation with no CMS, the file printed in the same desaturated manner.

Even in the default settings it would still desaturate out of AI 10. What the ____is going on here?
Adobe are you listening?

So, my conclusion is that AI 10 is a piece of crap. Fortunately, while I spent two days trying to figure out the problem I didn't spend money on the ware.

[Doug Katz]

Shouldn't we assume the problem was the AI 10 trial version? Especially since no one could replicate the problem (I assume with an AI10 full package)? And you solved it the minute you removed the trial version?

Somehow, someway the trial package -- on several of your machines -- is not talking to your 2200 ICC profile... and may have also made it difficult for AI8 to do so. An engineer would know in what exact ways the communication was flawed. But I'm not sure I'd conclude that AI 10 is crap based on this experience with a trial version. Have you heard reports of others using a full AI 10 and the 2200 having desaturation problems?

[Joann Leonard]

Thanks for your comments Doug. It did occur to me that there might be something wrong with AI 10 as it is a "loned" copy not the official trial version (I've learned to really try before I buy). I do have a real trial version and can make a stab at using that even though I can't save, just to see what happens.

I'd be interested in hearing from others using the 2200 with AI 10. I know several people with a 2200 but they only use Photoshop. Pantone was not having problems with AI 10 but I don't know what printer they were using. Epson said they couldn't comment because I'm using a third party CMS.

Right now I'm happy to stick with AI 8. My work doesn't really require all the bells and whistles.