I am currently running Quark 9.5.1.1 under OS X 10.8.3. I just finished my first project under Quark 9 and ran into some serious workflow issues when it came time to produce PDF files to send to the printer.
The problem I experienced was with producing PDF files from spreads containing EPS images (saved from Photoshop). I was able to consistently reproduce this issue on multiple installations of Quark 9 on two different computers.
When utilizing Quark to export to PDF utilizing the 'Composite CMYK' setting I am getting consistent color shifts in the CMYK values contained in my EPS images. Specifically the black values are dropping around 20% - 30% across the board and the other values are getting jacked way up. If I convert the images to TIFF files and export the spreads utilizing identical PDF settings there is no change in CMYK values. The only workaround (other than converting all of my EPS images to TIFFS) is to export to PDF utilizing the 'As Is' setup option in the color options for PDF export. If I use the 'Composite CMYK' setting (preferred by every printer I know) when exporting there will always be a change in CMYK values (for the EPS images) in the PDF that is created. This issue does not occur if my images are TIFF files - only when they are EPS files.
This issue is very simple to reproduce. Create an image in Photoshop of just a black box utilizing the following CMYK values: C: 40, M: 30, Y:30, K:100 (a rich black). Save the file as an EPS. Create a Quark 9.5 document and place this image. Export to PDF (using the Composite CMYK setup option in the Color Options). Open up the PDF in Acrobat and take a look at the CMYK values of the black. They are way off. Specifically you will get C:78, M: 72, Y:73, K: 71. Save the same image as a TIFF file and redo the PDF export and the CMYK values will be exactly what they started at in the original image.
Now either my understanding of Composite CMYK is wrong or there is definitely a problem with how Quark is handling these EPS images. I can utilize the 'As Is' option and export with the correct CMYK values but this concerns my printing company in case there is a spot color or an RGB image contained somewhere in the document. This does not seem to be a 'color management' issue as it only occurs with EPS images and does not affect TIFF images with an identical workflow.
I found Dan Logan's post in the forums concerning problems with PDF when using Vector EPS files and spot inks. My problem does not involve either of those variables.
Any ideas what is going on here?