Select File > Print to open the Print dialog box.
Last updated on
Oct 25, 2026
Choose whether Illustrator or your printer driver controls color conversion when printing your artwork.
Color-managed printing ensures your printed output matches your on-screen colors by applying color profiles during the print process.
This procedure applies when printing to PostScript printers with color management capabilities. You can let Adobe Illustrator control color conversion by applying printer profiles, or let your printer driver handle color management. Choose application-managed color for precise control over rendering intent and color profiles. Choose printer-managed color when your printer driver offers specialized color handling or when working with specific paper profiles built into your printer.
Before printing with color management, ensure your document uses the appropriate color mode for your output device and that you have installed any custom printer profiles provided by your print shop.
- PostScript printer or the ability to save as Adobe PDF
- Illustrator 2023 or later
- Printer driver installed with current settings
- Optional: Custom ICC printer profiles for your specific paper and ink combination
Choose your color management workflow
Select one of the two procedures below based on who should control color conversion during printing.
Let Illustrator manage colors
Select Color Management from the options on the left side of the dialog box.
For Color Handling, select Let Illustrator Determine Colors from the menu.
For Printer Profile, select the profile that matches your output device and paper type.
Set the Rendering Intent to specify how colors convert to the destination color space, or keep the default Relative Colorimetric setting.
Select Setup (Windows) or Printer (macOS) at the bottom of the dialog box.
In Windows, right-click your printer and select Properties, then locate the color management settings (typically labeled Color Management or ICM). In macOS, select your printer and choose the color management option from the menu (typically labeled ColorSync).
Turn off color management in the printer driver to prevent double color correction.
Return to the Illustrator Print dialog box and select Print.
Tip
The more accurately your printer profile describes your output device and printing conditions, the more precisely Illustrator can convert colors. For information about color profiles and color spaces, see About color.
Let your printer manage colors
Select File > Print to open the Print dialog box.
Select a PostScript printer from the Printer menu. To print to a file, select Adobe PDF.
Select Color Management from the options on the left side of the dialog box.
For Color Handling, select Let PostScript Printer Determine Colors from the menu.
For Rendering Intent, keep the default setting or choose how the application converts colors to the destination color space.
To preserve color numbers for unprofiledimages, select Preserve RGB Numbers (for RGB output) or Preserve CMYK Numbers (for CMYK output) if you're following a safe CMYK workflow.
Select Setup (Windows) or Printer (macOS) at the bottom of the dialog box.
In Windows, right-click your printer and select Properties, then locate the color management settings. In macOS, select your printer and choose the color management option from the menu.
Enable color management in your printer driver to let it handle color conversion during printing.
Return to the Illustrator Print dialog box and select Print.
Note
When Preserve Numbers is selected, Illustrator sends color values directly to the output device without converting them. When deselected, Illustrator converts color numbers to the output device's color space. Preserving numbers works best for safe CMYK workflows but is not recommended for printing RGB documents.
Your color-managed print job now processes according to the workflow you selected. For optimal results, consult your printer documentation for specific color management settings, as every printer driver offers different options. To understand more about color management and print options, see About color, Print gradients, meshes, and color blends, Print color separations.
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