Converting FrameMaker-based PDFs into a CMYK colour space with Acrobat 7 Pro?

[Ursula McCloy]

I'm about to experiment with the "Convert Colours" feature in Acrobat 7 Pro, but have a couple of questions about best practices.  

Our documents are typically "feature sheets" and such, which have black text, some CMYK colours defined in FrameMaker (headings, graphical shapes, backgrounds, etc.), and some imported images of whatever file type we choose.  Our print output is on run-of-the-mill paper (semi-glossy, a couple of different weights, sometimes laminated) via a digital printer.  No fancy four-colour presses or anything.

1)  Is it better to manage colour conversion via the job settings when distilling the postscript file, or should we convert from an RGB colour-space to a CMYK colour-space after the fact in the PDF file?

2)  If the Distiller option is the best, what options for settings, colour management policies, and working spaces are recommended?

3)  If the Acrobat option is the best, what destination space should we choose?  Is the default U.S. Web Coated (SWOP)v2 OK?  There are a billion options in there, so it's a little confusing.  Are there other conversion options that are recommended?

4)  Is it possible to get colour definitions in the PDF to match the colour definitions in FM?  e.g. when I distilled a FM file with the following colour definition:  C: 98%, M: 45%, Y: 13%, K: 22%, the resulting objects in the PDF have the colour definition: C:98.8, M:77.3, Y:6.7; K: 0.4.

5) If it's not possible to  match CMYK values exactly, should we even bother defining CMYK colours in FrameMaker, or just mass convert the RGB and see what we get?  Is there a difference in how they're handled if they are spot colours or process colours, overprint or knockout?

6) Ideally, we'd like to match CMYK colours in FrameMaker with CMYK colours in imported EPS graphics (which I understand should preserve the original CMYK colour definitions into the PDF).  Is this a pipe dream?  Are there other options for getting similar looking colours across all parts of the document?

Thanks a bunch,

Ursula McCloy
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