Significant Color Profile Issue in Illustrator v28 with EPS Output

Hi all,

I'm facing a frustratuing issue with Adobe Illustrator version 28 (present in the past couple of updates as well) where color profiles are not being preserved when saving as EPS files from a multi-artboard/page AI working file. My process is as follows:

1. File > Save As > Save on Your Computer
2. Choose Format: Illustrator EPS (Use Artboards checked)
3. EPS Options:
   • Version: Illustrator 2020 EPS
   • Preview Format: TIFF (8-bit Color) with Transparency
   • Transparency: Overprints: Preserve
   • Preset: High Resolution
   • Options: Embed Fonts, Include Linked Files, Document Thumbnails, CMYK PostScript in RGB Files, Use Printer's Default Screen
   • Adobe PostScript: Language Level 2

The color profile "Working CMYK: U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2" is correctly assigned in the AI file. However, upon saving, all EPS files revert to "Don't Color Manage This Document," ignoring the assigned profile.

I've tried every combination of settings to resolve this, but the issue persists. This is a departure from previous Illustrator versions, where the assigned color profile was retained across all EPS files generated.

Has anyone else experienced this with Illustrator v28 (or recent versions), or does anyone have a workaround? This problem is significantly disrupting my workflow, and I'd greatly appreciate any advice or solutions.

If I save as a single artboard/page EPS, (without the "Use Artboards" box checked) the profile IS retained in the resulting EPS output file.

Thank you for your time and assistance!