I create a logo in Illustrator. It is 2 colors, black and pantone 287. The gradient is only with the blue color. I save the file as a EPS. I place the EPS into another program, and generate a new EPS file with all the elements and type combined. My printer requires that all the fonts be converted to outline so I open the EPS again in Illustrator. The logo with the gradients has been converted to CMYK and the gradients now appear in the LINKS panel but they are not editable.
Why is this happening? How can I preserve the EPS so that I don't have to manually replace the converted gradient logo EVERY time I have to make a new EPS file?