In terms of print quality Illustrator will give you good results, but it doesn't give you a great indication on screen.
I'm on PC, so in my case, the screenpreview in Illustrator at 100% (meaning print size, not print resolution) will only actually show 72dpi which is why it tends to look pretty crappy as a preview...
My simple method of "testing" a design is to create an Illustrator EPS file and open it in Photoshop at both 72 and then 300 dpi. Photoshop will convert the Illustrator file to a raster image and the 72 dpi will show me an actual size preview (albeit with a loss of detail etc) and the 300 dpi version will give me a more accurate indicator of the actual detail that will come up in the final print.
I usually use the Photoshop conversion as a rough proof as well
And on the point about converting the fonts to outlines, I have to agree. It actually makes the file look worse in Illustrator but it is the best way to ensure quality output on the print end...
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