Drivers, queue and errors
Printer won't print PDF files: how to find the cause and fix it
Written by Fix a Printer Editorial Team · Updated
When your printer won’t print PDF files but prints everything else, the printer and its connection are working. What fails is somewhere between the PDF file, the program you open it in and the printer driver that translates it into something the printer understands. That narrows things down a lot, and this guide walks through the checks in order, from the quickest to the most technical.
If nothing prints at all, from any program, this is not a PDF problem. Start with the print spooler fix or the printer troubleshooting guide instead.
Step 1: Confirm it is really only PDFs
Print a short text document from Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on a Mac. Then print a web page. If both come out, you have confirmed the problem is specific to PDFs. If they fail too, look at the printer queue and connection first; on a Mac, our guide to a printer not working on Mac covers paused queues and stale printer entries.
Also note exactly what happens with the PDF, because each symptom points somewhere different:
- Nothing happens, or the job vanishes from the queue: often the viewer or the driver.
- An error message from the reader: often a damaged file or a font problem.
- Blank pages or missing parts: often fonts or graphics the driver cannot process.
- Only the first pages print, then it stops: often a large file and limited printer memory.
- The Print option is greyed out: the PDF may be secured against printing.
Step 2: Try another PDF viewer or browser
This is the quickest test and often the fix. Every PDF viewer has its own way of preparing pages for printing, so a file that fails in one viewer may print perfectly from another.
- Windows 11: open the PDF in Microsoft Edge (right-click the file, choose Open with and pick Edge), then press Ctrl+P. If Edge shows a print preview error, Microsoft suggests choosing a different printer in the dialog and then reselecting yours, or closing Edge completely and trying again.
- Mac: open the PDF in Preview and choose File > Print. Preview can print a PDF even if you do not have the app that created it.
- Acrobat Reader on either system is a good third option if you used a browser first.
If the PDF prints from one viewer but not another, keep using the one that works and update the one that failed (see Step 5).
Step 3: Get a fresh copy of the file
PDFs that were partly downloaded, saved from a broken email attachment or copied from a failing USB stick can open on screen but fail when printed. Signs of a damaged file include error messages when opening it, pages that load slowly or appear incomplete, and a file size that looks too small for the number of pages.
Download the file again, ideally with a different browser, or ask the sender to send it again. If you created the PDF yourself, export it again from the original program. As a test, you can also print the PDF to Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows, or use Save as PDF in the Mac print dialog, and then print the new file. That re-builds the PDF and can clear out structural problems.
Step 4: Print As Image
Acrobat and Acrobat Reader have a setting that sidesteps most font and graphics problems. Instead of sending fonts, transparency and vector drawings for the printer to interpret, the reader turns each page into a picture first.
- Open the PDF in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader and choose File > Print.
- Click Advanced in the Print dialog.
- Tick Print As Image and click OK.
- Print again.
The job will be larger and may take longer, especially on slower printers; our guide to a printer printing slowly explains why big jobs crawl. Fine text can also look a little softer. If Print As Image works, though, you know the problem was in how the page content was being interpreted.
Step 5: Update the PDF reader
Older versions of PDF readers can mishandle files created by newer software. In Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, open the Help menu and choose Check for Updates. Browsers such as Edge update themselves, but restarting the browser makes sure the latest version is running. On a Mac, Preview is updated with macOS through System Settings > General > Software Update.
Step 6: Check fonts and page content
A PDF should carry its fonts inside the file. When a font is not embedded, the viewer has to substitute one, and the driver may fail or print blank areas. In Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, choose File > Properties and open the Fonts tab. Fonts listed without the word “Embedded” are being substituted. You cannot fix that inside a reader, but Print As Image usually works around it, and the author can re-export the PDF with fonts embedded.
Heavy transparency, layers and very detailed vector drawings, common in maps and design files, can cause the same kind of failure. Again, Print As Image is the practical fix.
If the printer outputs pages of random characters when you print a PDF, the driver is wrong for the printer; see printer printing gibberish.
Step 7: Large files and printer memory
A PDF with hundreds of pages or full-page scanned images can create a print job larger than the printer can hold. The printer may stop part-way, print an error page, or quietly discard the job.
- Print a smaller range, for example pages 1 to 20, then the next batch.
- Lower the print quality setting in the printer’s options for drafts.
- Close other programs on the computer if the reader itself runs out of memory.
Step 8: Check the printer driver
The driver turns the PDF viewer’s output into the printer’s own language. Many office printers offer more than one driver type, typically PCL and PostScript. Some PDFs that fail on one type print on the other, because PostScript and PDF share the same imaging model. If your printer offers both, install the other one and test. Always get drivers from the printer manufacturer or Windows Update, as Microsoft recommends.
If Windows reports that the driver itself is missing or broken, follow printer driver is unavailable. If PDFs print but come out blank even after Print As Image, and other documents also print blank, the cause is the printer rather than the file; see printer printing blank pages.
Step 9: Secured PDFs that do not allow printing
Some PDFs are deliberately restricted. The author can set a permission that blocks printing, or allows only low-resolution printing. In that case the Print option is greyed out or the reader tells you printing is not permitted.
To check, open File > Properties in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader and select the Security tab. If printing is listed as not allowed, that is a choice made by whoever created the document. Ask the sender for a version that allows printing. Do not try to remove the protection with third-party tools; besides the legal and security risks, those tools are a common source of malware.
Quick reference
| Symptom | Likely cause | Try first |
|---|---|---|
| Fails in one viewer only | Viewer problem | Print from another viewer, then update |
| Error when opening or printing | Damaged file | Download a fresh copy |
| Blank areas or missing text | Fonts or graphics | Print As Image |
| Stops after a few pages | File too large | Print a smaller page range |
| Print option greyed out | Secured PDF | Check Security tab, ask the sender |
Most PDFs that will not print come out after a change of viewer or Print As Image. If one particular file still refuses on every viewer and every computer, the file itself is the problem, and a new export from the original source is the reliable fix.
Frequently asked questions
Why will my printer print Word documents but not PDFs?
Because the connection works and the PDF is the problem. The file may be damaged or only partly downloaded, use fonts or graphics the driver cannot process, be too large for the printer's memory, or be secured against printing. Try another viewer first, then Print As Image.
What does Print As Image do?
It makes the PDF reader convert each page to a picture before sending it to the printer. The printer no longer has to interpret fonts and vector graphics, which avoids many errors. The trade-off is that jobs are larger and slower, and fine text can look slightly less sharp.
Why does my PDF print blank pages or missing text?
Usually because a font is not embedded in the PDF, or the driver cannot render a transparency or graphic. Print As Image often fixes it. If every document prints blank, the cause is the printer, covered in our guide to blank pages.
How do I know if a PDF is protected from printing?
In Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, open File > Properties and look at the Security tab. If printing is listed as not allowed, the document's author has restricted it. Ask the sender for a version that allows printing.
Can a PDF be too big to print?
Yes. PDFs with many high-resolution images or scanned pages can produce print jobs larger than the printer can handle in one go. Printing a smaller page range at a time usually works.
Sources
Editorial team
The Fix a Printer team writes and updates independent printer troubleshooting guides, checking Windows and macOS steps against Microsoft and Apple documentation.
