3 Common PDF Printing Issues and How to Solve Them

Last Updated on August 14, 2023 by Christian Ralph

If you have downloaded a PDF file and want to print or amend it for use in the future – you might be feeling frustrated by issues such as missing fonts, transparency and colour. Here, we explore these three most common problems when printing PDF files and how to solve them.

Transparency

Files in PDF format are usually built up of numerous layers of colour, images and text. Transparency features are usually added by the creator when two or more layers overlap to create effects such as shadowing, opacity and feathering. However, this transparency often doesn’t translate when printed so these effects may be lost and layers missed on the print out.

To remove the risk of transparency features ruining your print out, flatten the PDF before printing so all the layers become one image and what you see on screen is what you print out.

To flatten a PDF in Windows:
– Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat
– Click File, select Print and then ‘Adobe PDF’ as the printer and click OK
– When prompted, save under a different file name
– Reopen the new file as print as normal

To flatten a PDF on Mac:
– Open the PDF file in Acrobat
– Click File and select Save As
– In File Type, select to save as a Postscript File
– Once the file has saved, open Acrobat Distiller and drag the saved Postscript File in to the Distiller application window
– Distiller will process the Postscript File and generate a new flattened PDF, print this PDF

Missing Fonts

If the creator of the PDF has used a font which you have not installed on your computer, then this may be substituted with another font or just ignored when printed. There are two options to solve this problem: either flatten the PDF using the methods above or find and install the missing font onto your computer.

To complete the latter, you can contact the creator and request information about the font used or try and identify the font using WhatTheFont or Identifont.

To upload a font to Windows:
– Locate the font and download from source if available
– Open the Start menu and select Control Panel and click Appearance and Personalisation, then Fonts
– Click File and select Install New Font
– In the Add Fonts dialogue box, select the drive where you want to install the font
– Under Folders, double-click the folder which contains the font(s) you wish to add, select the font(s) and click Install

To upload a font on Mac
– Locate the font and download from source if available
– Close all open applications
– Drag and drop unzipped fonts into the Fonts folder, found in this location: /Users/Your_Username_Here/Library/Fonts

Colours

If you are printing out a colour PDF document on a mono printer, there is a risk that the black and white printer may struggle to create a print which clearly detects and reflects tones. This could lead to a print out which does not offer clarity, potentially hiding text and blurring images.

To improve the clarity of the prints, it may be necessary to change the printer’s contrast (especially if the PDF you are hoping to print is locked and therefore cannot be edited directly). The process for changing the contrast of a printer changes with model and make but generally an option for Colour/Intensity can be found in the Printer Driver Setup. It may take a little bit of trial and error when adjusting the contrast bar between low and high before finding a setting which prints the desired PDF in the desired clarity.

For more information and printing hacks, and a fantastic range of home and office printers, visit the Printerland homepage or call us now on 0800 840 1992.