Author Topic: Can Anyone Explain This? PDF Won't Print Except in Browser (Read 16,656 times)

Renegade · « **on:** April 25, 2012, 03:56 PM »

My friend's wife contacted me to help with a PDF that wouldn't print... Naturally my first reaction is that it's locked and being idiots, so I don't even bother farting around with it -- I go straight to Screenshot Captor and do a scrolling image that I cut into 5 pages.

...

Just about done editing some scroll lines in Photoshop when she finally prints the PDF...

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/passports1/passports-a-to-z/a-topics/applications-forms

Will not print in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Will print in browser...

Huh? Seriously?

A comment about the UK govt - i.e. NSFW

Just how small does your dick need to be to lock a stupid inconsequential form so that people can't print it? And does locking a form against printing make you feel tough?

Ahem... Anyways...

Does anyone know what you'd get that kind of bizarre behaviour? I mean Adobe -- we already know the UK govt is bizarre.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #1 on:** April 25, 2012, 04:37 PM »

Weird, printed fine here. Only thing I noticed is that it appears to be A4, and I'm US 8.5x11. But the page scalling option on Adobe reader did fine with it ... Now if that wasn't set/adjusted to fit contents to page ... Some printers may tend to (fail/error) react badly to the print job.

Renegade · « **Reply #2 on:** April 25, 2012, 04:45 PM »

Quote from: Stoic Joker on April 25, 2012, 04:37 PM

Weird, printed fine here. Only thing I noticed is that it appears to be A4, and I'm US 8.5x11. But the page scalling option on Adobe reader did fine with it ... Now if that wasn't set/adjusted to fit contents to page ... Some printers may tend to (fail/error) react badly to the print job.

Hmmm... Odd...

tomos · « **Reply #3 on:** April 25, 2012, 04:53 PM »

Which form (there's a few on that page)

edit/ Adobe printed the C1 form fine

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #4 on:** April 25, 2012, 04:55 PM »

Quote from: tomos on April 25, 2012, 04:53 PM

Which form (there's a few on that page)

Good point.

Renegade · « **Reply #5 on:** April 25, 2012, 05:04 PM »

Drat...

I wasn't even drinking when I first posted...

The C2 form. Half way down or so.

tomos · « **Reply #6 on:** April 25, 2012, 05:18 PM »

Quote from: Renegade on April 25, 2012, 05:04 PM

The C2 form. Half way down or so.

that prints fine here too... (well the first page does. Figured that'd do)

Renegade · « **Reply #7 on:** April 25, 2012, 05:25 PM »

Can anyone save the document as an RTF or anything else?

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #8 on:** April 25, 2012, 05:46 PM »

C2 prints fine for me also. Don't know of any other/handier save to formats ... What are you trying to print it from -> to?? Please don't tell me you're on a Mac...I'll start laughing.

rgdot · « **Reply #9 on:** April 25, 2012, 06:31 PM »

Worked fine here too. How about I or someone saves the pdf and emails and then try the emailed one?

Renegade · « **Reply #10 on:** April 25, 2012, 11:57 PM »

This is the file:

[attachurl=#]

Sigh... Bizarre... She could print everything else... just not that... It's locked against some things, but I managed to print it, but I have the full version of Acrobat...

No idea...

And no - didn't try on the Mac.

Target · « **Reply #11 on:** April 26, 2012, 12:48 AM »

no answers, but we have had similar experiences with PDF's that will not print on one printer, but will print quite happily on another...

lanux128 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 26, 2012, 01:01 AM »

prints here as well using PDF x-change viewer.. looked into the document's permission and there is no restriction. in fact printing is set to 'High Resolution'. something is wrong with Adobe, i guess?

[attachthumb=#]

Renegade · « **Reply #13 on:** April 26, 2012, 03:08 AM »

Quote from: Stoic Joker on April 25, 2012, 04:37 PM

Weird, printed fine here. Only thing I noticed is that it appears to be A4, and I'm US 8.5x11. But the page scalling option on Adobe reader did fine with it ... Now if that wasn't set/adjusted to fit contents to page ... Some printers may tend to (fail/error) react badly to the print job.

Hmmm...

Quote from: Target on April 26, 2012, 12:48 AM

no answers, but we have had similar experiences with PDF's that will not print on one printer, but will print quite happily on another...

Seems like you guys have it nailed there -- it's a printer specific problem for the PDF. It's just bizarre though.

Quote from: lanux128 on April 26, 2012, 01:01 AM

prints here as well using PDF x-change viewer.. looked into the document's permission and there is no restriction. in fact printing is set to 'High Resolution'. something is wrong with Adobe, i guess?
(see attachment in previous post)

Again, odd.

I tried to unlock the PDF and failed. I wanted to try to convert it to a DOC or RTF or anything else to see if she could print that way.

In any event, it's just seeming extremely bizarre that a printer-specific problem would surface for a PDF in Acrobat Reader, but not in the Acrobat plugin for Firefox (the browser that it did print in). I guess the print job is sent by Firefox there, and that somehow gets around the issue.

Don't ya just love computers sometimes?

SKA · « **Reply #14 on:** April 26, 2012, 03:52 AM »

Renegade

Try www.unlockpdf.com

Renegade · « **Reply #15 on:** April 26, 2012, 03:54 AM »

Quote from: SKA on April 26, 2012, 03:52 AM

Renegade

Try www.unlockpdf.com

Didn't try that one...

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #16 on:** April 26, 2012, 11:51 AM »

If I pull document properties with Adobe Reader 9 (of your attached copy), it says it can be viewed/printed with v7.0 or higher. Printing isn't restricted, editing is. I've seen the shrink to fit margin issue cause problems quite frequently. I really don't see a point in trying to "crack" an unlocked file.

How does the Reader Print to File option behave ... And what if any error messages are there?? Does it get stuck in the spooler...or does it just not do anything, and vanish?

Renegade · « **Reply #17 on:** April 26, 2012, 12:13 PM »

Quote from: Stoic Joker on April 26, 2012, 11:51 AM

If I pull document properties with Adobe Reader 9 (of your attached copy), it says it can be viewed/printed with v7.0 or higher. Printing isn't restricted, editing is. I've seen the shrink to fit margin issue cause problems quite frequently. I really don't see a point in trying to "crack" an unlocked file.

How does the Reader Print to File option behave ... And what if any error messages are there?? Does it get stuck in the spooler...or does it just not do anything, and vanish?

The point to unlock it was to save it to another format (not that it would actually work...)

I didn't even bother asking her for any errors. I went directly to Screenshot Captor for scrolling captures.

PDFs are the most miserable things in the world to work with, so I didn't even bother trying to fight with it. I figured I could fart around, or solve the problem.

Still... I asked here because I'm curious as the issue seems bizarre.

db90h · « **Reply #18 on:** April 28, 2012, 09:02 PM »

If not explained, the reason it will print in your browser is because your browser has an independently installed embedded Acrobat Reader, while your primary Acrobat Reader application is apparently missing or misconfigured.

Reboyo · « **Reply #19 on:** September 17, 2012, 09:14 PM »

I was having the same issue printing a pdf earlier. I noticed that there's an advanced button on the printer selection screen and if you check the box that says "print as an image" all of a sudden it started printing. Might be a simple solution.