Causes and Solution for Can’t Print a PDF File on Mac Issue

Causes and Solution for Can't Print a PDF File on Mac Issue

You could encounter similar issues when you send the PDF file to your printer. Are you frustrated? There’s no reason to be. The reason you cannot print the PDF using your Mac could be easy to figure out. Keep reading to find out the cause of the “Can’t Print PDFs on Mac” problem and resolve it right away.

  • Possible Hardware-related Reasons
  • Possible Software-related Reasons
  • Possible PDF File-related Reasons

Have You Done These Before Asking for Technical Support?

Before seeking technical support from the printer’s supplier or PDF tool creator, There are some essential things to consider.

Check the paper inside the feed tray of your printer. 

You must ensure that there is sufficient paper in the feed tray. You should also determine whether there’s an issue with the paper that is preventing the printing. If so, take the paper out with care.

Verify that the printer is visible when you open the Mac 

You must ensure that you’re printing on the default printer that can be seen on your Mac. If there is no printer appearing on your Mac, you need to manually add your preferred printer to the list of your devices by going to Finder>Apple Menu>System Preference>Printers&Scanners> Add>Select your printer from the list. The printer’s inability to be detected on your computer. This could be due to the printer’s power out or an inability to connect to your computer, so check it. If the printer you prefer is on the list, take it off the list and then add it to the list, as the queue for your printer could be damaged.

Do Tests:

Test 1. Select a different Printer to print the PDF document. If it prints and your printer is causing problems, visit the section “Possible Software-related Causes” and locate the solution.

Test 2. Test 2: Select a different mac or PDF reader to perform the printing. If it’s successful, and your Mac is the culprit, Go to “Possible Hardware-related Cause” and search for the solution.

Test 3. Choose a different pdf file that you can print. If it does and your previous PDF file is the one that prevents it from printing. It could be damaged or blocked from printing. Visit “Possible PDF File-related Causes” to determine the cause.

Possible Hardware-related Reasons

A malfunctioning mac or printer might result in the issue that you are unable to print PDF documents; however, this is an uncommon situation. If there is a problem with or in the equipment of your computer or printer, issues aren’t limited to printing problems. But, it is important to attempt to rule out this cause by restarting your Mac or printer at all times to eliminate your doubts.

Possible Software-related Reasons

Is it not updated on the Printer Driver or PDF Tool Mac system?

Updating Printing Driver:

This is why in most cases, you cannot print a PDF.

  1. If you’re using a printer shared by a different user, make sure that both of you have the exact software version(driver or the program that controls the printer) and the printing device:

Go to Finder>Apple Menu>System Preference>Printers&Scanners> Select Printer in the Printer&Scanners preferences>Option&Supplies>General to identify the printer software (Driver) version. If you don’t have the most recent version, then you need to update it.

  1. If you’re using a printer connected to the network, verify that you’ve updated the driver to the most recent version, as printer makers offer new versions of drivers to make them more compatible with the latest software.

Find your driver’s version and go to the printer’s manufacturer’s site to download the most recent version, then restart your computer and then print again.

Updating PDF Tool:

The PDF tool is the software you utilize to open PDF files and print PDFs. It could be Adobe (in huge numbers) Preview, the PDF manager Ultimate or another PDF reader that have a PDF printer installed. Many people prefer to remove and install PDF software. It’s amazing how easy it is to reinstall an application that can solve the issue of the issue. Reinstalling the program clears its cache and memory. If this happens to you, then you’re fortunate. If not, see if the PDF tool has been updated to the most recent version. Take Adobe as an example.

Open Adobe>Help>Check for Updates

If a fresh update is available, install it and restart your Mac to print again.

Review the system requirements for Adobe versions. Make sure that your Adobe version(or any other tools for PDF) is compatible with your OS.

Updating Mac System:

The majority of printers work; most printers are compatible with Mac OS. Although not updating your Mac system is the slightest possibility of the reasons why you cannot print PDFs with a mac, updating your system is still an acceptable solution to print PDFs. Make sure you are using the correct OS version and ensure that the version of the PDF tool and printer is in the incompatible range of the OS version. If it isn’t, then update your mac version and then restart the applications to test printing PDFs.

Are you setting your PDF tool or printer incorrectly?

Receiving an error message: Filter Failed

To resolve this issue like Epson filter failed error or filter failed Epson printer or the filter stopped the problem, you must reset the printer system. Go to Finder>Apple Menu>System Preference>Printers&Scanners> Control + Click in the left side printer list> Reset Print System, then re-add your preferred printer as mentioned above(Finder>Apple Menu>System Preference>Printers&Scanners> Add>Select your printer from the list).

Error message: There aren’t any documents that have been selected.

Your PDF tool (Adobe) may be under the protected mode; try disabling the protected mode by going to Adobe Acrobat>Preferences>Security(Enhanced)>Unmark “Enable Enhanced Security.”

There is also another option to resolve this issue by printing an image in Adobe Go to File>Print>Advanced (The position on the Advanced button is dependent upon the edition that you are using, Reader or Acrobat). Choose Print to Image (The position for Print as Image options is dependent on the version of Reader or Acrobat). Print as Image options is contingent depending on the version that you are using Reader or Acrobat).

Make sure you select the correct PDF file destination.

Sometimes, we choose the wrong PDF file location, and the PDF file is accessible to print.

Possible PDF File-related Reasons

The PDF you downloaded is corrupt?

A PDF can look great, but it may contain damaged content, such as fonts or images, which your PDF tool is unable to process when printing.

  1. If you’ve got Adobe, simply print the PDF file as an image. You can then bypass the process by sending the printer an image.

Click File>Print>Advanced (The place on the Advanced button is determined by what version you are using, Reader or Acrobat). Click the Print option as an Image (The position for the Print as Image option will depend upon the edition of Reader or Acrobat.).

  1. If you don’t own Adobe, try these online PDF Repair tools for free to solve this issue:
  • PDF-Online
  • Office Recovery
  • PDF Aid

Is it secure?

Have you looked up whether your PDF is password-protected? If you can still open your Adobe, go to File>Properties>Securities>Security Method. If it displays password security, the PDF is blocked in terms of printing, editing, or copying, and you have to open the File in order to allow printing.

Make use of this Adobe PDF password remover to disable password protection. Then, continue printing the PDF using your printer.

Have you found out the reason why you can’t print the PDF file on Mac? Let us know your story to fix the issue.

Also Read: Easy to Apply Methods to Fix Epson Printer Filter Failed Issue

Happy Reading!!!!
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