Cannot Print PDF? Try These Fixes!

If you've worked on office documents and would like to print out the important parts of them, printing the important documents in PDF format gives you a chance to make the printed papers organized and well-handled.

What if you're unable to print the PDF files, and there is no error with the printer, apparently? Struggling to print the documents isn't a sight to behold with but there could be various reasons behind this issue.

The best part is that fixing the cannot print PDF issue is possible, and this post aims to reveal several outstanding solutions to tackle the dilemma.

Part 1: Why You Cannot Print a PDF

Before exploring the exciting solutions to fix the cannot print PDF documents, it is equally important to learn about the potential reasons causing the printer to not print PDF documents.

• Corrupted PDF File: If your PDF file is damaged, your viewer or printer may not be able to process it correctly.
• Outdated Printer Drivers: Incompatible or old printer drivers may prevent the PDFs from printing the documents.
• PDF Viewers Error: It may happen that Adobe Acrobat Reader or other viewers might experience temporary glitches, causing the PDF file cannot be printed issue.
• Printer Connection Issues: If the printer isn't properly connected or selected as the default device, you won't be able to print the PDF documents.
• PDF Security Settings: Some PDFs are password-protected or have printing restrictions enabled, causing the whole chaos.
• Queue or Spooling Problems: Stuck or pending jobs in the print queue might block the new ones.

Part 2: How to Fix PDF Not Printing

Finding the best solutions to fix the cannot print PDF documents problem is crucial, and we've highlighted plenty of exciting ways to tackle the issue.

Solution 1. Update your Printer Driver

Sometimes an outdated printer driver could lead you to face issues like cannot print PDF. So it is always handy to update the printer driver.

Step 1: Right-click the Start Menu and select Device Manager.
Step 2: After expanding the Printers, you'll need to right-click the printer drive and choose the Update Driver afterwards.
Step 3: In this pop-up window, click on the Search Automatically for driver's icon and then follow the on-screen instructions to update the driver.

Solution 2. Use the Print As Image Option

It is an open secret that PDF documents may come up with some complex fonts that could end up messing up the printer's memory, causing problems like Adobe, this document cannot be printed error. Hence, using the Print as Image option could do a trick for you, and you may be able to print the PDF.

Step 1: Open the PDF document you're looking to print and then hold the Windows+P keys to launch the Print Window prior to hitting the Advanced icon.
Step 2: Choose the checkbox for Print As Image and then hit OK. Then you could easily print the document again and see if the issue is solved.

Solution 3. Remove PDF from Print Queue

Despite trying all the tricks given above, if the cannot print PDF issue persists, removing the PDF from the print Queue seems to be one of the last resorts you may go for.

Step 1: Type in Devices and Printers in the search box and then choose Devices and Printers from the best match.
Step 2: Double-click on the printer installed and hit Open Queue.
Step 3: After going into the pop-up window, press the Printer and then hit the Cancel All Documents.

Solution 4. Turn off the PDF/ A View Mode

Some users have reported that cannot print a PDF is solved by turning off the PDF/A View Mode. You can try this method as a quick solution.

Step 1: Go to the Edit tab and then choose Open Preferences.
Step 2: Press the Documents icon and then choose Never from the View Documents in PDF/A Mode, and then hit OK to save the changes.

Solution 5. Use TunesKit File Password Recovery to Remove Password Restrictions

If nothing works and you've finally figured out that the PDF file you're trying to print has some restricted features or has a password you don't know about, TunesKit File Password Recovery is the last resort.

With this tool, you can bypass any type of restrictions from the PDF files, and while recovering the password of the restricted PDF file, this tool doesn't affect the overall quality of the PDF files. Besides unlocking PDF files, TunesKit File Password Recovery also allows users to remove password from Word/PPT/Excel and ZIP/RAR.

The following steps will guide you through recovering your PDF file's password and removing restrictions, allowing you to resolve the issue of being unable to print your PDF.

Step 1Download and Install Program

Install TunesKit File Password Recovery on the Windows or Mac computer. After the installation, you'll need to start the tool and select PDF from the main interface. Next, select the Remove PDF Restrictions or Recover PDF Password based on your requirements.

Step 2Upload PDF to the Program

Import the encrypted PDF file through the + icon button or drag and drop. On the right side of the interface, you'll need to select an encryption mode according to your needs. You can now select the Dictionary Attack first, which could help you recover the forgotten password.

Step 3Recover PDF File Password

Tap on the Start Recover button to start recovering the TunesKit File Password Recovery. Wait for a few moments and then hit the Copy to remove the PDF document restriction.

Part 3: FAQs About Cannot Print PDF

Conclusion

When a PDF refuses to print, it might be due to printing restrictions, outdated drivers, or corrupted files. Try all the methods mentioned in this post to fix the cannot print PDF issue.

Of all the solutions, TunesKit File Password Recovery remains the best one. It allows you to remove the restrictions from any PDF document quickly, courtesy of the 10x faster speed.