How to print to pdf

Print to PDF

Ensure that Acrobat is installed on your computer, otherwise, the Adobe PDF printer or the Save As Adobe PDF option won’t appear. Don’t have Acrobat? Try Acrobat for free.

Video tutorial: Print to PDF

Watch this video tutorial to use the Adobe PDF Printer to create PDFs from almost any application.

Video (03:34) | Contributers: lynda.com, Claudia McCue

Print to PDF (Windows)

Open a file in a Windows application.

Choose File > Print.

Choose Adobe PDF as the printer in the Print dialog box.

To customize the Adobe PDF printer setting, click the Properties (or Preferences) button. (In some applications, you may need to click Setup in the Print dialog box to open the list of printers, and then click Properties or Preferences.)

Click Print. Type a name for your file, and click Save.

For more information on Adobe PDF printer settings, see Using the Adobe PDF printer.

Print to PDF (Mac OS)

The Adobe PDF printer is not available on Mac. However, you can use the Save As Adobe PDF option to print a file to PDF on Mac.

In macOS Mojave (v10.14), when you try to print a document to PDF using the System Print Dialog > Save As Adobe PDF, the following error message is displayed: «This workflow contains the action Save As Adobe PDF, which is provided by a third party. Third party actions must be explicitly enabled.»

Using the Adobe PDF printer

Create PDFs by printing to file

In many authoring applications, you can use the Print command with the Adobe PDF printer to convert your file to PDF. Your source document is converted to PostScript and fed directly to Distiller for conversion to PDF, without manually starting Distiller. The current Distiller preference settings and Adobe PDF settings are used to convert the file. If you’re working with nonstandard page sizes, create a custom page size.

(Windows) For Microsoft Office documents, the Adobe PDF printer does not include some of the features that are available from PDFMaker. For example, you cannot create bookmarks and hyperlinks using the Adobe PDF printer. If you’re creating a PDF from a Microsoft Office document and you want to use these features, use PDFMaker.

The Adobe PDF printer creates untagged PDFs. A tagged structure is required for reflowing content to a handheld device and is preferable for producing reliable results with a screen reader.

Create a PDF using the Print command (Windows)

Your PDF is saved in the folder specified by the setting of the Adobe PDF Output Folder in the Preferences dialog box; the default location is My Documents. If you specify Prompt For Adobe PDF Filename, then a Save As dialog opens when you print.

Create a PDF using the Print command (Mac OS X)

The method for creating PDFs using the Print command changed in Mac OS v10.6 Snow Leopard with Acrobat 9.1 and later. The following procedure describes the method in both Snow Leopard and earlier versions of Mac OS X.

Choose Save As Adobe PDF from the PDF menu at the bottom of the dialog box.

For most users, the default Adobe PDF conversion settings are adequate.

Adobe PDF printing preferences (Windows)

To access printing preferences:

In an authoring application such as Adobe InDesign, choose File > Print. Select Adobe PDF as the printer, and click the Properties (or Preferences) button. (In some applications, you may need to click Setup in the Print dialog box to access the list of printers, and then click Properties or Preferences to customize the Adobe PDF settings.)

PDF-specific options appear on the Adobe PDF Settings tab. The Paper Quality tab and Layout tab contain other familiar options for the paper source, printer ink, page orientation, and number of pages per sheet.

Printing Preferences are different from printer Properties. The Preferences include Adobe PDF-specific options for the conversion process; the Properties dialog box contains tabs of options that are available for any type of printer.

Adobe PDFConversion Settings

Select a predefined set of options from the Default Settings menu or click Edit to view or change the settings in the Adobe PDF Settings dialog box.

Adobe PDF Security

To add security to the PDF, choose one of the following options, or click Edit to view or change the security settings:

Adobe PDF Output Folder

Choose an output folder for the converted PDF, or click Browse to add or change the output folder. Choose Prompt For Adobe PDF Filename to specify a location and filename at the time of conversion.

Adobe PDF Page Size menu

Select a custom page size that you have defined.

Replace Existing PDF

Choose if you want to replace the existing PDF Always, Ask Everytime, or Never replace.

View Adobe PDF Results

Automatically starts Acrobat and displays the converted document immediately.

Add Document Information

Includes information such as the filename and date and time of creation.

Rely On System Fonts Only; Do Not Use Document Fonts

Deselect this option to download fonts when creating the PDF. All your fonts will be available in the PDF, but it will take longer to create it. Leave this option selected if you are working with Asian-language documents.

Delete Log Files For Successful Jobs

Automatically deletes the log files unless the job fails.

Set Adobe PDF printer properties (Windows)

Printing Properties are different from printer Preferences. The Properties dialog box contains tabs of options that apply to any type of printer; the Preferences include conversion options specifically for the Adobe PDF printer.

Set Adobe PDF printer properties

Reassign the port that the Adobe PDF printer uses

For best results, select a folder on the same system where Distiller is installed. Although remote or network folders are supported, they have limited user access and security issues.

Delete a folder and reassign the Adobe PDF printer to the default port

Create and use a custom page size

It’s important to distinguish between page size (as defined in the source application’s Document Setup dialog box for your document) and paper size (the sheet of paper, piece of film, or area of the printing plate you’ll print on). Your page size might be U.S. Letter (8-1/2-by-11 in. or 21.59-by-27.94 cm), but you might need to print on a larger piece of paper or film to accommodate any printer’s marks or the bleed area. To ensure that your document prints as expected, set up your page size in both the source application and the printer.

The list of paper sizes available to Acrobat comes from the PPD file (PostScript printers) or from the printer driver (non-PostScript printers). If the printer and PPD file you’ve chosen for PostScript printing support custom paper sizes, you see a Custom option in the Paper Size menu. For printers capable of producing very large print areas, Acrobat supports pages as large as 15,000,000 in. (38,100,000 cm) by 15,000,000 in. (38,100,000 cm).

Create a custom page size (Windows)

In an authoring application such as Adobe InDesign, choose File > Print. Select Adobe PDF as the printer, and click the Properties button. (In some applications, you may need to click Setup in the Print dialog box to open the list of printers, and then click Properties or Preferences to customize the Adobe PDF settings.)

How to print to PDF in Windows

Printing to PDF can be a great way to save a document on your computer, especially if you don’t have immediate access to a printer. If you have Windows, then you know the process has not always been seamless. Now, with Windows 10, print to PDF should be one of your default functions on your computer, making it easily accessible.

Here is our comprehensive rundown of how to print to PDF in Windows. We also have other helpful guides, including how to password-protect a PDF, convert a PDF to Excel, convert a PDF to a Word Document, and combine PDF files.

Using native tools in Windows 10: Microsoft Print to PDF

Step 1: Go to print your document as you normally would, and select Microsoft Print to PDF as your printer.

Step 2: You’ll be asked where you’d like to save the file. Choose the location and a name, and click OK or Save. After a few seconds, you’ll have a brand new PDF.

If, for whatever reason, Microsoft Print to PDF isn’t listed as an option, don’t worry: It’s easy to set up.

Setting up Microsoft Print to PDF

Step 1: Navigate to the Windows 10 Settings page, which you can find in the Start Menu or search for from the search bar. Once there, click on Devices.

Step 2: Once in Devices, select the Printers & Scanners section from the left menu. If you have the Microsoft Print to PDF option, you should see it here with the list of your potential printing options. If you don’t see it, select the option that says Add a Printer or Scanner.

Step 3: From there, Windows will attempt to find your elusive printer, and it won’t work (although it may find other local printers). When it’s finished, select the option that says The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed. This will open a secondary window with options for finding printers. At the bottom, you should see an option to Add a Local Printer or Network Printer With Manual Settings. Select this option, and then click Next.

Step 4: In the next window, open the drop-down menu beside Use an Existing Port, select FILE: (Print to File), and click Next.

Step 5: In the following window, choose Microsoft as the manufacturer, then scroll down to highlight Microsoft Print to PDF before hitting Next again.

Step 6: When given the choice to replace the current driver or use the driver already installed, we recommend simply using the current driver and selecting Next.

Step 7: After Windows 10 prompts you to name the print-to-PDF feature — we recommend just assigning it the default name so it’s easier to find — click Next one last time to install the desired printer.

Step 8: With the function now available for use, simply open the document or webpage you wish to convert to PDF and navigate to the Print function. When prompted, select Microsoft Print to PDF in the list of printer destinations, and click Print to convert the file to PDF.

Step 9: If done correctly, the page will immediately ask you where you’d like to save the PDF document and to give the file a name. Simply choose a save location on your storage drive, give it a unique name, and hit Save to create your PDF. Once saved, use one of these PDF editors to make any changes, if need be.

Using a third-party application

Although the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system makes it very easy to print to PDF in Windows 10, older versions of Windows may not, and users may want access to more advanced options when it comes to controlling their print-to-PDF settings. In these cases, third-party software can offer an alternative way to “print” your documents in PDF form.

Adobe Acrobat

If you have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer, you’ve got another print-to-PDF option. This is great for those using Windows 7 or 8 because neither OS comes installed with a PDF printer. Although it’s an expensive tool, there is a free trial available for those looking for a short-term solution.

Once installed, head to the document printer as you usually would, and select Adobe PDF as your printer.

Click Print or Save, then name your document and choose a save location for the resulting file. From here, you can do what you like with it — you can even turn your PDF into a JPEG.

doPDF

For those of you without Adobe Acrobat or Windows 10, rest assured you can still print to PDF with the right PDF converter, even if the process is a bit trickier. We recommend the free converter doPDF, which you can download from the developer’s official website.

We prefer this software because, unlike similar software, it doesn’t force you to download any random add-ons or malware. It also works with both Windows 7 and the newest iterations of Windows 8, as well as Windows 10.

screenshot

When you get to the website, scroll down, and simply click the green Download DoPDF (FREE) button, which is located on the right side of the screen.

When the installer finishes downloading, navigate to the Downloads folder and double-click the installer to open it. The installation process is pretty straightforward. You’ll just need to follow the prompts.

You can use doPDF in two different ways once it’s officially installed on your computer. It allows you to run it as a solitary program, or you can simply add it to Microsoft Office as an add-on.

Step 1: Open doPDF by accessing your program list via the Start menu. Go to the tab titled Create One Document. Focus on the Create PDF Immediately option section. The doPDF printer should appear automatically in the field for printer.

Step 2: Click on Browse to choose the file you want to print to PDF. Go to the file that you wish to convert and click on it. Click Open.

Step 3: You can click on Create after selecting the file. You should see a pop up box saying that the printer will become the default printer before asking if you would like to continue with this. Just click OK. The doPDF software will then open the application you normally use for that document (like Microsoft Word) and take you to another doPDF pop up screen called Save PDF File. From here, you are able to choose more PDF options. Once you set all your preferences, just click OK to begin printing your document to PDF. As soon as you’ve created the brand new PDF, it should show up on your screen.

Print PDFs

某些 Creative Cloud 应用程序、服务和功能在中国不可用。

Print button missing?

If you can’t see the Print and Cancel buttons, your monitor is set to a low screen resolution. Reader wasn’t designed for low-resolution displays (the minimum recommended is 1024 x 768). However, you can work around this limitation. Do either of the following to print your document:

(Windows) On some monitors, the Windows taskbar covers the Print button. You can hide the taskbar so it appears only when you mouse to the bottom of the screen. Right-click the taskbar and choose Properties. In the Properties dialog box, select Auto-hide the Taskbar, then click OK.

Also refer the article for related registry fix: HiDPI, Retina display support

Print a PDF

Choose File > Print or click icon in the toolbar.

Select a Printer and number of Copies to print.

(Optional) Click Properties to open the Printer properties. For more information, see your printer documentation.

Specify other options as per your requirements:

As you change the settings, the print preview is displayed. Click the arrow buttons at the bottom to preview the other pages.

If necessary, click Page Setup to change the paper size, paper source, or orientation.

Common printing tasks

Print on both sides

You can print double-sided if your printer supports double-sided (duplex printing) feature.

Note: Double-sided printing is also called duplex, back to back, front and back, or two-sided printing.

The printer driver controls the options, not Adobe Acrobat DC or Adobe Reader DC. Check your printer documentation to see what features your printer supports.

There could be a scenario when a printer actually supports duplex printing and this option does not appear in the Print dialog box. In such cases, open the printer properties to directly access this option from printer preferences.

For more information, refer to the article Print double-sided.

Print in black and white

You can print a color PDF in shades of gray (also known as grayscale or composite gray).

Print at a different size

You can scale the page to shrink or enlarge pages when you print. You can automatically scale to fit the paper or manually scale by percentages.

Print large-size documents

You can print a large format document, such as a poster or banner, by splitting the page across multiple sheets of paper (called «tiling»). The Poster option calculates how many sheets of paper are needed. You can adjust the size of the original to best fit the paper and specify how much each «tile» overlaps. You can then piece together the tiles.

Print multiple pages on a sheet

You can print more than one page of a PDF on a single sheet of paper. Printing multiple pages per sheet is also called n-up printing (such as 2-up or 6-up). You can specify how the pages are ordered, either horizontally across the page or in vertical columns.

Print booklets

You can print a multipage document as a booklet. The pages are laid out two per sheet. When you collate, fold, and staple the double-sided sheets, the result is a single book with the correct page order.

Print comments

You can print comments in place (like sticky notes on a page), in a list, or as a summary.

In the Comments and Forms area, do one of the following:

Print a portion of a page

You can print a portion of a page in a PDF. Use the Snapshot Tool to select just the area you want to print. The area can be text, graphics, or both. You can print the selected area full size or resize it to fit the paper.

Why can’t I print my document?

Start with these troubleshooting tips

Printing problems can have various causes. To identify the issue, start with this helpful tech note: Troubleshoot PDF printing | Acrobat, Reader

If the PDF is password protected, and printing is not allowed

If you receive a password-protected PDF, enter the designated password to print the document. Some protected documents have restrictions that prevent you from printing, editing, or copying content in the document. If a document has restrictions on printing, contact the PDF author.

(Windows only) Protected Mode is interfering

Simulate overprinting of inks

Color printers vary greatly in color reproduction quality. For that reason, proofs from a service provider are the best way to verify the final output.

What should I do if Acrobat Reader DC is asking to save a file when a document is printed?

In case Acrobat Reader DC is prompting to save a file when you click Print, then click Advanced print dialog and deselect the Print to File option.

Note:

What should I do to print comments available on the PDF document?

There are certain annotations (example: pop-up notes) which are available on the PDF document and the annotations do not print by default unless you want them to be printed.

This has been intentionally designed so that such annotations do not hinder the view of the content available behind them.

However, there may be cases when you do want them to be printed. To print the pop-up notes and other annotations:

Acrobat Reader DC crashes on printing / Acrobat Reader DC does not Print after clicking Print button

This could happen due to an Adobe Acrobat DC installation file corruption. To resolve this issue, ensure that you are using the latest version of Adobe Reader DC/ Acrobat DC application.

If you are seeing this issue with the latest version:

Виртуальный PDF принтер: что это и как использовать

Каждый пользователь компьютера рано или поздно сталкивался с необходимостью предоставления документов, отчетов или скриншотов экрана в pdf формате. И чтобы не мучится с конвертированием документов Word, Excel, PowerPoint или просто JPG картинок, можно воспользоваться легким способом с использованием виртуального принтера.

Одним из таких виртуальных принтеров является PDF принтер, хотя в Windows так же может присутствовать схожий по работе виртуальный XPS принтер. Виртуальный PDF принтер устанавливается либо с каким-либо программным обеспечением, либо отдельно, и ниже мы рассмотрим несколько таких вариантов.

Microsoft Print to PDF

Виртуальный PDF принтер, который идет по умолчанию в Windows 10. Позволяет распечатывать любые документы в PDF формате, для этого нужно лишь при печати выбрать принтером «Microsoft Print to PDF».

BullZip PDF Printer

Один из лучших виртуальных PDF принтеров, который к тому же бесплатен для домашнего использования.

Скачать программу с официального сайта
(для скачивания программы необходимо нажать на кнопку «Click here to download»)

После установка программы у Вас в системе появится новый принтер, при печати на который, будет предложено сохранение файла в формате PDF.

CutePDF Writer

Скачать программу с официального сайта
(для скачивания программы необходимо нажать на надпись «Free Download» в правой части экрана, как на картинке ниже.)

После скачивания программы запускаем установщик, и пропускаем экран приветствия нажав кнопку «Next«. В следующем окне выбираем пункт «I accept the agreement«, тем самым согласившись со всеми условиями лицензионного соглашения, и нажимаем кнопку «Next«.

Убираем галочки с обеих пунктов «Set Ask as my default search provider» и «Set Ask.com as my browser homepage and new tabs page«, и нажимаем «Next«.

Отказываемся от установки браузера Opera нажатием кнопки Decline.

И после нажимаем на кнопку Install, чтобы установить программу на ваш компьютер.

Во время установки программа предложит установить PS2PDF конвертер, соглашаемся, так как иначе мы не сможем использовать программу для конвертирования в PDF.

Теперь, открыв любой документ, который нужно перевести в PDF, выбираем «Печать«, и в выборе принтеров выбираем принтер под названием CutePDF Writer. После нажатия кнопки «Печать» появится окошко, где будет предложено сохранить файл в pdf формате.

Foxit Reader

Данный способ подразумевает под собой установку бесплатной программы Foxit Reader, которая так же установит в вашу систему свой виртуальный принтер. В отличии от CutePDF Writer, данная программа может кроме сохранения в PDF еще и просматривать их.

Скачать программу с официального сайта
(для скачки нажимаем кнопку Free download, которая находится возле пункта Foxit Reader, показанного на картинке ниже.)

В появившемся окошке выбираем нужный нам язык. Делается это в пункте Language.

После этого нажимаем Download, и ждем когда Foxit Reader скачается на ваш компьютер.

Кроме того, во время установки программа спросит, хотим ли мы включить режим «безопасного чтения». Очень рекомендуется оставить его включенным.

В следующем окошке будет предложено установить пробную версию программы Foxit PhantomPDF Standart. Чтобы не засорять свой компьютер ненужными программами, от этого предложения лучше отказаться.

В конце концов будет предложено нажать кнопку «Установить», чего и требуется сделать, для установи программы.

Когда программа закончит свою установку, появится соответствующее окошко, где следует нажать кнопку «Завершить».

Теперь, если вы откроете любой документ, то при отправки на печать необходимо выбрать принтер под название Foxit Reader PDF Printer.

Нажимаем «Печать«, и в появившемся окошке выбираем место, куда мы хотим сохранить свой PDF файл.