Find solutions to common PDF document printing issues.
The first step in solving a printing issue is to trace the source of the issue. The troubleshooting techniques below solve some of the most common issues and are grouped into three categories:
- Your physical Printer
- PDF file document itself
- Foxit PDF Editor/Foxit PDF Reader Software
Printer-related solutions:
1. Can you print other format file,such as Microsoft word document or image?
Try printing other format file. If you can't, follow these steps to check your connection to the printer:
1) Make sure the cable that connects your printer to your computer is securely plugged in.
2) If your printer is plugged into a USB hub, unplug the printer cable from the hub. Then, plug the printer cable directly into a USB port on your computer.
3) Turn off your printer. Wait 30 seconds, and then turn it on again.
4) Try to print the PDF again.
2. Are you using the latest printer driver?
Make sure you update to the latest printer driver (a program that controls your printer). Printer manufacturers offer updated drivers to improve compatibility with newer software, such as newer versions of PDF Reader and PDF Editor.
1) Find your printer model number.
2) Go to the manufacturer's website, and browse or search for "drivers" or "printer drivers."
Driver download pages for some manufacturers appear below:
Brother Canon Dell Epson Panasonic Ricoh HP Lexmark Samsung Sharp Toshiba Xerox
3) Find the correct driver for your model number.
4) Download and install the printer driver, according to the manufacturer's instructions.
5) Restart your computer.
3. Have you tried printing to a different printer?
If you have a different printer connected to your computer, try printing the file to the other printer. Sometimes a different printer can successfully print a PDF that doesn't print on another printer. To switch printers on Windows, see Change the default printer (Windows 10 and 8) or search Windows help for instructions.
PDF file solutions :
Often printing problems stem from issues with the PDF file. Even if a PDF looks fine on screen, it can contain incomplete or corrupt data.
1. Try the “Print text as a graphic(Ignore font subsitutution)” and "Print as image" options：
If you’re in a hurry and want to print a simple document (such as a letter or form), use the “Print text as a graphic(Ignore font substitution)” and "Print as image" options . Please just check the option “Print text as a graphic(Ignore font substitution ) “in Foxit PhantomPDF/Foxit Reader preference dialog box and check option “Print as image” in Foxit Reader print dialog box before you print the PDF file.Printing a PDF file as an image bypasses that processing by sending the printer a simple image of the document instead.
(Tip:To bring up the preference dialog box,please click on “File>Preferences” or press “Ctrl+K” keys together.)
2. Copy or download the PDF again directly to your hard drive：
Sometimes a PDF file becomes damaged or contains corrupt data. If you downloaded the PDF from the web or received it in an email, download the PDF again or ask the sender to resend it. Copy the file directly to your hard drive, rather than a thumb (portable) or network drive.Then open the new copy on your hard drive and print again.
3. Create a copy of the PDF using Save As command:
In Foxit Reader, choose File > Save As and give the PDF file a new name. Include only letters and numbers in the filename. Do not include symbols such as %, $, or []. Try printing the new copy of the PDF.
4. Recreate the PDF file:
If you have the original source file that the PDF was created from, recreate the PDF.
1) Open the file in the original program (such as a word processing or a page layout program).
2) Choose File > Print, and then choose a PDF Printer option to save the file as a PDF.
(To get PDF Printer installed,you may install our Foxit PhantomPDF application which will provide you Foxit PhantomPDF Printer).
3) Open the new PDF, and try printing again.
Software-related solutions
1. Restart your computer:
Restart your computer, then open the file again. It is surprising how often simply restarting your computer solves a problem. Restarting a computer clears its memory and memory cache.
2. Use the most current version of Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader:
It is important to update your version of Foxit PhantomPDF or Foxit Reader. Foxit PhantomPDF/Foxit Reader often releases free security updates. The updates often include fixes for common problems. Download the latest free update :
1) Open Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader.
2) Choose Help > Check for Updates. If a new update is available there ,please choose to download and install it there.
3) Once installed, restart your computer.
4) Try to print the PDF again.
Or you may also choose to install the latest version by downloading a new package from Foxit official download center.
3. Enable PCL print optimization in your Foxit PDF Editor or Foxit PDF Reader.
The advanced dialog box in Foxit Print window provides an option to auto-detect printers that support PCL for PCL optimization to improve the printing speed ,as shown in the screenshot below:
Print Optimization allows you to optimize print jobs from a PCL driver, for features
such as font substitution or scanning for vertical and horizontal rules. To enable print optimization, please follow the steps below:
1. Choose File > Print to open Print dialog.
2. Click Advanced on the left lower corner of the Print dialog to bring up the Advanced dialog box.
3. In the Advanced dialog, do the following:
i. Select a printer from Printers list, and click Add to add the selected
printer to PCL Drivers list.
ii. Check one of the optimization options (Use <PCL_level> Driver for <PCL_level> Printers option) based on your printer driver level.And click OK.
iii. Then you can execute printings with the optimized driver to see if it helps on the printing issue.
Tip: To enable PCL print optimization, please make sure that the Use GDI+Output for all types of printer option in the Print preferences is unchecked. Otherwise, settings in printer preferences will prevail and GDI++ device will be used for printing for all types of printers.
