In this article, we will provide you with easy-to-follow troubleshooting steps to fix the HP printer not printing PDF problem.
Table of Contents
HP Printer Not Printing PDF [Troubleshooting Steps]
If your HP printer is not printing PDF files, do the following troubleshooting steps to resolve the problem:
Uninstall and then Reinstall Adobe Reader – Step 1
If your HP printer is not printing PDF documents, uninstalling and then reinstalling Adobe Reader might fix the problem.
How to Uninstall and then Reinstall Adobe Reader
To uninstall and then reinstall Adobe Reader, do the steps below:
Step 1: On your Windows computer, click on the Windows “Start” button.
Step 2: Search for “Add or remove programs”.
Step 3: Click on “Add or remove programs” from the search results to open it.
Step 4: Click on “Adobe Reader” from the installed programs list.
Step 5: Click on “Uninstall”.
Step 6: Click on “Yes” if you see a message displaying “User Account Control”.
Step 7: Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the uninstallation.
In case the uninstallation process fails to start or your computer displays an error message, click on this link to download a troubleshooter that will fix the problem responsible for blocking the uninstallation. After running the troubleshooter, you can try to uninstall the software again.
Step 8: After the uninstallation is complete, close every open program including web browsers.
Step 9: Restart your computer.
Step 10: Go to this site on your computer’s web browser and then follow the instructions on the screen to install Adobe Reader.
Step 11: Once the installation is complete, open the software.
Step 12: Try to print the PDF that refused to print again.
If your HP printer does not print PDF files after the above, move to the step below.
Set Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as the Default PDF Viewing Program – Step 2
To set Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as the default PDF viewing program, do the instructions below depending on your operating system.
How to Set Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as the Default PDF Viewing Program on Windows 10 and 8
To set Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as the default PDF viewing program on Windows 10 and 8, do these steps:
Step 1: On your Windows computer, search for “Control Panel”.
Step 2: Click on “Programs”.
Step 3: Click on “Default Programs”.
Step 4: Click on “Associate a file type protocol with a program”. This action will open the window for the default applications.
Step 5: Scroll down the page and then click on “Choose default apps by file type”.
Step 6: Look for “.PDF” and click on the default app or plus (+) sign.
Step 7: From the result list, choose “Adobe Acrobat Reader DC”.
Step 8: Close the window for “Settings”.
Step 9: Try to print the PDF that refused to print again.
If your HP printer still cannot print PDF after doing the steps above, do the step below.
How to Set Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as the Default PDF Viewing Program on Windows Vista and 7
To set Adobe Acrobat Reader DC as the default PDF viewing program on Windows Vista and 7, do these steps:
Step 1: On your Windows computer, search for “Control Panel”.
Step 2: Click on “Programs”.
Step 3: Click on “Default Programs”.
Step 4: Click on “Associate a file type protocol with a program”. This action will open the window for the default applications.
Step 5: Look for “.PDF” and click on “Change Program”.
Step 6: Click on “Other Programs”.
Step 7: From the search results, click on “Adobe Acrobat Reader DC”.
Step 8: Click on “OK”.
Step 9: Click on “Save”.
Step 10: Try to print the PDF that refused to print again.
If the HP printer not printing PDF problem persists, do the step that follows.
Print another PDF File – Step 3
Try to print another PDF file to confirm if the problem has to do with that particular PDF or all PDFs.
To print another PDF file, do the steps below:
Step 1: Close the PDF that failed to print.
Step 2: Open another PDF.
Step 3: Click on “File”.
Step 4: Click on “Print”.
Step 5: Confirm that the settings are okay.
Step 6: Click on “Print”.
If the PDF prints, then it means the problem is with the initial PDF. You can edit the initial PDF and reduce the size or move to the step that follows.
If the HP printer not printing PDF problem persists, move to the step below.
In this article: HP Printer Not Printing [Issues & Solutions] we share solutions to other HP printer not printing issues not covered here.
Print the Original PDF file as an Image – Step 4
To print a PDF file as an image, do the steps below:
Note: When a PDF is printed as an image, fonts, and images could end up being blurred. This occurs more often with fonts and images that are at the border of the print.
Step 1: Open the PDF that failed to print.
Step 2: Click on “File”.
Step 3: Click on “Print”. This action will open the window for “Print”.
Step 4: Click on “Advanced”. The window for “Advanced Print Setup” will open.
Step 5: Click on the checkbox for “Print As Image”.
Step 6: Adjust other settings according to your preference.
Step 7: Click on “OK”.
If the HP printer not printing PDF problem persists, move to the step below.
Other things you can try – Step 5
If none of the steps above resolves the problem, do the methods below to print your PDF.
i. Use the HP Smart App to print the PDF
The HP Smart App can be used to perform several functions on your HP printer. Therefore, if your HP printer is not printing PDF, try to print the PDF from the HP Smart App.
ii. Ensure that the filename of the PDF doesn’t have special characters
Sometimes, special characters can prevent the file from printing. Therefore, you need to check the filename for any of such special characters. If you find any, rename the file and remove such characters. After you’ve done that, print the PDF again.
iii. Download the PDF file again
One reason why your HP printer is not printing PDF is that the file was downloaded incompletely or incorrectly. Therefore, you should download the PDF file again to correct this error.
iv. Print from another printer
This is especially important if you are using a network (wireless or wired) printer. Instead of printing from another network printer, print the PDF using a non-network printer.
v. Save the PDF file on the hard disk of your computer
If the PDF you are trying to print is stored on a removable device such as a USB flash drive, it is recommended by Adobe that you save the file directly to the hard disk of your computer. When this is done, it will reduce the potential of encountering print problems and file damage.
vi. Ensure that the hard disk space of your computer is enough to print the PDF
You should have at least 3 times the PDF size you want to print as your available storage space. This is very important if you are trying to print a PDF that is quite large.
vii. Free your computer’s memory by closing the other programs while you print the PDF
Adobe recommends that 50% of your computer’s memory is free when you print PDF files. Hence, the best way to ensure that this requirement is met is to close all open programs while you print.
viii. Transfer the PDF to another computer
With the aid of a removable device, wired connection, or wireless connection, transfer the PDF to another computer. After the transfer is complete, try to print the PDF from the computer you just transferred the PDF to.
ix. Print from the Cloud
If you have a cloud storage account such as Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, send the file to that account and then print from the cloud directly.
x. Print from your Smartphone
To use this method, you need to confirm that your printer is compatible with HP mobile printing solutions. You can click here to confirm if your printer has such compatibility. If it does, move the file to your smartphone and then print from it.
