PDF Printing Issues

Fix Acrobat Reader Printing Garbled PDFs on Windows Server 2012 R2

Amos Gikunda Oct 23, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users experience garbled text or incorrect output when printing PDFs via Adobe Acrobat Reader DC on a Windows Server 2012 R2 terminal server using an HP Universal PCL driver.

Fix Acrobat Reader Printing Garbled PDFs on Windows Server 2012 R2

Product: Adobe Acrobat Reader DC
Device & OS: Windows Server 2012 R2
Scenario: Printing PDF documents in a terminal server environment using HP Universal PCL drivers after a recent Acrobat Reader upgrade.
Observed behavior: Printed PDF files come out garbled or formatted incorrectly, whereas the same files print fine on Windows 10 or when using an HP PostScript driver.

Before you start

Before making system-wide driver changes, ensure you have administrative access to the Windows Server 2012 R2 print server and temporarily pause the print queue to prevent partial or failed print jobs from piling up.

Solution 1Recommended

Switch to an HP PostScript (PS) Printer Driver

Using a PostScript driver instead of the Universal PCL driver avoids the rendering conflicts introduced by the Acrobat update.

The HP PostScript driver processes document fonts and vector graphics differently than the PCL driver. Since the PDFs are already verified to print correctly with PostScript drivers, switching to this driver provides an immediate and reliable fix for the terminal server.

Open Print Management

Log into your Windows Server 2012 R2 and open 'Print Management' or 'Devices and Printers' from the Control Panel.

Access Printer Properties

Right-click the affected HP printer and select 'Printer properties' from the context menu.

Install PostScript Driver

Navigate to the 'Advanced' tab and click on 'New Driver'. Select the HP Universal Print Driver for Windows PostScript (PS). If it is not listed, download it from the official HP support site first.

Apply and Test

Set the newly installed PS driver as the default for the printer, apply the changes, and attempt to print the PDF again.

Switch to an HP PostScript (PS) Printer Driver

Immediate Workaround: Since the PDFs already print correctly with PostScript drivers, this is the most reliable immediate fix for terminal server environments.

Solution 2

Print the Document as an Image

Bypass the font and vector processing errors of the PCL driver by forcing Acrobat Reader to send the file as a rasterized image.

Solution 3

Update or Rollback Acrobat Reader and Drivers

Resolve the core compatibility issue between the specific Adobe Acrobat version and the PCL driver.

Print PDFs Flawlessly with WPS Office

If Adobe Acrobat continues to conflict with your terminal server's PCL drivers, you can use WPS Office's built-in PDF tool to open and print your documents. WPS Office provides a robust, independent rendering engine that frequently bypasses specific driver conflicts.

1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get the free WPS Office suite from the official website and install it on your Windows Server or local machine.
2. Open the PDF File: Right-click the problematic PDF file, select 'Open with', and choose WPS Office.
3. Access the Print Menu: Click on 'Menu' in the top-left corner and select 'Print', or press Ctrl + P on your keyboard.
4. Print the Document: Select your HP Universal PCL printer from the drop-down list and click 'Print' to generate the document without garbled text.

Independent PDF rendering engine to avoid Acrobat-specific print spooler errors.Fully compatible with standard PDFs and Microsoft Office formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).Lightweight design that consumes fewer resources on Windows Server environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do PDFs print garbled text only with PCL drivers?

PCL (Printer Command Language) drivers rely heavily on the printer's internal memory to render fonts and vectors. If Adobe Acrobat sends complex font data that the PCL driver or Windows Server 2012 R2 cannot translate, the output becomes garbled. PostScript drivers handle this better by rasterizing the data before sending it.

Will 'Print as Image' fix all garbled PDF issues?

Yes, in most cases. When you select 'Print as Image' in the advanced print settings, the software processes the PDF into a flat picture, completely bypassing the font rendering step where the PCL conflict usually occurs.

Is Windows Server 2012 R2 still fully supported by Adobe Acrobat DC?

Adobe periodically updates its support matrices. While Windows Server 2012 R2 is an older OS, specific legacy versions of Acrobat DC support it. However, the newest updates may introduce untested compatibility issues with older terminal server print spoolers.

Can I use WPS Office to print PDFs on a terminal server?

Yes, WPS Office is lightweight and can be installed on server environments. Its independent PDF reader can process and print PDFs without relying on Adobe's background services, offering a reliable alternative if Acrobat fails.

PDF Troubleshooting