PDF Printing Issues

Fix Gray Areas Printing as Yellow in Acrobat DC

Tauseeq Magsi Oct 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are experiencing an unintended color shift where gray elements in a PDF are rendered or printed as yellow.

How to Fix Gray Areas Printing as Yellow in Acrobat DC

Product: Adobe Acrobat DC and ACA 2017
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening or printing a PDF document generated from ACA 2017 using Adobe Acrobat DC.
Observed behavior: Areas designed to appear gray in the original file become yellow in the PDF viewer or on the printed page, particularly after installing Acrobat DC update 19.008.20071.

Before you start

Before modifying your color settings, check if the gray areas appear yellow on your screen or only when physically printed, as this will help isolate whether it is a software rendering bug or a printer driver issue.

Solution 1Recommended

Update Acrobat and Printer Drivers

Installing the latest patches for your PDF viewer and printer can resolve known color-management and rendering bugs.

Software updates frequently include bug fixes for color rendering issues introduced in previous versions. Ensuring both your Acrobat DC application and physical printer drivers are up-to-date is the most effective first troubleshooting step.

Update Acrobat DC

Open Adobe Acrobat DC, navigate to the 'Help' menu at the top, and click 'Check for Updates'. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest version.

Update Printer Drivers

Open your computer's 'Device Manager', locate your printer under 'Print queues', right-click the specific printer device, and select 'Update driver'.

System Restart: Reboot your computer after installing driver or software updates to ensure the changes take full effect.

Solution 2

Verify and Adjust Color Settings

Checking the color management profiles in Acrobat ensures grayscale and RGB colors are translated correctly.

Solution 3

Use an Alternative PDF Export Method

Exporting the PDF using a different driver or built-in tool in the source application can prevent Acrobat-specific rendering errors.

Use WPS PDF to Print Accurately Without Color Shifts

If Adobe Acrobat DC continues to render gray areas as yellow due to update bugs, you can use WPS PDF to open, view, and print your architectural PDFs accurately. WPS PDF provides a lightweight, reliable alternative for rendering complex CAD exports without unexpected color distortion.

1. Open WPS PDF: Launch WPS Office and click on the 'PDF' tab from the home screen.
2. Load the CAD PDF: Click 'Open' and select the PDF file that was exported from ACA 2017.
3. Print the Document: Click the 'Print' icon or press Ctrl+P. Verify that the preview shows the gray areas correctly, select your printer, and click 'Print'.

Accurate color rendering for CAD and design PDF exportsHigh compatibility with all standard PDF formats nativelyBuilt-in 'Print as Image' feature to bypass driver glitchesLightweight viewer that loads large layout files quickly

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do gray areas in my PDF suddenly print as yellow?

This is typically caused by a color-management conflict or a rendering bug introduced in a specific software update, such as Acrobat DC update 19.008.20071, which misinterprets the grayscale color profiles from source programs like ACA 2017.

Can changing my printer settings fix the yellow tint?

Yes, if the issue only occurs on paper, bypassing the printer's color processing by selecting the 'Print As Image' option in your print dialog's advanced settings can often resolve unexpected color shifts.

Is there a way to prevent this color shift when creating the PDF?

Using an alternative PDF generator, such as AutoCAD's built-in 'DWG to PDF' plotter instead of the Adobe PDF virtual printer, can prevent the color profile from being misread when subsequently opened in Acrobat DC.

PDF Troubleshooting