How to Fix Cannot Print 11x17 PDFs After Adobe Acrobat Pro DC Update
Question details
Users are unable to print PDF documents in 11x17 or tabloid sizes following a recent software update in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to print PDF files in 11x17 or tabloid paper formats.
- Observed behavior
- The print job fails, often producing a generic error message or a completely blank output document, while other standard paper sizes continue to print normally.
Verify that your physical printer supports 11x17 paper and that the correct tabloid size is loaded in the printer tray before modifying your software settings.
Manually Set Page Orientation in the Print Dialog
Bypassing the automatic orientation setting is the most effective workaround to resolve the 11x17 printing error introduced by the recent update.
The recent Acrobat update appears to have broken the 'Auto' orientation calculation for tabloid-sized documents. Forcing a specific orientation bypasses this calculation and allows the document to spool correctly to your printer.
Launch Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, open your affected PDF document, and press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac) to bring up the Print dialog box.
Look for the 'Orientation' section within the main print settings menu.
Change the default selection from 'Auto portrait/landscape' to strictly 'Portrait' or 'Landscape', depending on the layout of your document.
Click the 'Print' button at the bottom right to execute the print job. The 11x17 document should now process without generating a blank page.
Repair Adobe Acrobat Installation
Using the built-in repair tool can help if the recent update corrupted core application files responsible for printing and formatting.
Use WPS Office to Print Your 11x17 PDFs Effortlessly
Bypass software bugs and print errors by using the built-in WPS PDF tool. It flawlessly handles large formats like 11x17 and tabloid without throwing generic errors or printing blank pages.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office on your computer from the official website.
- 2. Open Your PDF: Right-click the problematic 11x17 PDF file, select 'Open with', and choose 'WPS Office'.
- 3. Access Print Settings: Click the 'Print' icon in the top toolbar or press Ctrl+P to open the WPS print dialog.
- 4. Select Size and Print: Ensure your printer is selected, confirm that the paper size is set to 11x17 or Tabloid, and click 'Print'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my PDF print out completely blank when using 11x17 paper?
A recent software update to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC introduced a bug that affects the processing of 11x17 and tabloid formats. When the page orientation is set to 'Auto', the software fails to send the correct dimension data to the printer, resulting in a blank page or a generic system error.
Did the Acrobat update break other features besides printing?
Yes, many users have reported that the same update disrupted other core functionalities. Known issues include the inability to use right-click copy and paste while in Edit mode, difficulties selecting objects by clicking and dragging, and generalized failures when using the 'Print to PDF' function.
Can I roll back to a previous version of Acrobat to fix the printing error?
Yes. If the orientation workaround is too tedious for your workflow, you can uninstall your current version of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and install a previous stable build. Make sure to temporarily disable automatic updates in the Preferences menu so the buggy version does not reinstall automatically.
