How to Fix PDF Documents Printing in the Wrong Language
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where a PDF document prints in an unexpected language, symbols, or gibberish instead of the original text.
- Product
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document to a physical printer.
- Observed behavior
- The printed output appears in a different language or displays incorrect characters, despite the document potentially looking correct on the screen.
Verify whether the incorrect language appears on your computer screen when viewing the PDF, or if it only occurs on the physical printed page. This helps determine if the issue is with the document's original encoding or your printer's settings.
Print the PDF as an Image
Bypass printer driver font parsing errors by sending the document to the printer as an image.
When a printer lacks the specific fonts embedded in a PDF, it may substitute them incorrectly, resulting in foreign characters or gibberish on the printed page. Forcing the PDF software to print the page as an image bypasses the printer's internal font processing.
Open your PDF document in your PDF reader. Click on 'File' in the top menu and select 'Print', or press the 'Ctrl + P' shortcut.
Look for an 'Advanced' button or tab within the print settings window and click it.
Check the box labeled 'Print as Image'. Click 'OK' to save the advanced setting.
Click the 'Print' button to send the document to the printer.
Update Printer Drivers and Check OS Settings
Outdated printer drivers or conflicting operating system configurations can cause text processing errors during printing.
Print PDFs Accurately with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a robust PDF reader that ensures your documents print exactly as they appear on screen. With advanced font processing and an easy 'Print as Image' option, you can quickly resolve language and character encoding errors.
- 1. Open with WPS PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your target PDF file.
- 2. Access Print Settings: Click the 'Print' icon on the top toolbar or press Ctrl+P to open the print dialog.
- 3. Configure Print Options: Review the preview window to ensure the language is correct. If you suspect font encoding issues, look for the 'Print as Image' option and enable it.
- 4. Print the Document: Click the 'Print' button to send the document to your printer accurately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my PDF printing gibberish or symbols instead of the correct language?
This usually happens when the printer driver fails to correctly interpret the fonts or encoding embedded in the PDF. The printer substitutes the missing data with random characters or symbols. Using the 'Print as Image' feature in your PDF software's print settings usually resolves this issue.
How can I check if the language issue is with the document or the printer?
Open the PDF on your computer screen. If the text appears in the wrong language or as symbols on the screen, the source document's encoding is flawed or missing fonts. If it looks correct on screen but prints incorrectly, the issue lies with your printer driver or print settings.
Do I need to change my computer's operating system language?
Usually, no. Unless your entire operating system is displaying the wrong language, PDF printing errors are specifically tied to the PDF software, font embedding, or the printer's font processing capabilities rather than the global OS language settings.
