How to Fix PDF Printing Orientation and Text Selection Issues in Chrome
Question details
Users experience incorrect page orientation or distorted text selection when printing web pages to Adobe PDF from Google Chrome.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat / Google Chrome
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a web page to PDF using the Adobe Acrobat virtual printer in Google Chrome.
- Observed behavior
- The resulting PDF saves in an incorrect orientation or behaves like a scanned image, making text selection distorted or impossible, even though Chrome's native 'Save as PDF' works correctly.
Ensure your Google Chrome browser and PDF software are updated to their latest versions, and verify that the website you are trying to print fully loads before accessing the print dialog.
Disable the 'Print as Image' Option in Acrobat Print Settings
Turning off 'Print as Image' prevents the PDF from being rendered as a flat, unselectable scanned document.
When a document is printed as an image, all text and formatting are converted into a single picture layer. This causes text selection tools, like the Highlight tool, to behave erratically and can sometimes force incorrect page orientation settings to apply during the PDF creation process.
Open the distorted or incorrectly oriented PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
Navigate to the top menu, click on 'File', and select 'Print' to open the print dialog box.
Click on the 'Advanced' button located near the top right of the Print dialog window.
Locate the 'Print as Image' checkbox and make sure it is deselected (cleared).
Click 'OK' to save your changes, then try recreating the PDF from Google Chrome to verify if the text selection and orientation are fixed.
Easily Read, Edit and Print PDFs with WPS Office
Avoid frustrating formatting, orientation, and text selection bugs by handling your PDF tasks directly in WPS Office. WPS PDF offers a built-in, lightweight solution to accurately print and edit your documents without relying on complex virtual printer overrides.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install the free version of WPS Office on your computer.
- 2. Open PDF in WPS: Right-click your PDF document and select 'Open with WPS PDF'.
- 3. Print or Edit Flawlessly: Click 'Print' from the top toolbar to access intuitive printing options, or use the 'Edit' tab to select and highlight text accurately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my printed PDF behave like a scanned image?
This typically happens if the 'Print as Image' setting is enabled in your PDF printer's advanced settings. It forces the software to rasterize the text, converting selectable text into a single flat image layer.
Why is Chrome's native 'Save as PDF' different from a virtual PDF printer?
Chrome's native 'Save as PDF' uses Google's rendering engine to generate the PDF directly from the website's HTML code, naturally preserving text and layout. Virtual PDF printers act as drivers intercepting print commands, which can sometimes misinterpret complex web layouts or apply rigid default profiles.
How do I fix inverted portrait and landscape orientations when printing to PDF?
Check the Page Setup settings within your browser's print dialog before printing. Ensure the orientation matches your desired output, and verify that your virtual PDF printer preferences in your operating system are not forcing a specific orientation by default.
Why does the highlight tool distort text in my PDF?
If the PDF was saved as an image or a scanned document without OCR (Optical Character Recognition) applied, the highlight tool cannot snap to text lines accurately, resulting in freehand or distorted highlighting behavior.
