How to Fix PDF Printing with Incorrect Colors or Fonts in Acrobat
Question details
The user is experiencing an issue where a previously fine PDF document now prints with altered fonts and unexpected text colors.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing a PDF document to a physical printer.
- Observed behavior
- Parts of the PDF text print in color instead of the expected format, and the original fonts are incorrectly substituted or misrendered.
Before altering your printer settings, open the PDF on your screen to verify if the colors and fonts display correctly. If the on-screen display is also wrong, the document itself may be corrupted; if it looks correct, the issue lies in the printing pipeline.
Use the 'Print as Image' Feature
This method forces Acrobat to send the document to the printer as a flat image, bypassing any font rendering or color substitution conflicts.
When printers fail to interpret embedded fonts or color profiles, processing the document as an image guarantees that the printed output matches what you see on your screen.
Open your document in Adobe Acrobat and click on 'File' > 'Print' to launch the print dialog box.
Click the 'Advanced' button located near the top right of the print dialog window.
Check the box labeled 'Print as Image'. You can also adjust the DPI resolution here if needed. Click 'OK' to save the setting.
Click the 'Print' button to send the rasterized document to your printer and verify the results.
Disable Color Substitutions and Adjust Printer Properties
Prevents the printer or PDF viewer from applying unwanted color profiles that change black text to colored text.
Update or Reinstall the Printer Driver
Fixes underlying communication errors between the operating system, the PDF viewer, and the printer hardware.
Print PDFs Accurately with WPS Office
If Acrobat continues to struggle with font rendering or color profile issues, try printing your document using WPS PDF. WPS Office features a robust, built-in PDF reader that ensures high-fidelity printing, accurate font rendering, and seamless document processing without heavy system requirements.
- 1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office, select the PDF module, and open your document.
- 2. Access Print Settings: Click 'Menu' in the top-left corner, then select 'Print' (or press Ctrl+P).
- 3. Configure Print Options: Select your printer and review the preview pane to ensure fonts and colors are displaying accurately.
- 4. Print the Document: Click the 'Print' button to process the task with WPS Office's optimized rendering engine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my PDF fonts look different when printed compared to the screen?
This usually occurs when the fonts used in the PDF are not properly embedded into the document, and the printer's memory lacks those specific fonts. The printer is forced to substitute them with generic system fonts, altering the appearance.
Why is my black and white PDF printing with colored text?
The text in the PDF might be formatted using 'Rich Black' (a mixture of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) instead of pure black. If your printer's color calibration is slightly off, it may print this mixture with a noticeable color tint. Forcing the printer properties to 'Grayscale' typically resolves this.
Can printing via a different PDF viewer fix font and color errors?
Yes. Different PDF applications use different rendering engines to send data to the printer spooler. If one application encounters a bug or driver conflict, opening and printing the same file through an alternative like WPS PDF or a web browser can often bypass the issue entirely.
