Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →To print an Adobe PDF, open it in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader, select Print, choose the printer and pages, set the paper and scaling options, check the preview, and print. Use Fit when the page must fit the selected sheet, Actual size when preserving the document’s scale matters, and Shrink oversized pages when you want to reduce only pages that are too large.
The exact controls depend on your Acrobat or Reader release, operating system, printer, and driver. The workflow below covers ordinary printing, mixed page sizes, duplex and multi-page layouts, selected regions, and a troubleshooting sequence for jobs that fail.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Print a PDF in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader
Adobe’s desktop workflow puts printer selection, page range, sizing, orientation, paper handling, comments, forms, and preview in one print dialog. Labels can vary slightly between Acrobat and Reader, but the order is generally the same. Adobe’s current Reader instructions are available in Print PDFs in Acrobat Reader.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11- Open the file. Launch Acrobat or Acrobat Reader and open the PDF. If it arrived as an email attachment or browser download, save it locally first when possible.
- Open Print. Choose File > Print or press Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on macOS.
- Select the printer. Choose the physical printer, network queue, or PDF output device that should receive the job. Confirm the model rather than selecting a similarly named queue by mistake.
- Set copies and pages. Select All, Current page, or a custom range. Type individual pages and ranges in the format the dialog accepts, such as
1,3,5-8. Acrobat Pro can also expose odd/even-page and reverse-order choices. - Choose sizing and handling. Select Fit, Actual size, Shrink oversized pages, Custom Scale, Multiple, or Poster, depending on the result you need.
- Set paper and orientation. Choose portrait or landscape, paper size, and, where available, a tray or paper source. Open Page Setup or the printer’s Properties/Preferences if the required size or tray is not shown in Acrobat.
- Choose additional content. If the PDF contains comments, annotations, or interactive form fields, select the corresponding print option when available. Decide whether they belong on the paper before submitting the job.
- Inspect the preview. Move through the pages in the preview. Look for clipped edges, unexpectedly enlarged pages, blank sheets, missing annotations, incorrect orientation, or a tray that does not match the paper.
- Select Print. Submit the job only after the preview and printer properties agree with the paper loaded in the printer.
Adobe documents the Reader controls and preview in its print-PDF help. Acrobat Pro exposes additional print settings in Adjust print settings in Acrobat Pro.
#1 Best Overall
- BEST FOR HOME OFFICES & SMALL TEAMS – Engineered for consistent, premium print quality, the Brother HL-L2460DW Monochrome (Black & White) Laser Printer produces documents that are clear, crisp, and easy to review and share, all at an affordable price
- COMPACT, CONNECTED, EXCEPTIONALLY EFFICIENT– Connect with built-in dual-band wireless (2.4GHz/5GHz), Ethernet, or to a single computer via USB interface. Prints at speeds up to 36ppm(2), plus automatic duplex printing saves time and reduces paper waste
- BROTHER MOBILE CONNECT APP – Manage your wireless printer remotely and print from your mobile device anytime, from almost anywhere. Order Brother Genuine Supplies, track toner usage, and complete more work on-the-go(3)
- VERSATILE PAPER HANDLING – Tackle high-volume black & white printing with the 250-sheet capacity paper tray.(4) The manual feed slot enables printing on envelopes and specialty paper
- BROTHER IS AT YOUR SIDE – Backed by Brother with a 1-year limited warranty and free online, call, or live chat support for the life of your printer
What each print setting does
Most printing mistakes come from selecting a scale or paper source without checking what it changes. The following table describes the practical result of each common choice.
| Setting | What it does | Use it when | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fit | Reduces or enlarges the PDF page so it fits the printable area of the selected paper. | The whole page must be visible on the sheet, even when the PDF and paper are different sizes. | The output is rescaled, so physical dimensions no longer equal the PDF’s original dimensions. |
| Actual size | Prints without scaling. | The original scale is more important than showing every edge. | Content that extends beyond the paper or printer margins can be cropped. |
| Shrink oversized pages | Reduces pages that are too large for the selected paper but does not enlarge smaller pages. | A file combines normal pages with a few larger pages and you want small pages to retain their size. | Different pages can print at different physical scales. |
| Custom Scale | Applies a percentage that you specify. | You have a known scale requirement and can verify the result with a ruler or test mark. | An incorrect percentage can make every page too large or too small. |
| Choose paper source by PDF page size | Uses the PDF page dimensions to select a matching tray or paper source when the printer and driver support it. | A document contains mixed sizes and the printer has the corresponding paper loaded in separate trays. | Without matching paper or a supported tray, pages may pause, use the wrong stock, or fail. |
Adobe explains these scaling behaviors in Adjust page size for printing PDFs in Acrobat. “Fit” is a page-to-paper operation, not a guarantee of engineering, legal, or archival scale. If dimensions matter, print a known-size reference or measure the output after printing.
Choose between Fit, Actual size, and Shrink oversized pages
Use Fit for a complete page on ordinary paper
Select Fit when your priority is seeing the entire page on the chosen sheet. Acrobat calculates a reduction or enlargement that stays inside the printer’s printable area. This is usually the safest choice for letters, reports, web exports, and presentation pages that were created for a different paper size.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Fit can enlarge a small PDF page. That may be useful when a small label or note should occupy more of a standard sheet, but it can also make text or graphics look softer. Check the preview for enlarged content and verify that the printer’s non-printable margins do not remove anything important.
Use Actual size when dimensions must remain unchanged
Actual size sends the page to the printer without Acrobat scaling it. It is appropriate for diagrams, templates, forms, and other documents where a measured dimension matters. The trade-off is physical: if the PDF is larger than the selected paper or extends into the printer’s unprintable margins, the outer content can be cut off.
Before committing to a long run, print one page and measure a known dimension. If the page is clipped, switch to a larger sheet, change the orientation, or deliberately choose a smaller custom percentage. Do not switch to Fit silently when the original scale is a requirement.
Use Shrink oversized pages for mixed-size files
Shrink oversized pages reduces only pages that cannot fit. A smaller page remains at its original size instead of being enlarged to fill the sheet. This option is useful for a PDF that contains mostly letter-size pages and a few legal-size or tabloid-size pages.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Because pages can end up at different scales, mark or measure the output if the document will be used as a pattern, technical drawing, or regulated form. If every page should occupy the same sheet area, use Fit instead.
Use Custom Scale for a deliberate percentage
Custom Scale is for a known resize such as 90% or 125%. Enter the percentage in the print dialog, then inspect the preview. A custom percentage does not automatically account for the printer’s margins, so check all four edges and run a one-page test when clipping would be costly.
Rank #2
- BEST FOR SMALL BUSINESSES – Engineered for extraordinary productivity, the Brother DCP-L2640DW Monochrome (Black & White) 3-in-1 combines laser printer, scanner, copier in one compact footprint and delivers high-quality black & white prints
- FAST PRINTER WITH EFFICIENT SCANNING – Produces documents quickly with print speeds up to 36 ppm(2) and scan speeds up to 23.6/7.9 ipm(3) (black/color). A 50-page auto document feeder(4) allows for convenient, time saving multi-page scanning and copying
- FLEXIBLE CONNECTION OPTIONS – Easily navigate the changing demands of your business with secure multi-device connectivity via built-in dual-band wireless (2.4GHz / 5GHz) and Ethernet. Or connect locally to a single computer via USB interface
- BROTHER MOBILE CONNECT APP – Print, scan, and manage your wireless printer anytime, from almost anywhere from your mobile device. Order Brother Genuine Supplies, track toner usage, and complete more work on-the-go(5)
- CHOOSE BROTHER GENUINE TONER – When it’s time to replace your toner, be sure to choose Brother Genuine TN830 or TN830XL replacement toner. And with Refresh EZ Print Subscription Service, you’ll never worry about running out of toner again and you’ll enjoy savings of up to 50%(6) on Brother Genuine Toner. Get started with Refresh today with a Free Trial(1)
Set paper size, orientation, and paper source
Paper loaded in the printer and paper selected in Acrobat must agree. A letter-size PDF sent to a tray loaded with A4 may print with a slight size mismatch, pause for manual loading, or trigger a printer warning. Open Page Setup or the printer’s properties from the print dialog to select the actual stock and tray.
Portrait and landscape
Choose portrait for pages that are taller than they are wide and landscape for pages that are wider than they are tall. If automatic orientation is available, still inspect the preview: a PDF can contain rotated pages, and an automatic choice may not match the way you intend to bind or read the output.
Mixed page sizes
For a PDF containing letter, legal, A4, envelopes, or custom dimensions, enable Choose paper source by PDF page size when the option is available. The printer must support the required sizes and have them loaded in compatible trays. Adobe’s instructions for this workflow are in Print PDFs with mixed page sizes in Acrobat.
Some versions also show a custom paper-size checkbox. Enable it only when the printer and driver can accept the custom dimensions. Otherwise, map the PDF to a supported paper size and use Fit or a deliberate custom scale.
Paper source versus paper size
Paper size describes the sheet’s dimensions; paper source describes where the printer obtains it. A printer may have multiple trays containing the same size with different media, such as plain paper and letterhead. Select both deliberately in printer properties when the distinction matters. Acrobat cannot make an unsupported tray or paper size appear; those capabilities come from the printer and its driver.
Print double-sided, grayscale, multiple pages, or a poster
Double-sided printing
Choose Print on both sides or the equivalent duplex option when the printer supports automatic two-sided printing. Select the flip edge:
- Long edge usually suits portrait documents that turn like a book.
- Short edge usually suits calendar-style layouts or pages that turn from the top.
If duplex is missing from Acrobat, open the printer’s properties. The driver determines which features Acrobat can expose, and some printers require manual two-sided printing: print one side, reload the stack as directed by the printer, then print the reverse side. Confirm the reloading direction with a short test rather than risking an entire document.
Black-and-white or grayscale
Select grayscale or black-and-white in the print dialog or printer properties when color is unnecessary. The wording and available controls vary by driver. Check the preview and printer properties because a PDF can contain colored text, light fills, or transparency that becomes difficult to read when converted to grayscale.
Several PDF pages on one sheet
Select Multiple to print two or more PDF pages on each physical sheet. Choose the number of pages per sheet and the order, such as horizontal or vertical progression. This is commonly called n-up printing. It reduces paper use but also reduces text size, so verify legibility in the preview before printing a large batch.
Rank #3
- FROM AMERICA'S MOST TRUSTED PRINTER BRAND – Perfect for offices and small businesses printing black & white documents and reports.
- KEY FEATURES – Fast print speeds, auto 2-sided printing, smart-guided buttons,150-sheet input tray and USB cable included.
- BUILT FOR SPEED – Quickly finish multipage print projects with the fastest in-class two-sided printing speed.
- AWARD-WINNING DESIGN – Save space without sacrificing performance with a compact design.
- EXCEPTIONAL LASER QUALITY – Rely on consistent, quality prints page after page.
One large page across several sheets
Select Poster to tile a single large PDF page across multiple sheets. Set the tile scale and overlap when those controls are available. Overlap creates an edge area for aligning adjacent sheets; trim marks or labels can help with assembly. Poster printing is different from Multiple: Poster enlarges and splits one page, while Multiple places several pages on one sheet.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Print only part of a PDF page
To print a region rather than the complete page, use Acrobat or Reader’s snapshot workflow:
- Choose the Take a Snapshot tool.
- Drag around the text, image, chart, or other area to capture. The selected region is copied as a graphic.
- Open the print dialog.
- Select Selected graphic as the content to print.
- Choose Fit or another scale if the selection needs to fill the sheet, then inspect the preview.
- Print the selection.
This method prints the selected area as an image, so text may not remain selectable in the output. Adobe’s exact procedure is documented in Print a portion of a PDF page in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
Control comments, form fields, page order, and page ranges
A PDF can contain more than its base page artwork. In Acrobat Pro, print settings can include comments, annotations, and form fields, plus odd/even-page selection and reverse order. The controls are described in Adobe’s Acrobat Pro print-settings guide.
Comments and annotations
Decide whether comments should appear on paper. A review copy may need comment callouts; a clean distribution copy may need only the underlying document. If comments or markups are not visible in the preview, change the comments setting before printing.
Recommended Free Tools
Interactive form fields
Some forms display entered values on screen but offer separate choices for printing field contents. Confirm that the completed values appear in the preview. If a field is intentionally blank, do not assume it is missing from the PDF; it may simply have no value to print.
Odd, even, and reverse order
Odd/even selection is useful for manual duplex jobs or for reprinting only one side of a stack. Reverse order can make pages emerge in the order needed for a face-up output tray. Test a few pages first because the physical result depends on how your printer receives and stacks paper.
Page ranges
Use a comma-separated list for separate pages and a hyphen for a continuous range, for example 2,4,7-10. Recheck the range in the preview, especially when the PDF has cover pages, inserted blanks, or page labels that differ from the internal page numbers.
Why can’t I print my document?
When a PDF does not print, work from the physical connection inward. This sequence separates a printer or driver fault from an Acrobat problem and then from a damaged or unusually complex file. Adobe’s current troubleshooting guidance is in Troubleshoot PDF printing issues in Acrobat and Fix PDF printing errors in Acrobat.
Rank #4
- BEST FOR HOME OFFICES & SMALL TEAMS – Engineered for consistent, premium print quality, the Brother HL-L2460DW Monochrome (Black & White) Laser Printer produces documents that are clear, crisp, and easy to review and share, all at an affordable price
- COMPACT, CONNECTED, EXCEPTIONALLY EFFICIENT– Connect with built-in dual-band wireless (2.4GHz/5GHz), Ethernet, or to a single computer via USB interface. Prints at speeds up to 36ppm(2), plus automatic duplex printing saves time and reduces paper waste
- BROTHER MOBILE CONNECT APP – Manage your wireless printer remotely and print from your mobile device anytime, from almost anywhere. Order Brother Genuine Supplies, track toner usage, and complete more work on-the-go(3)
- VERSATILE PAPER HANDLING – Tackle high-volume black & white printing with the 250-sheet capacity paper tray.(4) The manual feed slot enables printing on envelopes and specialty paper
- BROTHER IS AT YOUR SIDE – Backed by Brother with a 1-year limited warranty and free online, call, or live chat support for the life of your printer
1. Check power, connection, and queue status
- Confirm the printer is powered on and not showing a paper, ink, toner, cover, or maintenance error.
- Check that the selected printer is the intended model and that it is online.
- For a USB printer, connect directly to the computer rather than through a USB hub when applicable.
- Clear stalled jobs from the operating system’s print queue if an earlier document is blocking the queue.
- Restart the printer, wait for it to finish initialization, and try again.
2. Verify the model-specific driver
Identify the exact printer model and install the driver intended for that model and operating system. Do not rely on a generic driver when the manufacturer supplies a current model-specific package. Adobe notes that manufacturers regularly update drivers to improve compatibility with newer Acrobat and Reader versions; the guidance is included in its PDF printing troubleshooting page.
3. Print a test page and try another printer
Print an operating-system test page or a simple document. If that also fails, the issue is probably outside the PDF. If ordinary documents print but this PDF does not, try the same PDF on another printer. The result helps identify whether the fault follows the file or stays with the original printer and driver.
4. Update Acrobat or Reader
Install available Acrobat or Reader updates, then reopen the PDF and retry. Interface names may change between releases, so use the current application’s Help or update command rather than following an old menu path blindly.
5. Save a local copy and reopen it
A partially downloaded or network-hosted PDF can fail before the printer receives a complete job. Save the file to a local drive, close it, reopen the saved copy in Acrobat or Reader, and print again. If possible, create a fresh copy from the original source and compare the result.
6. Try Print as Image for a file-specific failure
For a PDF that displays correctly but produces blank pages, errors, or an incomplete job, open the print dialog’s Advanced options and select Print as Image when available. Acrobat rasterizes the page before sending it to the driver, which can bypass problems caused by unusual fonts, transparency, vector objects, or damaged page instructions. The output may be larger, slower, or less sharp at high magnification, so use this as a troubleshooting choice rather than a default for every job.
7. Isolate the page or object causing the failure
Print one page or a small batch. Increase the batch gradually until the failure returns. A specific page may contain a malformed object, very large image, transparency effect, or font that the driver cannot process. Once isolated, obtain a clean export from the document’s author, remove or replace the offending object, or print the unaffected pages separately.
Adobe’s older Printing complex PDF document using Adobe Acrobat article describes advanced options such as transparency flattening for professional workflows. These controls are not the first troubleshooting step for an ordinary print job; use them only when a complex file has been isolated and you understand the effect on appearance.
8. Check document printing permissions
A password-protected PDF can be configured to prohibit printing. If the print command is disabled or the security settings say printing is not allowed, contact the document’s author or administrator. Do not attempt to bypass a document’s restrictions.
A practical decision guide before you press Print
- Need every edge visible? Choose Fit and confirm that text remains readable.
- Need original dimensions? Choose Actual size, then check for clipping and measure a test page.
- Have a few oversized pages? Choose Shrink oversized pages, accepting that pages may have different scales.
- Need a known percentage? Use Custom Scale and verify a measured dimension.
- Have mixed paper sizes? Enable paper source by PDF page size only when the printer has matching stock and supported trays.
- Need a booklet-like stack? Enable duplex and select the correct flip edge in the printer properties.
- Want several pages per sheet? Use Multiple; use Poster instead when one large page must span several sheets.
- Only one region matters? Use Take a Snapshot, then print Selected graphic.
- Job fails? Check connection and queue, install the correct driver, test another document or printer, save a local copy, and then try Print as Image.
Preview is the final safety check. It reveals scale, orientation, page count, comments, blank pages, and clipping before those choices consume paper or a long printer queue.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
