How to Print a PDF That is Only Printing an Error page

Issues

  • My PDF is only printing a single error page instead of the actual document.
  • When I print a PDF from Canvas or sent by an instructor, it prints an error page.
  • My PDF is printing hundreds of pages with a single character on each one.
  • A PDF prints fine on screen but produces garbled output on paper — why?
  • How do I fix a PDF that won't print correctly on my Mac?
  • My PDF was edited in Adobe Acrobat and now it won't print properly.
  • How do I re-export or repair a corrupted PDF so it will print?

Environment

This article applies to anyone whose PDF prints an error page or garbled output instead of the document content:

  • Who: All Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students.
  • What: PDF documents that print incorrectly — typically a single error page, or many pages each containing a single character.
  • Devices: Bowdoin-issued MacBook Pro running macOS Sequoia (15.x) or Tahoe (26.x).
  • Common cause: PDFs that have been opened and modified in Adobe Acrobat DC can contain data changes that macOS Preview and PaperCut cannot process correctly. The file may display fine on screen but fail at the print rendering stage.

Resolution

There are two approaches. Try Option 1 first — it resolves most cases in a few steps.

Option 1 — Re-export the PDF through Preview

This creates a clean copy of the PDF using macOS's built-in PDF engine, stripping out any problematic data from the original file.

  1. Open the problem PDF in Preview.
  2. Go to File > Print (Command + P).
  3. At the bottom-left of the print dialog, click the PDF drop-down menu.

macOS print dialog in Preview with the PDF drop-down menu highlighted at the bottom-left.

  1. Select Save as PDF.
  2. Give the new file a name, choose a save location, and click Save.
  3. Close the original problem PDF.
  4. Open the newly saved PDF and try printing it as normal.
Note: Re-exporting through Preview rewrites the file's internal data using macOS's PDF processor. This takes a moment — the file is often decompressed in the process, so the new file may be larger than the original.

Option 2 — Obtain or re-scan the original document

If re-exporting through Preview does not fix the problem, the source file itself may be too damaged to recover. In this case:

  • Ask the sender (instructor, colleague) to re-export or re-scan the original document and share a fresh copy.
  • If you have access to the original source file (Word document, scanned original), create a new PDF from that instead.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

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