Issue
- When I print a PDF downloaded from a Canvas course or sent from an instructor, it only prints a single error page.
- Help! My PDF document is only printing an error and not the whole document!
Environment
PDF documents can be created in a number of ways, and all PDFs have a large amount of data embedded in them. When a PDF has bad or corrupt data embedded in it, it can print a single error page when printed or even hundreds of pages with a single character on them.
This can happen due to a variety of factors, and is often not reproducible even on the same document. The most common issue is with files opened and edited with Adobe Acrobat DC. While Adobe can open and print the document, other PDF applications, such as macOS' Preview app may not be able to print a document successfully because of the data placed in the document by Adobe.
Resolution
There are several options for repairing the document for printing, including re-scanning the original document and scanning a printed copy of the document.
You can also often get around this issue, especially on macOS in Preview, by "printing" the document to PDF, saving the copy, and then printing the copy. Those instructions continue below.
Printing a PDF from macOS' Preview app to a PDF for printing
In essence you are making a copy of the original corrupted PDF document, but in a way that allows the application to apply its own instructions to the data of the file.
- Open the "bad" document in Preview
- Go to File - Print
- At the bottom of the screen, on the right-hand side, click PDF from the small drop-down menu.
- Provide a name for the new document and save it to a location of your choice.
- Click Save
- The document will be printed to PDF using PDF print processor built in to macOS. This may take some time as the document's data is re-written and the document is often decompressed.
- Once complete, close the "bad" document, navigate to your saved document's location and open it.
- Try to print as you normally would.
If you need further assistance, please contact the Bowdoin College Service Desk