Acrobat DC cannot print composite

[davidp76078460]

I recently upgraded my Mac and I'm now having trouble printing a composite colour document.

The document is CMYK, when printing, the colours are separated so that one page will print the blue channel, another might print only magenta etc.

In the advanced printing window under 'output' I've checked 'simulate overprinting' and the colour is set to 'composite'.

Also, the preview in the print window shows a 4-colour image.

I am running exactly the same version software as my previous Mac and I have a colleague with the same problem.

Are there any settings I am missing? It seems odd that a new machine running the same software would have this issue.

[Test Screen Name]

What is your printer/output device? Do you share it with your colleague? Does this happen if you print from any other app?

[davidp76078460]

It's the general office printer, my colleague who has the problem shares this printer. But another of my colleagues also uses the same printer and doesn't have the problem.

When I open the PDF in Preview, the on screen version is separated, it's only in Acrobat that I can change the viewing settings to view the PDF as composite on screen. If I print from Preview, I will get the same problem.

[Abambo]

davidp76078460  wrote

When I open the PDF in Preview, the on screen version is separated,

What about taking a PDF file from the Adobe-website and trying that one.Does that print normal?

[davidp76078460]

The problem doesn't occur with all PDFs, it's when I receive proofs from a printing company. However, the file is not damaged because it will print normally on one of my other colleagues Macs. Plus, one of the files that printed correctly on my old Mac, no longer prints as a composite - indicating, it's my machine or settings.

[Abambo]

My first guess was a printer configuration issue. If that would be the case, all files should print the bad way.

Did you contact the printing company to learn how they create the file?

[davidp76078460]

I did contact the printing company, unfortunately they don't seem to know why this is happening. As I said previously, it is odd as the only thing that has changed is my Mac. The printer is the same.

[Test Screen Name]

What you describe is so very surprising, I think we need to go back to what you are seeing to see if it's something other than what we think. Some questions.

1. When you print separations you should get pages with NO COLOUR except greys and usually four separate printed pages for each page shown on screen. Is this what you get?

2. You said you could get it to display right on screen, or also display as separations. Is that right? What did you do to get it to display right?

[davidp76078460]

1. In the advanced print set up window, under the 'colour' drop down menu, I have only 'Composite' available; the other options are greyed out and I cannot choose 'Separations'. So I cannot actually choose to print separations, it just happens even when I choose to print composite. Each page will only print once, as either C M Y or K.

2. I went to Preferences... Page Display and selected 'Always' from the 'Use Overprint Preview' drop down.

[Test Screen Name]

1. It does not sound as if you are actually getting separations as I would know it. Most printers can't make separations so it's normal to be greyed out. You say your pages are in colour? It does sound like a problem with overprint, rather than actually getting separations, but I can see why you would think that.

2. Many PDF files will only display correctly if you use overprint preview, so this is a must. You should also have it selected for printing unless you are producing final output on a device which supports overprinting. So in printing PDF files made this way you MUST select "Simulate overprinting".

[davidp76078460]

1. Okay thanks, maybe 'separations' isn't the correct term.

2. I have been making sure that 'simulate overprinting' is checked every time I print; but this does not solve the problem.

[Abambo]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Test+Screen+Name  wrote

Most printers can't make separations so it's normal to be greyed out.

Non-Postscript printers can’t make separations.

[Test Screen Name]

Ok, then there may be a bug in simulating overprint when printing, because that is all you can do. What is your exact version of Acrobat (from About?)

[davidp76078460]

[davidp76078460 · Accepted solution]

I have found a solution after much trawling through settings. Under the Advanced tab in the print dialog, under colour management, I changed the Colour Handling to 'Printer colour management'

It seems like a simple fix - maybe a bit too good to be true but it seems to have solved the problem.