PDF Printing Issue

[tjherron]

last week, I started getting printing errors when attempting to print PDF's.     I beleive it has something to do with my Distiller program, but not sure.    This is the error message I am getting.

Any assistance you can provide would be appreciated.

[Matt-Tech Comm Tools]

Are you using the Save as PDF option or the Publish panel to output PDF? (both these options use the better, faster internal PDF engine, and not Distiller)

If not, please try that.

[tjherron]

All I am trying to do is print PDF's that have been sent to me.   Not sure what Frame Maker is, but I am not using it .  These are just standard PDF's.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

What version of FM are you running?

[Amal.]

Hi there

Hope you are doing well and thanks for reaching out.

Is this an issue with a particular PDF file or with all the PDFs? Please try with a different PDF file and check.

Also, try to print the PDF as an image. Go to Print > Advanced > Print as Image and see if that works.

Additionally, make sure the Acrobat App is updated to the latest version 25.01.2043X Go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.

Let us know how it goes.

[Winfried Reng]

Hi,

Hm. I do not know this error message.

Do you use FrameMaker to create your documentation and to create your PDF?

You say that you print PDFs. Does this mean that you print to a PostScript file and then distill this to a PDF?

As Matt said describe in detail, how you create your PDF. Then we might be able to help you.

Best regards, Winfried

[tjherron]

Thanks for the comment/replies.   A point of clarification.....I am not crating these PDF's.  THese are fiels that have been sent to me and I am simply trying to print.  When I do print, the distiller app open up as well, which I do not recall happening before this problem started.

I am not useing Frame Maker to do anything.

Thank you.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

Ok, you've posted in the Framemaker forum - let's move your question over to the Acrobat Reader forum.

[AnandSri · Accepted solution]

Hello!

I hope you are doing well, and thanks for sharing all the details and for your cooperation.

Based on your description, it sounds like Adobe Distiller has mistakenly become your default print handler for PDFS, which is likely causing the issue, especially since you're just trying to print PDFS you’ve received, not create or process them via Distiller.

To confirm, are you using the freeware Acrobat Reader or the Acrobat Pro desktop app? 

Ensure Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader is set as your default PDF viewer and not Distiller.

• Windows:

  • Right-click on any PDF file > Open with > Choose another app

  • Select Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader

  • Check "Always use this app to open .pdf files"

  • Click OK.

Make sure your actual printer is selected when printing, and not Adobe PDF or Adobe Distiller:

• Open the PDF in Acrobat

• Go to File > Print

• In the Printer dropdown, select your physical printer (not Adobe PDF or Distiller)

• Click Advanced and check "Print as image" if you're still facing issues

If Distiller is opening unexpectedly:

• Open Adobe Distiller

• Go to Settings > Watch Folders

• If any folders are listed, remove them by selecting and clicking Remove Folder

• This stops Distiller from auto-processing PDFs dropped into those locations.

You may also refer to these articles and try the suggestions: https://adobe.ly/3GqzEF7

If the issue persists, please share the current version of the operating system installed, the version of Acrobat (assuming you are on the latest build 25.001.20458, Planned update, Apr 15, 2025), the make and model of the printer, the version, and the PDF file for testing. Do collect the printing logs from the machine and share them with us.

Thanks,

Anand Sri.