Why doesn't Acrobat use Windows' default printer?!

[Changeling Words]

I'll grant that this is only a minor annoyance, but still, how can the programmers do something this stupid? I generate my invoice in Word and PRINT it to Adobe PDF. The PDF invoice opens in Acrobat and from there I want to print a physical copy for my accountant. Because otherwise I have to keep switching the Word's printer settings back and forth, which is a waste of time. But rather than using Windows' standard printer, Acrobat DC is preset to use whatever printer Word just used. Which is Acrobat and then there's an internal error because it can't print to itself.

THIS IS WHY WINDOWS HAS A DEFAULT PRINTER, so we don't have to choose the damned printer every time we open a new program. Every program is supposed to default to the DEFAULT printer. That's why it exists. Why the hell is Acrobat programmed to ignore that? What is the logic of that? I can't find anywhere in the preferences to tell it to always use the default printer either. Is there one?

[Dov Isaacs · Accepted solution]

Dear Jennifer Evans,

The programmers at Adobe didn't do anything stupid in this case. In fact, every time you invoke Acrobat (or even Reader), the software uses printer that is currently the default printer at the time you start Acrobat. It never, repeat never, repeat once again never chooses any other printer. Assuming that you are using Windows 10, a new “feature” of Windows 10 changes the default printer every time you select a new printer in an application. See the discussion at My Windows 10 Pro operating system will not allow me to keep Adobe Acrobat as my default printer. E... . This will describe what is going on and how you can turn off this default obnoxious behavior of Windows 10.

Again Acrobat doesn't ignore the default printer. Windows 10 is changing that default printer. Your scenario is the best example of that. You are in Word and print to Adobe PDF. Windows 10 then changes the default printer (unbeknownst to you) to Adobe PDF. The PDF opens in Acrobat and you try to print and guess what, it shows Adobe PDF as the printer. Well, now you know why and if you read the article referred to above, you'll find how to turn off that alleged Windows feature.

Good luck. (And please cool your jets a bit!)

          - Dov

[Changeling Words]

Awesome, have turned off the dubious feature! Thanks!