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How to print a PDF on a Mac

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Open the PDF and choose File > Print, or press ⌘P. Pick your printer, set the pages to print, turn on Two-Sided if your printer supports it, and use the scaling options if pages are cut off. Click Print. PDF Unlimited and Preview both use the standard macOS print dialog, so the options look familiar.

With PDF Unlimited (free)

  1. Open the print dialog

    Open the PDF in PDF Unlimited and press ⌘P, or choose File > Print.

  2. Choose printer and copies

    Pick the printer and the number of copies at the top of the dialog.

  3. Set the pages

    Leave Pages on All, or enter a range such as 3 to 7 to print only part of the document.

  4. Two-sided and layout

    Turn on Two-Sided if your printer supports it. For handouts, use Layout to put two or four pages on each sheet.

  5. Check the preview, then print

    Look at the preview on the left to confirm orientation and margins, then click Print.

With Preview, built into macOS

  1. Open Print

    Open the PDF in Preview and choose File > Print. If you only see a few options, click Show Details.

  2. Use the Preview section

    Choose Auto Rotate to fit pages to the paper, set a Scale percentage, or use Scale to Fit with Print Entire Image (nothing cut off) or Fill Entire Paper. Select Show Notes to include visible notes.

  3. Print selected pages

    To print specific pages, choose View > Thumbnails, ⌘-click the pages you want, then choose Selection in the print dialog.

Double-sided printing

Two-Sided only appears when your printer can print on both sides by itself. For binding along the top, like a flip pad, choose the short-edge option.

No duplex printer? Print by hand in two passes. In Paper Handling, set Pages to Print to Odd Only, print, flip the stack back into the tray, then print Even Only. Test with two sheets first, because every printer feeds paper differently.

When pages come out cut off or tiny

Most cut-off pages are a paper size mismatch, usually an A4 document on US Letter paper or the reverse. In Paper Handling, turn on Scale to fit paper size and pick the paper that is actually in the tray. In Preview, Scale to Fit with Print Entire Image does the same job.

If pages print tiny in the middle of the sheet, check that Pages per Sheet in Layout is set to 1, and that Scale is 100%.

Printing comments, highlights and forms

Highlights, text boxes, shapes and signatures sit on the page and normally print the way you see them. Sticky notes are different: in Preview, select Show Notes in the print dialog to include visible notes.

Filled form fields sometimes print empty, gray or with odd borders, depending on how the form was built. The reliable fix is to flatten a copy first, so the answers become part of the page, then print that.

Booklets

Apple's print documentation does not list a booklet layout in the standard macOS print dialog. Some printer drivers add their own booklet option, so look through the print dialog's menus for your printer. Otherwise, Pages per Sheet set to 2 with short-edge two-sided printing gets you a folded handout, though not true booklet page order.

Blank pages and other troubleshooting

If a PDF prints wrong, work through these:

  • Print a single page to see whether the problem is the file or the printer.
  • Check the printer queue in System Settings > Printers & Scanners for paused or stuck jobs.
  • Make sure Odd Only or Even Only is not still set from last time.
  • For blank or missing form answers, flatten a copy and print it.
  • If the PDF is password protected with printing restricted, ask the sender for a printable copy.

Questions

How do I print a PDF on a Mac?

Open it in PDF Unlimited or Preview, press ⌘P, choose your printer and pages, and click Print.

How do I print double-sided on a Mac?

Turn on Two-Sided in the print dialog. If it is missing, your printer does not duplex, so print Odd Only, flip the pages, then print Even Only.

How do I print only certain pages of a PDF on a Mac?

Enter a page range in the print dialog. In Preview, you can also select thumbnails in the sidebar and choose Selection.

Why are my PDF form fields blank when I print?

Some forms store answers in fields that do not print reliably. Flatten a copy of the filled form and print that.

Why can I not print my PDF?

The PDF may have a permissions password that blocks printing. Ask the sender for an unrestricted copy. Also check the printer queue for a paused job.