Chrome prints image-only PDFs by default
August 10, 2011 4:47 AM
Chrome is printing web pages as image-only PDF by default. Why?
After having traced the problem, this is what I find. Hit Ctrl-P or select Print from the wrench menu, and Chrome presents a dialog box with printers and options listed at left and a preview screen at right. If I choose a PDF printer driver as the destination printer, it prints an image-only PDF, without text to select or search. It does this with any available PDF print driver.
If I select the subtle "Advanced" link at bottom, it prints a normal text-based PDF. Why does Chrome do this? I do not see any way to make a settings change to prevent this. I have to assume that it is related to Chrome's introduction of an internal PDF viewer, since the preview pane displays some of the same icons as the viewer does.
After having traced the problem, this is what I find. Hit Ctrl-P or select Print from the wrench menu, and Chrome presents a dialog box with printers and options listed at left and a preview screen at right. If I choose a PDF printer driver as the destination printer, it prints an image-only PDF, without text to select or search. It does this with any available PDF print driver.
If I select the subtle "Advanced" link at bottom, it prints a normal text-based PDF. Why does Chrome do this? I do not see any way to make a settings change to prevent this. I have to assume that it is related to Chrome's introduction of an internal PDF viewer, since the preview pane displays some of the same icons as the viewer does.
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Related: I want PDFs to open with Adobe because I have a full version of AcrobatX and by disabling the internal Chrome PDF handler, I can no longer print anything within Chrome.
posted by jeffmik at 7:42 AM on August 10, 2011