Why won't this print properly?
July 20, 2015 9:15 PM   Subscribe

Why aren't the text boxes/fields in this PDF file showing up when printed?

I'm trying to print an application for one of the open exams listed on the MTA website right now (like this one). When the document is printed, all of the boxes that you're meant to fill your information into (like on page 6 of the linked application) do not show up at all. The checkboxes under Race and Sex show up just fine. What is going on? Printing from multiple applications doesn't seem to make a difference. Macbook Pro running Yosemite and an HP Photosmart printer.
posted by Venadium to Technology (7 answers total)
 
When you open it in the print preview, do the boxes show up? Does it matter if you open it with Acrobat Reader versus using Apple's 'Preview' program?
posted by hydra77 at 10:35 PM on July 20, 2015


Save the pdf to your Mac.
Then print > pdf > Save ass pdf

Print the saved file.
posted by Mac-Expert at 10:44 PM on July 20, 2015


You can also fill out boxes like that and add text boxes yourself in Preview on a Mac. I've filled out PDFs like that just by downloading and filling them out in Preview. It sounds like you're filling it out in your browser then trying to print it.
posted by Crystalinne at 10:57 PM on July 20, 2015


Response by poster: The boxes appear just fine in the preview before I print them.

It doesn't seem to matter if I print it from Chrome, Preview, or any other app.

I'm not actually trying to fill out the boxes before I print it, I need the blank boxes to print so that I can fill them in by hand.
posted by Venadium at 2:01 AM on July 21, 2015


The file you linked to isn't a fillable form, so Mac Preview's little foibles that way won't affect it. Though it's basically a virus, there are some files that only Adobe Reader can print. Maybe try that.

I've memailed you a link to rasterized version of the document. It's big, but if that doesn't print, there are problems.
posted by scruss at 5:30 AM on July 21, 2015


When you open your print dialog box, do you have one drop-down menu labeled "Comments & Forms?" If you select "Documents & Markups" does that make any difference? Sorry, I'm not a technical person at all but I print a lot of pdfs and sometimes I have to change my selection in the drop-down menu to get everything on the document to print.
posted by JenMarie at 11:27 AM on July 21, 2015


Switch to greyscale or monochrome or just plain black & white printing. The boxes that don't print are off-color. Also, you may not have "print markups" enabled when printing.
posted by I-baLL at 1:54 PM on July 22, 2015


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