“Print as image” required every time — fix driver/RIP to avoid it

Joe B.

Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers

Specialities: Windows 11/10, macOS (Sonoma/Ventura/Monterey), Printers, RIPs, Adobe Acrobat/Illustrator, Office 365

PDF only prints when rasterized — stop “Print as image” on Windows 10/Windows 11 or Mac (HP, Epson, Canon, Brother, Xerox, Ricoh)

Technician

Hi! We can stop Acrobat/Reader from needing Print as Image every time. Tell me your printer brand (HP, Canon, Epson, Brother, Xerox, Ricoh) and whether the driver is PostScript (PS), PCL, or XPS. Also share if large PDF jobs hang at “Spooling”, show a PostScript error, or only succeed when you rasterize.

Customer

Windows 11, Adobe Acrobat. Our Xerox color printer won’t print PDFs unless we check “Print as image”. Without it the job sits in the spooler, or the printer shows an undefined PostScript error. Office docs and web pages sometimes work.

Technician

Got it. When PDF only prints when rasterized, common causes are:
• Wrong driver family — e.g., using PCL for complex transparency/overprint jobs that require PostScript.
• Outdated RIP/firmware that can’t process PDF transparency, gradients, spot colors, or layered effects created in Illustrator/InDesign/Canva.
• Fonts not embedded / CID fonts, or subset fonts causing PS rangecheck errors.
• Driver options like Send as Bitmap/Print as Bitmap forced on, or Windows “Enable advanced printing features” breaking spooling.
• Corrupt profiles: color management (ICC/CMYK vs RGB), overprint settings, or XFA/PDF 1.7 features.
Plan: verify driver type, update firmware/RIP, set the correct PS interpreter, and enable flatten transparency or rasterize at RIP only where needed — so you don’t have to tick “Print as Image”.

Customer

Where do I check which driver I’m using? We installed whatever Windows found.

Technician

Check & switch the driver on Windows 10/11:
1) Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your printer → Printer properties → tab Advanced. Note the driver name (e.g., “Microsoft IPP Class Driver”, “Xerox V4 PCL6”, “PostScript”).
2) If it’s a class driver or PCL, install the vendor’s PostScript (PS) or Global Print Driver PS. PS is most compatible with PDF transparency/overprint and stops the need to print as image.
3) In Device Settings, disable “Print as Bitmap” and uncheck Windows “Enable advanced printing features”. Set Spool: Start printing after last page for huge PDFs.
4) Test in Acrobat without “Print as Image”.

Customer

We also print from Macs. Acrobat on macOS Ventura shows the same problem with large PDFs from Illustrator.

Technician

macOS fix: remove the queue and re-add it as the vendor’s PS/PostScript or AirPrint (PostScript) queue. In Options & Supplies → Options, enable any PostScript/PDF or Advanced RIP features. In Acrobat, avoid “Print as Image”; instead, set Advanced → Overprint Preview appropriately and try PDF/X-4 exports with embedded fonts.

Customer

Why does “Print as Image” work, but is so slow and soft on small text?

Technician

“Print as Image” = forced rasterization. Acrobat converts the PDF to a single bitmap, bypassing PS/PDF features that your RIP/driver struggles with (transparency, gradients, overprints). It prevents PostScript errors and spooling hangs, but you lose vector sharpness. Tiny text and barcodes can blur, halftones change, and jobs are much slower. The goal is to fix the driver/RIP so the device processes native PDF cleanly.

Customer

What settings should we change in Acrobat or the driver to avoid rasterizing?

Technician

Exact settings to stop “Print as image”:
• Use the latest PostScript/PS driver (HP UPD PS, Xerox Global PS, Canon PS/UFRII PS, Ricoh PS, Brother PS).
• Update the printer’s firmware/RIP to the newest version.
• In the driver, turn off “Send as Image/Bitmap”. Set TrueType font handling to “Download as Soft Font” or “Substitute with device font” based on model.
• In Acrobat Advanced, uncheck Print as Image, enable Simulate Overprint only when required, and set Color Management to match the queue (CMYK/RGB).
• If a file still fails, flatten transparency (Acrobat Preflight/Optimizer) or export as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 with fonts embedded and spot colors preserved.

Customer

Some very large PDFs from AutoCAD/Bluebeam hang for minutes. Any spooling tweaks?

Technician

Yes — for large PDF spooling forever:
• In Printer properties → Advanced, set Spool print documents → Start printing after last page.
• Disable Advanced printing features (Windows), which often breaks PS passthrough.
• Use USB/Ethernet instead of Wi‑Fi for heavy vector jobs.
• If your device has a hard drive/RAM upgrade, enable RIP on device features.
• Last resort: rasterize at RIP at a controlled DPI (300–600) via the print server, not Acrobat’s “Print as Image”.

Customer

Do we need to change anything in Illustrator/Canva exports to reduce errors?

Technician

Authoring tips: export PDF/X-4 (keeps live transparency with proper blend space), embed all fonts, avoid huge clipping masks, and convert hairline strokes to ≥0.25 pt. For old RIPs, export PDF/X-1a or run Transparency Flattener (High Quality). Avoid mixing RGB and CMYK spot colors without intent; set the correct overprint rules.

Customer

Great. If we switch to the PS driver and update firmware, will we stop checking “Print as Image” altogether?

Technician

Yes — after the driver/RIP repair most shops never need it again. Standardize on the vendor PostScript queue, keep firmware current, and save an Acrobat preset that ensures embedded fonts and correct color intent. If a one-off job still fails, use Preflight → Flatten transparency for that file only.

Customer

Awesome — PDFs now print sharp without “Print as Image”. Thanks!

Technician

Summary: If Acrobat only prints when you check “Print as Image”, switch to the vendor PostScript driver, update the printer firmware/RIP, disable bitmap/advanced features that corrupt jobs, and use PDF/X exports with embedded fonts. This preserves vector sharpness for tiny text and barcodes and stops endless spooling. Need help mapping PS drivers for HP/Epson/Canon/Brother/Xerox/Ricoh? Open the chat.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when “Print as Image” required every time: install the vendor PostScript (PS) driver instead of class/PCL, update the printer firmware/RIP, disable Send as Bitmap and Enable advanced printing features, then print native PDF with fonts embedded. Only flatten transparency for problematic files.

FAQ

Step‑by‑step (Windows 10/11)

1. Install the manufacturer’s PostScript (PS) driver (HP UPD PS, Xerox Global PS, Canon PS, Ricoh PS, Brother PS).
2. In Printer properties → Advanced, uncheck Enable advanced printing features; set spooling to Start after last page.
3. In the driver preferences, turn off Send as Image/Bitmap and ensure TrueType fonts download to the device.
4. Update printer firmware. Test Acrobat without “Print as Image”.

Step‑by‑step (macOS)

1. Re‑add the printer using the vendor’s PS queue or AirPrint (PostScript) in System Settings → Printers & Scanners.
2. Options & Supplies → Options → enable PostScript/PDF features.
3. In Acrobat print dialog, leave Print as Image unchecked; export PDF/X with embedded fonts if needed.

Sources

• Adobe — Troubleshoot PDF printing
• Microsoft — Troubleshoot printer problems (Windows 10/11)
• Apple — Print documents on Mac
• Xerox — Global Print Driver PS
• HP — Universal Print Driver PS

Matt ● replies in < 1 min

Technician Expert

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trusted by 27,000+ customers

Alex · Expert's Assistant

Start Chat

5 Tech Support Specialists are online right now.