PDF prints black

[acacia print]

All of a sudden today everything that i print from PDF's is printing black. It happens on both our printers so I think it originates at the computer. I DO NOT have the "Print file as black" box ticked so it is not that.... Odd. Searched the net but nothing obviouse popped up as a solution.

[Lukas Engqvist]

What printer, what version of Acrobat, any more details on your workflow?
Are you using hot folders, or a workflow system?
Do you print by first opening the files in Acrobat and then selacting print?
Do you have a BW printer driver and a colour and you set your bw printer as default?

[Lukas Engqvist]

Oh btw you are not choosing to print to a "dotgain 20%" or other grey profile?

[acacia print]

I simply open a PDF;

PDF > File > Print > Brother HL-4050CDN BR-Script3

This is our normal process and the printer displays a colour preview as normal.
"Print colour as black" is unchecked as normal.

Then > Ok. The printer starts up and out comes....... a black and white print... I kind of was hoping that this morning it would be colour by some mirracle but it still is black...

Both printers are colour printers we do not have a dedicated black only printer.

I just sent the same image to our Konica Minolta C500 and it also is turning up black in the preview box.... so It must be a change in our computer

We are using Adobe Acrobat Professional. Not sure what version but I am assuming that it has the latest updates. We do not use Hotfolders. For the Konica it goes through Command workstation as normal. but displays and prints in black/greyscale.

All printer profiles apear to me to be set to standard profiles. But then I am not a graphic designer os computer wizz so I might be looking in the wrong places??

[Lukas Engqvist]

If you print from any other application that acrobat is it in colour?
If you look under "advanced" check that it doesn't say composite gray or in rip separations.

[Stephen Marsh]

On the main front panel of the print window, there should be an option titled "advanced". Under advanced, ensure that "Color: Composite" is enabled (not composite gray, separations etc).

Mac OS or Windows (what version)?


Stephen Marsh

[acacia print]

If you print from any other application that acrobat is it in colour?
If you look under "advanced" check that it doesn't say composite gray or in rip separations.

Yes, I can print from CS3 IDD files and get colour.

Ahh, I just checked under advaced and it was checked as Composite grey. I am almost sure 100% though that this was one of the first things that I checked as I am well aware of this funtion having been caught by this trick before....
I just closed it and reopened it and it has stayed set to Composite, not composite grey...

so I think/hope now that this crisis is over. thanks to everyone for the quick fix. If it changes again I'll reply but I think we are good to go now.

[acacia print]

On the main front panel of the print window, there should be an option titled "advanced". Under advanced, ensure that "Color: Composite" is enabled (not composite gray, separations etc).

Mac OS or Windows (what version)?


Stephen Marsh

Thanks for your reply Stephen, it apears that you are right it was set or setting iteself to Composite grey, not just composite.

the first time it happened was when I tried to print of a PDF from a Government tender site and I thought that this was some sort of function that you could do so that you could send a PDF file to view in colour but to only print in grey scale to avoid the artwork being used before the tender process was complete? Can this be done I wonder.... ? Anyway crisis over....I hope...

[Stephen Marsh]

On the main print screen above the preview image, one will see the key term in small text - "Preview: Composite" or "Preview: Composite Gray" or "Preview: As Image" etc. If you get in the habit of looking in this location, you will not need to dig into the advanced option to check to see if the grayscale setting is on.


Regards,

Stephen Marsh

[acacia print]

On the main print screen above the preview image, one will see the key term in small text - "Preview: Composite" or "Preview: Composite Gray" or "Preview: As Image" etc. If you get in the habit of looking in this location, you will not need to dig into the advanced option to check to see if the grayscale setting is on.


Regards,

Stephen Marsh

I just checked that out and you are quite right. That is a handy thing to know! Thanks. I will keep an eye on that from now on.