# PDFs whose printouts omit things that are shown in Acrobat Reader



## Ursa major (Jan 23, 2021)

This may be an embarrassingly simple-to-sort-out problem, but I'm nevertheless baffled.

I've been sent a .pdf file which includes tables and various tick boxes, most of them filled in. However, when I print it, none of the contents of those tables and boxes appear on printout even though they are clearly visible in Acrobat reader. (By contrast, the signatures _do_ appear on the paper copy.)

This would be no more than irritating, but I've had some new wiring installed and the document is the associated Domestic Electrical Installation Certificate. I'd rather like to have a paper copy should I ever need to show it to someone.


Does anyone know what's going on and/or how I can fix it?


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## mosaix (Jan 23, 2021)

Ursa major said:


> This may be an embarrassingly simple-to-sort-out problem, but I'm nevertheless baffled.
> 
> I've been sent a .pdf file which includes tables and various tick boxes, most of them filled in. However, when I print it, none of the contents of those tables and boxes appear on printout even though they are clearly visible in Acrobat reader. (By contrast, the signatures _do_ appear on the paper copy.)
> 
> ...



Got the latest version, Ursa?


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## Ursa major (Jan 23, 2021)

I ought to have: every now and again, Windows Update includes a ~20Meg Acrobat file.

Anyway, the version I have is 2020.013.20074, which Wikipedia believes is the lastest one (available as of 09 Dec 2020).


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## Ursa major (Jan 23, 2021)

I've found a solution: using the Print as image option.


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## Foxbat (Jan 24, 2021)

I’m wondering if it is some kind of protection to do with certificates. It may be a function to stop just anybody printing them out willy nilly. Just a thought


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## Ursa major (Jan 24, 2021)

It _may_ be some sort of protection, but

it didn't stop me, only slowed me down (so as a security mechanism, it wasn't that effective),
the .pdf certificate was first given to the "client", in this case the person who was organising the work** (of which the electrics were one part)...
...but the person who, in the end, _needs_ it is the householder (me), as I'm meant to be able, if asked, to produce this certificate if I sold my house.

** - My birthday present to myself... not that I'd planned*** it that way, but the first, and main, delivery arrived on my birthday. 

*** - So a bit like last year, when the third South West Chrons meeting was, quite coincidentally, held on my birthday.  It makes me wonder what's going to happen on my birthday next year. (It had better not involve a SARS-CoV2 variant....)


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