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Safari won't download or print PDF's

I'm using Safari 5.1.7 with Snow Leopard on an iMac 21.5 running OS 10.6.8 and, although I can read online PDF's, I can no longer download or print them. This happens even at websites that provide PDF's for the public to download. If I attempt to download a PDF by using "File-Save As," I get an error message stating that the PDF cannot be downloaded. If I attempt to download it by using my printer option, no matter how many pages long the PDF is, only two blank pages show on the print image on the desktop. I get the same result with Firefox. Any one else having this problem or have a solution? I'm having to use an ancient iMac 400 DV SE running Tiger and Safari 4.1.3 to download and print the PDF's that I can't download/print on Safari 5.1.7.

Thanks,

Bob W.

Posted on Aug 16, 2012 10:59 PM

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Posted on Aug 18, 2012 12:22 PM

Followup to my question about Safari not allowing PDF's to download or to print.


Although I cannot use the "File - Save As" or "File - Print" features on the Mac's toolbar, I found out that if I scrolled to the bottom of the webpage showing the PDF that I want to download or print, a toolbar appears that has printing and downloading links, which do allow downloading or printing of the PDF. Can't tell what caused Safari to prevent the use of its own toolbar for downloading/printing PDF's.

Bob W.

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Question marked as Best reply

Aug 18, 2012 12:22 PM in response to Robert Winckler

Followup to my question about Safari not allowing PDF's to download or to print.


Although I cannot use the "File - Save As" or "File - Print" features on the Mac's toolbar, I found out that if I scrolled to the bottom of the webpage showing the PDF that I want to download or print, a toolbar appears that has printing and downloading links, which do allow downloading or printing of the PDF. Can't tell what caused Safari to prevent the use of its own toolbar for downloading/printing PDF's.

Bob W.

Aug 26, 2012 8:58 PM in response to Velcrose

Hi Velcrose,


This is a follow-up to my last follow-up. I went into my local Mac store last week and told them about the Safari PDF download problem. They tried to reacreate the situation on their in-store computers using Safari, but couldn't. They asked me to go home, bring up the website where I was having the problem, and then call them.


When I was on the telephone with them, they had me go up to the "Help" link in the tool bar in Safari. When you open that link, there are four items showing, a "Search" window, a "Safari Help" link, an "Acknowledgements" link, and an "Installed Plug-ins" link that they instructed me to click on.


When that "Installed Plug-ins" link opened, a chart showing all of my plug-ins popped up, filling the entire screen. They asked if there were any Adobe plug-ins showing, I told them yes. They instructed me to drag all of the Adobe plug-ins to the Trash, which I did. They then told me to try to download the PDF using the "File" menu "Save-As" tool, and it worked. Then they told me to try to save the PDF using the "File" menu "Print" tool and clicking on the PDF key at the bottom of the "Print" page. That also worked like it should.


Bottom line: With no Adobe plug-ins on my iMac, Safari downloads and prints/saves PDF's as it should. So, check to see if have any Adobe internet plug-ins. If so, you should be able to get Safari to work as it should by deleting the Adobe plug-ins.

Best regards,

Bob W.

Oct 24, 2012 3:52 AM in response to Robert Winckler

I had been having a similar problem with Safari pdf files despite downloading the latest Adobe Reader XI.

I would constantly get messages - There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired. And I would get a blank page when I tried to print the pdf if I tried printing from the Safari web page using File - Print from the top toolbar on my laptop.


But at last I came across the grey Safari lozenge with action icons too!.


This allowed me, without downloading the pdf, to print the pdf file direct from the Safari page by using the Print icon on the grey lozenge that appears centrally three quarters down the screen.


Then I discovered that if I save the pdf using the Save icon from this same grey lozenge on the Safari page I can open and print this pdf version from my desktop.


I've tested it with a couple of different pdf files and these methods work using the grey lozenge icons but the same pdfs files don't work using File - Save As on the Tool Bar.

Jan 13, 2013 4:35 PM in response to Robert Winckler

I'm reluctant to get rid of my Adobe plug-ins because then (it would seem) I wouldn't be able to view PDFs in the browser, which is a convenient feature.


Btw, my form of the problem is slightly different from what other folks are seeing. When I right click and attempt to save linked file it does indeed save something -- it is called url and is not a PDF file (it is only ~500 bytes as I recall).

Safari won't download or print PDF's

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