"error while printing" when printing a document from Preview as pdf or mail

Try this:

1. Go to System Prefs
2. Click the "+" sign at the bottom left of the printer list (Add a Printer)
3. Click the IP Option at the top
4. Enter the address 127.0.0.1
5. Choose IPP Internet Printing Protocol
6. Name: 127.0.0.1
7. Use: Generic PostScript Printer
8. Click Add

When you go to pdf, select the 127.0.0.1. Should be OK.

-NAR

I tried resetting my SMC, resetting the print system, and there was an update to Catalina. None of these solved the issue. I can still export as .pdf, then drag the .pdf into a mail window, but the "send in mail" or "send in Messages" was so handy. I hope it will be restored. And the flow works fine when the source is Safari or Pages, for instance. It seems that Preview is the problem.

PREVIEW application issue in Catalina 10.15 with supplemental update - SAVE AS PDF ISSUE - opened files in Preview, selected "save as" PDF I get an error message "error while printing" since upgrading to Catalina (including the supplemental update). I've tested various files on my iMac and also on an external hard drive - jpegs, screen shots, scanned documents - ranging from a single image to 23 images opened in Preview>Save As>PDF and always get the same error message "error while printing." Never had this issue before upgarding to Catalina 10.15. I've checked my "permissions" in Finder for example on files on my Desktop and it says "read and write" so I'm assuming it's not a Permissions issue. I've submitted this bug report to Apple Feedback - MacOS. IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING A TEMPORARY FIX: A workaround is to go up to the Preview "File" menu and select "Export as PDF" but note that this reduces the final file size considerably (from a 100MB file of 23 images to 4MB) - so if you need it to remain a high quality image, do not use this. The link to submit feedback is here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html

Similar discussion thread here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250743000?page=1

This is a users' board, so you'd have better luck sending your feedback to Apple:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html

Are your Brother printers added with vendor drivers?

Have you tried any of the workarounds - using an AirPrint driver? Using "Open in Preview"? Turning on "Use Generic Printer Features"? Using a printer that wasn't added with a vendor driver?

Below response works 27/11/2019

I found option 2 the easiest; once opened in preview just save it

Oct 14, 2019 6:50 PM in response to hoppet1

The "Error while Printing" error?

If so, there are a few workarounds:

1) Use an AirPrint or generic PS/PCL printer, not a printer added with vendor drivers; it doesn't need to be real printer

2) Use "Open in Preview" from the pdf menu in the print dialog

3) Use Preview, File->Export as PDF…

4) Open the PDF in Safari, where Print->Save as PDF works.

Hope this helps.

1. Try closing out the document
2. Try the document that worked using the 127 printer again
3. If it works, change the Default printer: box to Last Printer Used (it's showing the Brother printer)
4. Try a second document

Wondering if the Default Printer box is the culprit.

I have tried this on a fresh install of Catalina, and it works fine. So tried a re-install of Catalina on my own Mac, and still get the "Error while printing" when trying to send in mail from the print dialog. However, the share button opens a Mail window with the document attached. Try that until there may be a resolution.

Hi afaik_,

I've been having this problem too when printing pdf from Preview after I upgraded to Catalina. But I just noticed it did this sometimes for me, but not always... odd. Sooooo I just tried this simple workaround and for some reason my pdf printed fine!

1) In Preview, after compiling multiple pdfs in into one, I "print to pdf" then...

2) in the dialogue box I changed my printer from our Canon to our Brother. Then...

3) continued to "save as PDF". And voila! PDF printed fine.

For some reason Preview didn't like my Canon settings but plays nice when I select our Brother printer. Weird. Hope this simple fix might help you too and anyone else that reads this while Apple fix this issue.

These are work-arounds, not solutions. Send in Mail from the Print dialog box opens a compose mail window from every other application, why does it fail in Preview? The functionality used to be there in Preview, and I used it multiple times a day. Now I can get an SMS authentication code filled in automatically (thanks for that) but I lose that time saved when I have to leave Preview, open a compose Mail window, drag the little icon from the window header in Preview to the message pane of the email window... And that disgrace of an Error message. A small dissatisfaction, but did nobody test the Print dialog box? Not a finished OS.

These suggestions were only offered as workarounds. Apple needs to fix this, agreed.

The functionality used to be there in Preview because vendor PDEs were all dumped into the Printer Features PDE. Now, the PDEs are sorted the way the vendors intended, restoring the behavior from earlier OS releases.

It has everything to do with the selected printer. If it's a printer using a vendor driver in Preview, you'll likely get this error. Some users had luck with vendor printers that were offline. If your selected printer is an AirPrint printer, you don't get this error.

Try deleting your printers in Sys Prefs> Printers & Scanners and adding them back in - that worked for me. And if there are different versions of your printer’s driver available in the dialogue box that comes up, try them both and see if one works.

Option 4 worked for me. It seems like it is something to do with annotation. I suspect it not so much that the programmer didn't program it right but that the management team couldn't run a preview upgrade at the same time as a system upgrade, and it all got messed up. Probably no working backup to revert to, probably no proper roadmap for the upgrade, probably looked at the apple community and blamed the programmers and now working on the next project. Also, the apple feedback system loos like its being cost reduced, more like microsoft now.

For those who has no second printer added and would like a work around instead of deleting the printer settings.

When open in preview, go to file-->print. Select pages needed to save as pdf, then from the bottom left corner select open in preview . Now preview will open only pages needed so you can either hit save from file-->save or extract as PDF without an error.

I had the same problem. It seems to be related to print drivers being 32-bits and Catalina only allowing 64-bits applications. My solution was to delete all printers and subsequently reset the print service (see step 4 here https://appletoolbox.com/follow-these-tips-if-youve-got-printer-problems-with-macos-catalina/ ).

Hope this helps.