print to PDF yields multiple documents

Sorry, this made no difference for me. First, to make sure the copy of the document on my computer didn't "contaminate" the new doc I deleted it, then brought in an unmodified copy from a hard drive. I saved as a new document (hopefully) by clicking "save as" then adding a number at the end of the name. Still got two pdfs where I wanted one same as before, and the second, much longer pdf was still changed page size-wise. It looks like if I want to try to merge them I'd have to add many pages. But anyway, I couldn't make them merge either.

There's got to be a better way, or it means that I cannot edit my document. I wonder if this is intentional because of rivalry between Microsoft and Apple?

Like most here I've spent too many hours trying to convert MS word docs with different page settings (i.e.section breaks for portrait, landscape) to pdf with no success. Many of the solutions (while welcome, and thanks) are simply too time consuming for what you can do in 5 seconds on a windows-based machine. Adobe really need to sort this out - why does their software work perfectly on windows-based machines and not apple? So, while I've invested in 2 macs (which I've very happy with), when comes to converting docs to pdf I've had to revert to a very old windows-based laptop - sad indeed!

DougGJoseph wrote:

I found a much better solution. It does not involve creation of multiple PDFs and rebuilding a single PDF by dragging one into the other.

1. In Word, choose to print.
2. Click "Page Setup"
3. Under Settings, change from "Page Attributes" to "Microsoft Word"
4. Set "Apply Page Setup settings to" = WHOLE DOCUMENT.
5. Click OK.
6. Switch back to "Page Attributes" and make sure your paper size is right (especially if it is customized).
7. Click OK.
8. Click PDF and choose a selection to build your PDF file.

In Word files without "SECTIONS" this option (above) seems to always default to "WHOLE DOCUMENT." However, in Word files WITH "SECTIONS" (such as when used for creating chapters in a book), it seems to default to "THIS SECTION" instead. This is the source of the problem. Every time I set it to "WHOLE DOCUMENT" I get a single PDF that is right and proper.

I gather this will not help someone whose Word file has sections that have differing page sizes. However, this should help many users not facing that problem.

This is the best solution I have found. Thank you DougGJoseph!

Here's what I learned after much struggle.

The root cause appears to be a bug: Word signaling a "page size/orientation break" when actually the page size and orientation on both sides of the break are the same. They may have once been different but are the same now. Differing margins, headers or footers may also cause this, but won't if the sections "link to previous". That is why debnoit's advice on page 1 (repeated more eloquently by DougGJoseph on page 3) works: it forces Word to eliminate all "page size/orientation breaks".

"Save as…" helps cure a lot of problems and internal corruptions in formatting.

Luisian, I too am working with a book manuscript. Put your cursor in the BODY of the manuscript when doing debnoit/DougGJoseph's solution because the formatting at the cursor is imposed on the rest of the document. Easier to fix 6 title pages than 400 body pages. Also in body sections, "Link to previous / same as previous" is your friend!

All this is due to the Apple driver ("Print to PDF…") Adobe no longer makes a proper driver... the Adobe "driver" is simply post-processing the output of the Apple driver. The files are split before Adobe ever sees them. Of course you can glue them back together with Acrobat Pro.

I tried the suggestions listed here (changing format of all pages, printing to Preview, opening in PostScript, combining PDFs) and none worked for me. I have a 150-page document with several tables that must be in landscape, and depending on the solution I'd either lose the landscape pages or something would go wrong with the formatting of another page. After working on it for a bit I just used Zamzar (other free file conversion sites would probably work as well). Less than a minute, and I had a perfect PDF of my word document. Love my MacBook, but seriously...this was so ridiculous.

I had the same problem. I tried to convert my Word 2008 docx. file to a pdf and ended up with multiple files. I tried dbenoit's solution and it worked!

Dbenoit, you obviously don't know this but you totally saved me hours upon hours of trying to figure out how to get the pdf stuff right. I'd tried everything except the 3rd party conversions and that was going to be my last resort. I tried your suggestion about making sure to change all the page setup settings (margins, etc.) to the same and selected it to apply to the "whole document" and that totally fixed the problem. For anyone interested after changing all the margins, etc. and selecting whole document, I went to: file< print< pdf< open pdf in preview < file < save as< click pdf and save. There is also another way to save the document, just can't recall exactly how I did it. Both methods work. Anyway, thanks dbenoit!

My problem: some landscape pages within a document (wide tables). Word 2011 as petulant as usual.

Solutions:

1) Use Acrobat. Export all the sections to Acrobat, then use Acrobat to combine the files into a single document.

2) Run a VM with Windos (XP will do) and an old version of Office (2003 will do) and print it to a PDF driver (such as an old version of Jaws PDF printer).

3) Use Libreoffice to edit the document and export it as a PDF. Seems to do this in one go. Downside is there's subtle formatting differences when it imports the werd document, such as a corrupted Omnigraffle picture which needed some re-working.

NOTE: Previewing the page (e.g. hitting <space> in finder) will render the landscape pages as if they're in portrait format. Not. Helpful. Open the page in Preview and you can see there's both landscape & portrait formats. Wasted 30 minutes because of this (I tried option 3 earlier and rejected it because of quick preview...)

I ended up downloading Lisanet PDF Writer for Mac from http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfwriterformac/

Like the old Acrobat PDF driver Adode used to make for Mac.

It still creates a separate PDF after each page break, but they are sequentially numbered and then you can sew them together in Acrobat or Preview.

This strategy, unfortunately, takes all of my page breaks with orientation shifts and puts everything in portrait format.

DougGJoseph wrote:

I found a much better solution. It does not involve creation of multiple PDFs and rebuilding a single PDF by dragging one into the other.

1. In Word, choose to print.
2. Click "Page Setup"
3. Under Settings, change from "Page Attributes" to "Microsoft Word"
4. Set "Apply Page Setup settings to" = WHOLE DOCUMENT.
5. Click OK.
6. Switch back to "Page Attributes" and make sure your paper size is right (especially if it is customized).
7. Click OK.
8. Click PDF and choose a selection to build your PDF file.

In Word files without "SECTIONS" this option (above) seems to always default to "WHOLE DOCUMENT." However, in Word files WITH "SECTIONS" (such as when used for creating chapters in a book), it seems to default to "THIS SECTION" instead. This is the source of the problem. Every time I set it to "WHOLE DOCUMENT" I get a single PDF that is right and proper.

I gather this will not help someone whose Word file has sections that have differing page sizes. However, this should help many users not facing that problem.

**************

This strategy, unfortunately, takes all of my pages with orientation shifts makes them all portrait format. Defeats the purpose!

Even more frustrating - I have Adobe Acrobat Pro and I still can't convert the files correctly. When I have separate PDFs, Adobe Acrobat Pro lets me combine them. However, when I try to convert my whole Word Doc into a single PDF with Adobe Acrobat Pro, It will only convert to the first orientation break! This is so frustrating. I do NOT have this problem when I use my PC.

Honestly, I just purchased my first Mac (as I use a Mac at work and had a PC at home) and it makes me want to return it. What's the use?

Apple please fix this!!!!

If only someone would create a word processing app that works properly we could all stop using Gates' worthless piece of tat with great relief and stop wasting so much time!

If Gates thinks that making making such a dreadful app as Word for Mac is going to persuade Mac users to switch to his awful Windows, he'd better think again.

This issue still exists in 2016 with Mac OS 10.11.2 "El Capitan" and Word for Mac 2011 version 14.5.9

If you need to reorient some pages (eg. portrait -> landscape), then according to Microsoft Word Help, "As necessary, Word inserts section breaks before and after the text that you selected and changes the orientation for those sections."

So, does anybody know who is responsible for this limitation of creating multiple PDF documents when encountering reoriented pages? Is it Apple, Microsoft or Adobe?

This may have been covered already but I finally was able to make this work for me, so I will share.

I have a 360 page Word document with 20 section breaks. These breaks are required in order to include both landscape and portrait orientations within one document. Like everyone else, when I print or save as PDF, I get multiple PDF files (one for each section break) that need to be merged. I have accepted that this merging step is necessary, so if you are looking to avoid this, I do not have the answer.

My problem was when I followed advice about joining files using Preview, my landscape views would automatically be converted to portrait, which I do not want. I also had some issues with saving the file. Sometimes the file would revert to the original.

Finally, I did the following and it works consistently. The key piece of advice here is to open only the first file in Preview and add the other files using Adobe Reader. Here are the details:

1. Save Word doc as PDF (I have Adobe Reader). Save all the resulting files in a new folder, let's say you call it 'PDFs'. Each file will use the original file name plus a number after it. In my case I had 20 new files that had to be merged. So now you have a folder called 'PDFs' with a whole bunch of files. The bottom one on the list is probably the first one. It is the one with the original file name

2. Open this first saved file using Preview (right click on the file and open in Preview)

3. View Thumbnails and scroll down the Thumbnails pane so you can add new files below the last Thumbnail

4. DO NOT OPEN THE OTHER FILES IN PREVIEW. Simply select all the PDF files in Adobe Reader and drag them, adding them below the last thumbnail page in the Preview document (make sure you do not include the first file, as it is the one currently open in Preview).

5. Click save in the Preview document. The Preview document will now be what you want. Close it and now you can open it in Adobe Reader.

6. Delete all the files in the 'PDFs' folder that you don't need

Great post, thanks for the info. 🙂