How to Fix a Grayed Out Print for a PDF
By Ray Padgett
Updated September 28, 2017
Users wishing to print a PDF file can sometimes be frustrated with a grayed out “Print” button. This prevents the user from printing the document. Opening the PDF with another application will not work. The issue here is security. The document’s creator disabled printing the document without a password. Once you get that password, you can fix the grayed out "Print" button.
Get the printing password from whoever created the PDF. If you downloaded it from the Internet, return to the site hosting the PDF and see if it is listed there.
Open the PDF file using Adobe Acrobat.
Click the button labeled “Secure” at the top of the window.
Click the link marked “Remove Security.”
Type the password.
Click “OK.”
Press the “Print” button. It will no longer be grayed out.
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Writer Bio
Based in New York City, Ray Padgett has been writing about music and technology since his 2009 graduation from Dartmouth College. He has a degree in religion, with a minor in English. He has been published in SPIN.com and in "The Celebrity Café," "The Noise" and an upcoming Bob Dylan anthology.