Windows 10: MS print to pdf fails from firefox, works from edge and test page

I have firefox v49 (portable version from portableapps.com) and when I choose print and select MS print to pdf, it goes through the motions but the file does not get created.

I can use the test print function with success and also it worked from edge and notepad. Could it be firefox (or my portable version) that is the issue?

Anyone else see this or any ideas how to get it to work with Firefox?

:)

 

Destination Folder/File for MS Print to PDF

I've given up using Edge altogether. I use Chrome and Firefox.

Chrome still works fully so that you can right-click to get to the print option via the drop down and select "MS Print to PDF" and then the choose location window pops up.

Firefox has (very annoyingly) removed the print option from the right-click drop down so you have to go via the menus to get to "MS Print to PDF", but you do still get the choose location window. Can't find how to get the print option back onto the right-click
drop down and so it isn't possible to print a pop-up window such as an eBay fees invoice. Also I've found that the Firefox print function doesn't print the contents of a frame such as my bank statements, it just prints the outside of the frame. However, it's
still better than MS Edge.

 

Win10 PDF files not readable

I spoke with Angelica from Microsoft, and after a long remote connection, she made Edge print to PDF, however they are still looking for a fix and will push out one when solved.

Testing & getting it to work involved setting Edge to emulate IE11 which was surprising at first. However, I have noticed that using the PDF995 driver resulted in IE11 settings windows popping up.

Credit to her for not needing to whine about my Adobe Reader as the PDF default, or to look for a connected printer as the other rep did. She did need a nudge to try printing from an actual web page instead of simply opening a PDF and printing that.



Status: Edge now prints to PDF using the MS driver. It's caught up to Chrome, and there's more testing and a fix required. I don't believe Edge is ready for prime time but it works. We did not test the 'doodle on a web page and forward it' functionality...
the other great advance that they tout.

Note that my wife's Surface Pro 3 prints to PDF without issue. Full preview, flipping thru pages, the whole schmear. Why my Lenovo Yoga 900 - a MS partner - can't is interesting.

 

Hi:

AFAIK, "print to PDF" is not a built-in feature for Firefox under Windows, at least for the installed version.
I presume it's probably the same for the portable version.
I think you would need some sort of plug-in or extension or 3rd-party application (Adobe Reader DC, Acrobat, etc.) in order to provide that capability.

how to print a page on firefox in pdf | Firefox Support Forum | Mozilla Support

Someone will correct me if I am wrong....

MM

 

In my installed Firefox 49 I just went to File, Print and chose Microsoft Print to PDF, worked fine and prompted to give the .pdf file a name and by default saved in my Documents Folder. When double-clicked it opened okay.

 

Indeed.
I stand corrected.
I was able to reproduce your steps, @Berton.
Ya' learn something new every day... Thanks for that tip.

I guess it's built-in to Win10?

(I am not on my Win7 box to compare under that OS.)

Hi, @rocket777 -- perhaps you skipped that step???

MM

 

I did all the steps and entered a file name and then it gives an error dialog, with a title of print preview error, and in the dialog it says, an error occurred while printing, but I can't find anywhere to get more information.

I am guessing it's probably the portable version of the program that is causing the problem. I probably need to post on some FF site.

In the meantime, I found a FF addon , pdf creator, which works.

 

No, I've just downloaded Firefox Portable 49.0.2 from here Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives and it successfully created a file when I printed to the 'Microsoft Print to PDF' printer.


@MoxieMomma 'Microsoft Print to PDF' comes with Windows 10 (first seen in 1511, if I recall correctly). There was a 'Microsoft XPS Document Writer' available for Windows 7, but no MS-supplied printer to print to pdfs - for that you needed 3rd-party apps.

 

I downloaded from the same place and installed separate from my regular version thinking it could be my FF profile and all my add on's etc. I got the same problem, however.

Thanks for testing it. This means it's got to be something peculiar with my system. At this point, I don't think there's going to be any way to troubleshoot it since it doesn't say anything about the error and I don't even know if the message comes from firefox or windows. I guess I'll just use the pdf creator addon or copy a url to edge and print from there.

 

You're welcome. I normally use the regular Firefox but I've always intended to get the portable one too, just never got round to it. You gave me a good excuse. *Smile

 

Indeed!
I never noticed it or tried it, because I've always used Adobe Acrobat.
That "printer" is the first PDF printer to appear on the list, so I never scrolled down to see the "MS print to PDF" option.

Thanks for the tip and the correction.*Smile


MM