Printing large or complex PDFs
Complex PDFs, such as plans and drawings, can print slowly or time out through GovPrint. Printing them from Adobe Acrobat or Reader with the Print as Image setting makes them process faster and more reliably.
Why some PDFs print slowly
When you send a PDF to GovPrint, you select the printer called Send to GovPrint. Your document is then processed and converted in the cloud before it is sent to a physical printer.
The more complex the PDF, such as drawings or pictures, the longer this cloud processing takes. That can mean slow printing or timeouts. Two things have a big effect on processing speed:
- the Print as Image setting in Adobe Acrobat
- printing PDFs from Microsoft Edge
Use Print as Image in Adobe Acrobat
Instead of sending the PDF’s individual elements (text, vector lines and images) to the printer, Print as Image converts the whole page into a single, flat image before it goes to the Send to GovPrint cloud queue.
Why it helps
- It simplifies cloud processing. Complex plans, architectural drawings and documents with many layers are reduced to one simple element for GovPrint to handle.
- It keeps the output accurate. The print matches your screen preview exactly, which avoids font or graphic rendering issues during cloud conversion.
It is recommended for construction plans, technical drawings, graphically rich reports, and any document where precise visual fidelity is critical.
How to turn it on
- Open the PDF. Open it in Adobe Acrobat or Reader.
- Start printing. Press Ctrl + P, or go to File › Print.
- Choose the printer. In the printer list, select Send to GovPrint.
- Open the advanced options. Click Advanced….
- Turn on Print as Image. Tick the Print as Image box.
- Print. Click OK, then Print.
Your document is now processed in the cloud as a single image.
Trade-off. The file sent to the cloud can be larger. For complex documents, the benefit of reliable, faster cloud processing far outweighs this.
Printing PDFs from Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge has a built-in PDF viewer. When you print from it and select Send to GovPrint, Edge uses its own print-as-image method in the background before the file reaches the GovPrint cloud. This is not the preferred route, for three reasons:
- No resolution control. Edge does not optimise the image resolution for printing. It can create an image with excessively high detail, which makes a hugely inflated print file. A simple 1MB PDF can produce a print job of 500MB or more.
- Cloud delays. Very large jobs upload slowly to GovPrint and take a long time to process.
- No setting to change it. You can’t adjust or turn off this behaviour in Edge’s print dialog for Send to GovPrint.
Avoid printing directly from Edge. The huge files it creates slow down the whole GovPrint cloud queue.
What to do instead
- Use Adobe Acrobat or Reader. Set it as your default program for .PDF files. Then use File › Print and select Send to GovPrint.
- If you must use Edge, save the PDF first by clicking the save icon in Edge’s PDF toolbar. Then open the saved file in Adobe Acrobat and print it through Send to GovPrint.
- Use the GovPrint cloud portal. Upload your print job at https://uk-print1.cirrossl.net/home/login instead. See Cloud Printing with GovPrint.
Quick reference
| Document | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Complex PDF, such as plans or drawings | Open it in Adobe Acrobat, select Send to GovPrint, and turn on Print as Image in the Advanced settings. | It turns a complex document into a simple, reliable format for fast cloud handling. |
| Simple PDF, such as a letter or report | Open it in Adobe Acrobat and select Send to GovPrint with the standard settings. | It processes efficiently through the cloud without extra steps. |
| Any PDF opened in Microsoft Edge | Don’t print directly from Edge. Save it, open it in Adobe Acrobat and select Send to GovPrint. | It stops Edge creating huge files that slow down the GovPrint cloud queue. |
Key takeaway. For the fastest and most reliable Send to GovPrint experience, print your PDFs from Adobe Acrobat or Reader. Make Print as Image a standard step for complex plans and drawings, and try it as a troubleshooting step for any document that prints slowly.