Printing from Mac Preview and black boxes are showing up

Anonymous · ‎11-27-2019

We are having some printing issues and we are trying to track down the source. Since the PDF is created autocad i thought we should start there.

We are using a MAC with the latest software update. We are using autocad LT 2019.

We are printing DWGtoPDF

When we print from the MAC preview we get black boxes around dimensions, wipe-outs and hatching. If we print the same PDF from adobe reader the black boxes are not there.

Anyone else having this issue?

maxim_k · ‎11-27-2019

Welcome to Autodesk Forums!
Hi Joshua,

>>>>Anyone else having this issue?
Yes.

There is a bug in Preview app (in macOS High Sierra and later releases) which resulted in black areas on hard copy, when you print PDF files created in AutoCAD with solid hatches with transparency.

When AutoCAD creates PDF with its build-in PDF "printers" from drawing with such solid fills, it creates raster image with transparency areas. Such areas are invisible in PDF, but they exist and Preview app prints them as black areas.

Workaround is to print using Adobe Reader or other application which doesn't use macOS PDF engine. Or convert PDF to raster image before printing.

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Anonymous · ‎11-27-2019

We are also seeing this in SketchUp Layout PDFs. Our .png Logo prints with a black background but no black exists in the file. Have you seen if MAC is working on the preview bug? It's really annoying.

maxim_k · ‎11-27-2019

>>>>Have you seen if MAC is working on the preview bug?
Apple never discloses its plans....

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MARSS

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ImDaveM · ‎09-22-2021

have we fixed this BUG yet?

maxim_k · ‎09-22-2021

Hi David @ImDaveM

@ImDaveM wrote:

have we fixed this BUG yet?

No.

Just yesterday I ran into this macOS (Preview app) bug when printing PDF document with PNG images with transparent background.

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MARSS

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