How to Print a Part of a PDF

Applications

Being incredibly versatile and easily shareable file formats, PDFs still remain the most popular options for viewing and sending text, image, or combined documents. However, that’s not to say that this format doesn’t have its drawbacks.

Among the most common problems people face is attempting to print only one, smaller part of an otherwise long and large PDF file. Clearly, there’s simply no use in printing a 20-page file when you only need to have two or three paragraphs on paper.

Thankfully, there are a few ways you can manage to print only one part of a PDF file you actually need, as long as you have the right tools at hand.

Which program can you use?

Although there are a number of programs and applications available, dedicated specifically to manipulating PDF files, one of the most reliable programs that is always recommended to use is Acrobat Reader. This handy tool should provide you with several printing options that will allow you to only print one part of a PDF file.

However, it’s important to note that your need to have Acrobat Reader version 6.0 or higher installed, as the older versions of this program might not have all the necessary tools you’ll need for your intended printing.

How can you print only a part of a PDF?

Depending on your needs, there are to different ways you can print only one part of your PDF file with Acrobat Reader:

Method 1: Using the Current View option

Acrobat Reader will give you the option to print only the part of the PDF file that is currently in your view in the application. Here’s how:

  1. In Acrobat Reader, click on File in the Menu bar, and then select Print. A pop-up window will then appear, providing you with a number of different printing options.
  2. Under the Pages to Print section, click the arrow next to More Options to expand.
  3. Here, you will see the Current View option. Click on it.
  4. Alternatively, you could also choose the Pages option here, and type in the exact number of the page that you wish to print.
  5. Next, choose the appropriate scaling option in the Page Sizing & Handling section.
  6. You will see a preview area of the printing material on the right-hand side of the window. If everything looks okay in the preview area, simply press Print to print out only the current view of your PDF file.

Method 2: Using the Snapshot tool

Although the simplest method, printing only the current view of your PDF file isn’t always a good option, as sometimes you need to include less or more text or other content on the final printed paper.

For that reason, you might want to select exactly which parts of the PDF file you wish to print using the Snapshot tool. Here’s how it works:

  1. Firstly, you need to ensure that the Basic toolbar in Acrobat Reader is currently visible. If it isn’t, just right-click on an empty part of the current toolbar, and click on Basic from the drop-down menu.
  2. The Snapshot tool should now appear in your toolbar, in the form of a camera icon. If it doesn’t, make sure to click on Tools, and then choose Select & Zoom to allow it to appear in the toolbar.
  3. After the Snapshot tool becomes visible in your toolbar, click on it to utilize it.
  4. You will then be given the opportunity to draw a squared shape around the part of the PDF file you wish to print out. 
  5. Once the specific part of the PDF is selected, a message will appear informing you that the choice you made was copied to the clipboard. Press OK.
  6. The part of the PDF you chose will now be highlighted or rounded out.
  7. Next, click on the File option in the Menu bar, and then press Print.
  8. Under the Print Range section, make sure that the Selected Graphic option is chosen.
  9. Then, choose the appropriate scaling option in the Page Sizing & Handling section.
  10. You will see a preview area of the printing material on the right-hand side of the window. If everything looks okay here, simply press Print to print out only the part of your PDF file that you selected.

While it might take a couple of additional steps, printing only one part of a PDF file is still quite a simple and straightforward process that can be done in a matter of minutes.

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