If you are experiencing issues while printing (or attempting to print) downloadable sheet music PDFs, this article is for you!


Generally speaking, printing PDFs is a simple and easy process. However, if you've found yourself reading this, chances are that you've encountered the very occasional glitch that can occur. Here are a couple scenarios and tips that we've encountered and some recommended troubleshooting steps:


Scenario 1 – The PDF file won't open at all

Check the file size. If it indicates 0 Kb, it is a corrupt file and was either not completely downloaded or problematic at the source (i.e., our side). Try re-downloading. If it still won't open and/or has a 0 Kb file size, Contact Us for assistance.


Scenario 2 – The PDF file opens, but you are having other issues while attempting to print

If you are experiencing error messages AFTER clicking the Print button, it is important to read those messages carefully, as they may contain useful clues that will help speed up your troubleshooting. Better yet, take a screenshot! If you don't know how to take a screenshot on your computer or device, this article may help.


If the error seems to be coming from the printer itself, power cycle the printer. Turn it off, wait a few seconds, then turn it back on again and retry printing. If that does not yield results, do the same thing with the computer AND the printer. Turn them both off and back on again.


If you have access to a different computer and/or printer, that would be another logical next step to try.


Scenario 3  The music prints with missing or mixed up symbols or characters

If your sheet music is printing with odd-looking or missing symbols or characters, this is likely the result of some sort of font handling issue on the part of the PDF viewer application you are using. As much as we try to ensure our exported PDFs are foolproof in this regard, evolving font standards and other changing technologies can cause problems from time to time.


Our first, best recommendation will be to try printing from a different PDF viewer. 

  • If you are a Mac user and are printing the file out of Apple's default Preview application, try using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC instead. Or, if you are printing the file out of Acrobat Reader already, try using Mac's default Preview application. It should already be installed on your Mac.
  • If you are on a Windows machine, this article will provide some links to free PDF readers on that platform.
  • On either MacOS or Windows, you can open and print the PDF directly in a web browser by dragging the PDF file onto an open browser tab.


If the above options don't seem to work, it's possible that the issue is on the printer side. Follow the power cycling steps under Scenario 2 and try again.


If your printing issues are not resolved with any of the above suggestions, please Contact Us for assistance.