Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

How Do I Disable Print to File

  • 8 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 17 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

more options

When I try to print from Mozilla Firefox I get a saved document screen for a webpage doc. This saves to a location of my choosing and when I open it I am prompted to save the exact same file once again. How can I disable this "Print to FIle" option to that when I click print on a webpage I get the standard print preview page?

When I try to print from Mozilla Firefox I get a saved document screen for a webpage doc. This saves to a location of my choosing and when I open it I am prompted to save the exact same file once again. How can I disable this "Print to FIle" option to that when I click print on a webpage I get the standard print preview page?

All Replies (8)

more options

Whoops, your post duplicated. Let's continue here: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1109587

Never mind, that other thread got locked so I'll reply here.

Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer

more options

That's strange! Are you clicking a Print button in the web page, or clicking Firefox's Print button on the menu?

Usually Firefox's Print button will show the Print Preview screen so you can see the expected layout of the document. Then if you click the Print... button on the toolbar of the Print Preview screen, Firefox usually displays a dialog with the option to select your printer, change its settings, and set the print range. You also may find a "Print to file" checkbox on this dialog which you might need to uncheck.

Does any of that match up with what you're seeing?


Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In Safe Mode, Firefox temporarily deactivates extensions, hardware acceleration, and some other advanced features to help you assess whether these are causing the problem.

If Firefox is not running: Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox.

If Firefox is running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
  • Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled

and OK the restart.

Both scenarios: A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).

Any improvement? (More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode)

more options

Hi,

Thank you for the quick response. To clarify, The print to file is unchecked. And, this is not a standard ctrl+P print attempt, but a print button embedded in a website. The strange thing is, however, the same embedded print button works in google chrome, IE9, etc. But for security and add-on purposes my station uses Firefox.

more options

Hmm, it's not that unusual for a website to generate a print-formatted page when you click their Print button, but it's very odd for it to be forced to download instead of showing up in a pop-up window.

If you are already viewing the print-formatted version of the page, then I would just use Ctrl+p to print it.

If you still need the button to work, is it a site that a volunteer could test out, or does it require an account?

more options

Accidentally chose a solution -_- .. Anyway, it requires a login so a guest cannot test. The issue with your solution is that a simple ctrl+P gives me a certain layout, but the embedded print gives a different view with additional information which is why I require the print button on the website to be functional

more options

When you open the saved file from your system, it's not the enhanced page, just the one you had before? Not sure what's going on there. One of these seems likely:

(1) The button isn't compatible with Firefox, or (2) The button isn't compatible with one of your settings or add-ons, or (3) Your Firefox is broken in some other way

Regarding #1, have you confirmed it works in Firefox for other people, or did it used to work for you before?

Regarding #2, did Firefox's Safe Mode make any difference? There are other ways to test whether it's a settings issue that we could suggest, such as a second Firefox profile (for testing, you can switch back to your regular profile after the test).

Regarding #3, if this site worked fine in Firefox before the last update, it's possible the program files got corrupted. For that we usually recommend the following:

Clean Reinstall

We use this name, but it's not about removing your settings, it's about making sure the program files are clean (no inconsistent or alien code files). As described below, this process does not disturb your existing settings. Do NOT uninstall Firefox, that's not needed.

(A) Download a fresh installer for Firefox 44.0.2 from https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ to a convenient location. (Scroll down to your preferred language.) Note: For broadest compatibility, choose the 32-bit version.

(B) Exit out of Firefox (if applicable).

(C) Rename the program folder as follows:

(32-bit Firefox on 64-bit Windows)

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox

(Other versions)

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox

to

C:\Program Files\OldFirefox

(D) Run the installer you downloaded in step (A). It should automatically connect to your existing settings.

Can a cleanly reinstalled Firefox do any better with that button?

Note: Some plugins may exist only in that OldFirefox folder. If something essential is missing, look in these folders:

  • \OldFirefox\Plugins
  • \OldFirefox\browser\plugins
more options

What is the file extension of the file that is saved?

more options

If Firefox offers to save the file then that means that the server isn't sending the page with type text/html or text/plain.

You can check that with the Live Http Headers extension.

Maybe this extension helps to open the file in a tab: