Over 30 seconds to print/save as PDF in Firefox 85.0.2
I've been printing/saving web pages as PDF with Firefox 82 (Mac OS 10.12.6) without any problem in terms of speed. The speed has slow down to over 30 seconds before a PDF file is created ever since I upgraded to FF84. I ended up downgraded back to FF82 to avoid the long wait. I tested every single new upgrade since and still getting that over 30 seconds before getting a PDF file saved. I've tested with other browsers such as Chrome and Safari without any delay. Also I've been suggested to upgrade to newer OS, but I'm not ready to due to other reasons. Does anyone know a way to get around or fix this problem so I don't need to stuck with FF82 and reminded there's an update available constantly? TIA.
All Replies (9)
Are you using Save as PDF in Firefox's new print preview overlay, or in the classic MacOS print dialog (system dialog)? If the problem is with the new feature, I suggest switching back to the classic approach for now to see whether this helps. Here's how:
(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button accepting the risk.
(2) In the search box in the page, type or paste tab_mo and pause while the list is filtered
(3) Double-click the print.tab_modal.enabled preference to switch the value from true (new print experience) to false (classic)
Was that a factor?
I should also mention that it takes almost just as long (30+ seconds) when I select File>Print or ⌘P before getting the print dialog box
No, print.tab_modal.enabled is set to false.
I can't think of any good reason for this problem.
Could you test in Firefox's Safe Mode? In its 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 running: You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either:
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
- (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
and OK the restart. A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).
If Firefox is not running: Hold down the option/alt key when starting Firefox. (On Windows, hold down the Shift key instead of the option/alt key.) A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Refresh).
Any improvement?
Thanks for your suggestion, but it didn't make any difference at all. I think I might have to stick to FF 82.0.3 which I have no delay problem at all. Just wondering if there's anyway that I can turn off the update reminder that keep coming up more and more frequently now. I have to keep clicking "Not Now" so many times per session.
m1918 said
I've been printing/saving web pages as PDF with Firefox 82 (Mac OS 10.12.6) without any problem in terms of speed. The speed has slow down to over 30 seconds before a PDF file is created ever since I upgraded to FF84.
I've heard that devs are working on this issue. But can't find the bug report right now.
https://bugzil.la/1686494 -> fixed in 86.
Hi m1918, is the problem with printing PDFs displaying in Firefox's PDF viewer? I assumed it was printing web pages to a new PDF.
Rather than print a PDF to PDF, you could save the original PDF. There is a button for that on the PDF viewer's toolbar:
If you need to extract a range of pages from a PDF and don't have a program that can do that, there are websites which will do it for you. For example, I've used this one (for non-confidential PDFs):
Thanks to both TyDraniu & jscher2000. According to TyDraniu, I do hope the devs are working on this issue and maybe have a fix soon.
And for jsche2000: I'm not trying to print a PDF within FF. I merely trying to save a web page as PDF for future reference or printing. Firstly it take a very long time for the print dialog to appear after selecting ⌘P. Secondly it takes just as long (or even longer) before a PDF is created and saved. This was never an issue before FF84. I've been doing that for ages until now. It's been a problem from FF84 onward…