Darken a PDF for printing

Fix the file, then check the printer

Two different problems produce the same symptom. Work out which one you have before you reprint ten copies.

• If one document prints faint but others print normally, the problem is in the file. Darken it here.
• If everything prints faint, the problem is the printer: toner-save or draft mode is on, the cartridge is low, or the density setting has drifted.
• If print quality varies across one page — dark at the top, faint at the bottom — that is usually a drum or fuser issue, not the file.

Printer settings worth checking

• Turn off Toner Save / Economy / Draft in the printer driver.
• Set print quality to Normal or Best rather than Fast.
• On laser printers, look for a Density or Darkness setting and nudge it up one step.
• Uncheck "Print as image" unless you have a specific reason for it — it usually costs sharpness.
• Print greyscale documents in greyscale rather than colour; the mono path is generally crisper.

What Print Ready does differently

Auto Print Enhance aims for a natural-looking page. Print Ready assumes the page is going onto paper and leans harder in three places: text is pushed further towards true black, the background is normalised more aggressively so uneven grey shading disappears, and a mild unsharp mask is applied so stroke edges stay defined after the printer has had its way with them.

It is still a tone curve, not a threshold. Signatures, stamps and half-tone content survive rather than snapping to black.

Test on one page first

Print a single page of the enhanced file before committing to the whole document. Look at the smallest text on the page and at any signature or stamp. If small text has filled in, reduce Text Darkness. If a stamp has vanished, make sure Keep colour is ticked.