I cannot print from a PDF file from Chas Schwab

Question

I have received my 1099 from Chas Schwab and cannot print it.

Answer 1

Hi Roger Nelson,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble printing an important tax document like a 1099. To better help you, I hope you can clarify a few things:

• What’s the exact behavior of the failure?
• Where are you printing the PDF from? Directly in the mail or as a local file on PC?
• Was it saved as another PDF, the button was grayed out, or the printing queue got stuck, and so on?

Depending on the exact symptoms, we can identify if this happens due to PDF print restrictions, the PDF viewer being used, or handler issues in Windows. In the meantime, here’s what to try out in case it can help with your issue:

1. If it’s online, try to save the PDF locally before printing.
2. Open the PDF with a different app and try printing there:
   1. Right‑click the PDF file > Open with > Microsoft Edge
   2. Or use another browser, like Chrome, Firefox, Brave…
   3. Or if you have a PDF reader, e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader.
3. Try printing any different PDF to confirm whether the issue is Windows or the file. If other PDFs also fail, this points to a Windows printer or PDF handler issue. And vice versa.
4. Check if the Print option is greyed out or does nothing > the file is print‑restricted.

If the last one is the case, some tax documents restrict printing and Windows cannot override it. You would need to download a fresh copy from Schwab or contact Schwab support, as they control the document permissions.

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Answer 2

The issue is most likely related to how printing from PDF is configured on the computer rather than to Charles Schwab specifically.

Try these steps in order:

1. Check that a real printer is selected (not “Print to PDF”)
   • In the PDF viewer (Adobe Reader, browser, or other), choose File > Print.
   • In the printer list, make sure the physical printer is selected, not Microsoft Print to PDF, XPS Document Writer, or any other virtual printer.
   • If a virtual printer is selected, change it to the actual printer and try printing again.
2. If a Save dialog appears instead of printing
   • This usually means a virtual printer (like Microsoft Print to PDF) is selected.
   • Change the printer in the print dialog to the physical printer and retry.
3. If the printer is selected but still only asks to save a file
   • Close all applications.
   • Open Control Panel → Devices and Printers.
   • Right‑click the printer → Printer properties → Ports tab.
   • If the port is set to Print to File, change it to the correct port (for example USB/LPT1 for USB printers or WSD/network port for wireless/network printers), then apply and test printing again.
4. If printing fails only for this PDF
   • Save the 1099 PDF locally (for example, to Documents).
   • Open it directly in a PDF reader (such as Adobe Reader) and print from there.
5. If nothing prints or jobs stay in “spooling”
   • The print spooler or printer queue may be stuck. Clear the queue and restart the Print Spooler service, then retry printing.

If the problem persists only with the Schwab 1099, contact Schwab support to verify the document is not protected in a way that restricts printing.

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References:

• Print command results only in an invitation to save. - Microsoft Q&A
• How to print without a window popping up that requests I save an already saved document - Microsoft Q&A
• Uncommanded Printer Operation - Microsoft Q&A
• Printer will print entire document but not select pages - Microsoft Q&A