Can't Print to PDF from Internet Explorer

Issue

In Internet Explorer – particularly in Vista – you can't print a web page to the FileCenter PDF print driver, even though you can print the page to a printer without any problem.

Cause

New versions of Internet Explorer have a new feature called "Protected Mode" which prevents any untrusted website from saving any files to disk. This includes saving the site to disk as a PDF file.

Solution #1: Use a Different Browser

The easiest solution is to use a different web browser. This issue does not affect other major browsers, including Firefox, Opera, and Netscape. This is the safest and easiest solution. This is a good solution all around, as browsers like Firefox are fast, secure, and very well supported. It's a very rare web site that's incompatible with Firefox these days.

Solution #2: Designate the Web Site as "Trusted"

Second, you can add the web site to your list of trusted websites:

1. In Internet Explorer, go to the "Tools" menu > "Internet Options
2. Select the "Security" tab
3. Select the "Trusted Sites" zone
4. Click the "Sites" button to add a site to the zone

Solution #3: Disable Protected Mode

Third, you can disable "Protected Mode":

1. In Internet Explorer, go to the "Tools" menu > "Internet Options
2. Select the "Security" tab
3. Select the "Internet" zone (if it isn't selected already)
4. Deselect the option called "Enable Protected Mode"

WARNING: Disabling this mode makes it possible for malicious sites to potentially write files to your computer.