How to Print a PDF with Comments (2026 Complete Guide)

You have reviewed a PDF, added comments and annotations, and now you need a printed copy that shows all your feedback. By default, most PDF viewers do not print comments — they only print the document content. Getting your annotations to appear on the printed page requires knowing which settings to change.

This guide covers every approach: printing comments as a summary list alongside the document, printing inline comments directly on the page, printing just the markup without the document, and using free tools when you do not have Adobe Acrobat.

Understanding PDF Comments and Annotations

PDFs support several types of annotations, and understanding the difference helps when choosing how to print:

• Sticky notes (comments): Yellow popup notes attached to specific locations on the page
• Highlight annotations: Colored highlights over text, sometimes with attached comments
• Text comments: Typed text placed directly on the page
• Drawing markups: Lines, shapes, arrows, and freehand drawings on the document
• Strikethrough and underline: Text markup annotations that indicate edits
• Stamps: Pre-made or custom stamps (like "Approved" or "Draft")

Each type may appear differently when printed, depending on your print settings. Drawing markups (lines, shapes) usually print by default, while sticky note comments typically do not unless you specifically enable them.

Method 1: Print with Comment Summary (Adobe Acrobat)

Adobe Acrobat offers the most comprehensive comment printing options. The comment summary creates a separate section (either at the end or alongside the document pages) that lists all comments with their location, author, and text.

Steps to print with a comment summary in Acrobat

1. Open the annotated PDF in Adobe Acrobat
2. Go to File > Print (or press Ctrl+P)
3. In the Print dialog, look for the Comments and Forms dropdown menu
4. Select one of these options:
   • Document and Markups: Prints the document with all visible annotations (drawings, highlights, stamps) directly on the pages
   • Document and Comments with Connector Lines: Prints the document pages with numbered callouts linking to a summary list
   • Document and Comments: Prints the document alongside a summary of all comments
5. Adjust the Summarize Options if available — you can choose layout, font size for comments, and whether to include connector lines
6. Click Print

Customizing the comment summary layout

Acrobat gives you several layout choices for how the comment summary appears:

• Comments on separate pages: Document pages print normally, followed by pages listing all comments
• Comments next to document: Each document page prints with a column of comments beside it (uses more paper but is easier to cross-reference)
• Connector lines only: Comments appear as numbered markers on the document with lines connecting to the comment text

Method 2: Print with Inline Comments Visible

If you want comments to appear directly on the printed page (like they do on screen), you need to make sure annotations are set to print. This is different from generating a summary — it prints the actual visual annotations as they appear in the document.

In Adobe Acrobat

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat
2. Go to Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat > Preferences (Mac)
3. Select Commenting from the left panel
4. Check Print notes and pop-ups
5. Click OK
6. Now when you print (File > Print), select Document and Markups in the Comments and Forms dropdown
7. Print normally

With this setting enabled, sticky notes will print as small icons on the page, and any pop-up comments will print in expanded form next to their location. This uses more page space but shows exactly what you see on screen.

In other PDF viewers

Most alternative PDF viewers have a simpler print dialog. Look for options like "Print annotations," "Print markups," or "Include comments" in the print settings. If the option is not available, you may need to flatten the annotations into the document content first.

Flattering essentially bakes the annotations into the page content so they print as part of the document. See our guide on how to flatten a PDF for detailed instructions.

Method 3: Print Just the Comments (No Document)

Sometimes you only need the list of comments, not the document pages themselves. This is useful for creating feedback summaries or tracking review progress.

Using Acrobat's comment summary feature

1. Open the PDF in Acrobat
2. Click on the Comments tab or panel to open the comments list
3. Click the Options menu (three dots or gear icon) in the comments panel
4. Select Create Comment Summary
5. Choose layout options — you can set it to show only comments without the document pages
6. Acrobat generates a new PDF with the comment summary
7. Print this summary PDF normally

Using the Print dialog

1. Go to File > Print
2. In the Comments and Forms dropdown, select Summarize Comments
3. Acrobat will generate a summary layout
4. Print the result

Method 4: Free Alternatives for Printing PDFs with Comments

You do not need Adobe Acrobat to print annotated PDFs. Here are free alternatives that handle comment printing:

Browser-based PDF viewers

Modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) can open and print PDFs. The print behavior for comments varies:

• Chrome: Open the PDF, press Ctrl+P, and look for "Include comments" or annotation options in the print dialog. Some annotations print by default.
• Edge: Edge's built-in PDF viewer supports annotation printing. Check the "Include annotations" option in the print dialog.
• Firefox: Firefox prints visible annotations by default in most cases.

Flatten and print approach

If your viewer does not support printing comments directly, the workaround is to flatten the annotations into the document first. This makes the comments part of the page content rather than a separate annotation layer.

1. Use a free online tool to flatten the PDF (this bakes annotations into the page)
2. Download the flattened PDF
3. Open and print normally — all comments now appear as part of the document

The advantage of flattening is that it works with any PDF viewer or printer, since the annotations become regular page content. The disadvantage is that the comments are no longer editable as annotations after flattening.

Export comments to a separate document

Some free tools let you export comments as a text file or separate document. You can then print this alongside the original PDF. This is useful for creating review summaries:

• Open the annotated PDF in a tool that supports comment export
• Export comments as a text file, CSV, or Word document
• Format and print the comment list
• Print the original PDF separately if needed

Print Settings for Best Results

Regardless of which method you use, these settings help produce clean printed output with comments:

• Paper size: Comment summaries often need wider pages. Consider using A4 or Letter in landscape orientation for summaries with comments next to the document
• Margins: Reduce margins to maximize usable space, especially when printing comments alongside document content
• Color vs grayscale: Color annotations (highlights, colored comments) lose their meaning in grayscale. Print in color when annotations use color coding
• Duplex printing: Comment summaries generate extra pages. Use double-sided printing to save paper
• Scaling: Set scaling to "Fit to printable area" or "Shrink to fit" to prevent content from being cut off at page edges

Troubleshooting Common Printing Issues

Comments do not appear on the printed page

This is the most common problem. The fix depends on your PDF viewer. In Acrobat, make sure "Comments and Forms" is set to "Document and Markups" or one of the summary options (not "Document only"). In other viewers, look for annotation printing settings or flatten the PDF first.

Comment text is too small to read

When printing summaries, the default font size for comments may be very small. In Acrobat, go to the comment summary options and increase the font size. For other tools, you may need to export comments and format them in a word processor before printing.

Pages print with unwanted comment icons cluttering the layout

If inline comments are making the printed page messy, switch to the comment summary approach instead. This keeps the document pages clean while listing all comments separately. Or selectively delete annotations you do not want printed before sending to the printer.

The print dialog does not show comment options

Some PDF viewers have limited printing options. If you cannot find comment printing settings, either switch to a viewer that supports it (like Acrobat Reader) or flatten the PDF first so annotations print as regular content.

Which Approach Should You Use?

• Need all feedback visible on printed pages: Print with inline comments (Method 2) or flatten the PDF first
• Need a clean summary of all comments: Print with comment summary (Method 1)
• Only need the comment list: Print just the comments (Method 3)
• Do not have Adobe Acrobat: Use browser printing or the flatten-and-print approach (Method 4)
• Complex document with many comment types: Use Acrobat's full summary with connector lines for the most complete output

Printing PDFs with comments does not have to be frustrating. The key is knowing that comments are a separate layer from the document content, and most viewers default to printing only the document. Once you change the right settings — or flatten the annotations into the content — your printed output will show exactly the feedback you need. For more PDF printing tips, check out our PDF printing best practices guide.