Hello,
I'm trying to print this item which is marked as public domain. The file downloads fine and I can view all pages. But the vast majority of the pages of this pdf is protected such that it cannot be printed. Outside of pages 1-5 (out of 68), I have not yet found a page I could print.
https://s9.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usim ... rcises.pdf
By not being able to print, I mean either (I'm a mac user):
1) adobe reader gives error message "the document could not be printed" followed by "no pages were selected to print"
2) preview prints pages with solid black blocks covering 90% of the page
Is there a particular reason this pdf behaves this way? Can anything be done about this? Thanks
pdf protected (unprintable) despite item is public domain
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coulonnus
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Re: pdf protected (unprintable) despite item is public domain
Method 2 works well too but I didn't research the right resolution.
Last edited by coulonnus on Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: pdf protected (unprintable) despite item is public domain
thanks coulonnus! this works great. I just used my existing pdf tool to "extract" all the pages and save it. Now everything prints properly!
It's interesting this is such a common issue there is a imspl page explaining workarounds. I have certainly come across other imslp downloads with the same problem. Previously some files would show black blocks covering 90% of the page when printed from Preview. My workaround was to print with acrobat reader. But the latest update to acrobat reader no longer works and gave me the errors I described.
I will look into uploading the unprotected to imslp. thanks a lot
It's interesting this is such a common issue there is a imspl page explaining workarounds. I have certainly come across other imslp downloads with the same problem. Previously some files would show black blocks covering 90% of the page when printed from Preview. My workaround was to print with acrobat reader. But the latest update to acrobat reader no longer works and gave me the errors I described.
I will look into uploading the unprotected to imslp. thanks a lot
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RhinoHaggis
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Re: pdf protected (unprintable) despite item is public domain
I'm obviously just guessing here, but a few reasons come to mind.
1. That is a very carefully done scan. Someone doing that kind of work could easily be an editor, publisher, archivist or librarian. In such a case
a) The protection could be accidental, carried over from (Acrobat) settings for material that is not in the public domain.
b) The protection could be an in-house rule, which --if they're working on files in a shared network-- could be as simple as preventing other people from editing them once they're done.
c) The protection could be deliberate. Basically, if you like it, "you can purchase a print copy from us". This sounds a bit silly in the digital world, but it's how things work in print. It would be unseemly to photograph the pages of a Dover Press art book on the premise that the work is Public Domain. You buy it. The work of the publisher might not merit a copyright but if it's a nice job it can be worth paying a bit for.
2. It's worth being aware that there is an overwhelming sense of indignation among many publishers, libraries and archives over painstaking digitizing work being "ripped off". Similarly, it is commonplace to hear representatives of of these bodies talk about material in their collection as their "IP". They want to manage and control its public exposure. So, for example, if you get imaging from an archive -or even make your own imaging- they may only allow it under contract, or they may say "you can only use that for personal use, you can't make it public", meaning the imaging.
In other words, it is common practice that institutions believe, and conduct all of their business under the assumption that, "imaging" is something they own, the way someone who takes a photograph is a copyright owner. This is absurd, and there is no basis whatsoever for this idea in copyright law; Owners of items don't have copyrights. Nevertheless that's where we are, and any way someone can protect their imaging independently of the copyright status of the work being imaged, they will do.
[I have begun a small project hunting for rare scores and when I got far enough along to begin communicating with libraries and archives I quickly learned to treat imaging as personal property. The work is public domain, but they own the images. Now, since the only function and purpose of these images is to be a copy of the public domain work... that's not really true. But it's true if you want access.]
1. That is a very carefully done scan. Someone doing that kind of work could easily be an editor, publisher, archivist or librarian. In such a case
a) The protection could be accidental, carried over from (Acrobat) settings for material that is not in the public domain.
b) The protection could be an in-house rule, which --if they're working on files in a shared network-- could be as simple as preventing other people from editing them once they're done.
c) The protection could be deliberate. Basically, if you like it, "you can purchase a print copy from us". This sounds a bit silly in the digital world, but it's how things work in print. It would be unseemly to photograph the pages of a Dover Press art book on the premise that the work is Public Domain. You buy it. The work of the publisher might not merit a copyright but if it's a nice job it can be worth paying a bit for.
2. It's worth being aware that there is an overwhelming sense of indignation among many publishers, libraries and archives over painstaking digitizing work being "ripped off". Similarly, it is commonplace to hear representatives of of these bodies talk about material in their collection as their "IP". They want to manage and control its public exposure. So, for example, if you get imaging from an archive -or even make your own imaging- they may only allow it under contract, or they may say "you can only use that for personal use, you can't make it public", meaning the imaging.
In other words, it is common practice that institutions believe, and conduct all of their business under the assumption that, "imaging" is something they own, the way someone who takes a photograph is a copyright owner. This is absurd, and there is no basis whatsoever for this idea in copyright law; Owners of items don't have copyrights. Nevertheless that's where we are, and any way someone can protect their imaging independently of the copyright status of the work being imaged, they will do.
[I have begun a small project hunting for rare scores and when I got far enough along to begin communicating with libraries and archives I quickly learned to treat imaging as personal property. The work is public domain, but they own the images. Now, since the only function and purpose of these images is to be a copy of the public domain work... that's not really true. But it's true if you want access.]
Last edited by RhinoHaggis on Sun Jul 27, 2025 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: pdf protected (unprintable) despite item is public domain
We solved the Locked PDF issue last year as we implemented a fix across all PDFs on IMSLP to remove the locks upon upload, so any of the issues regarding printing the file so not be an issue anymore. I just downloaded and checked the file, its completely unlocked.