When attaching a PDF explanation or supporting document to a tax return submission in BrightTax, you may receive an error stating the PDF is incompatible, or an error referencing taxreturnprintdlg.doreport. This is caused by the PDF being saved in a format newer than Acrobat 5 (PDF 1.4) — HMRC's Government Gateway only accepts PDFs up to this version.

The most reliable way to convert a PDF to the correct format is to use the free Bullzip PDF printer. This creates a new PDF in the correct format by reprinting the original.

Step 1 — Install Bullzip PDF Printer

1. Download Bullzip PDF Printer from: bullzip.com/products/pdf/download.php
2. Run the installer and keep all options as default.

Step 2 — Configure Bullzip for PDF 1.4 Output

1. Open Bullzip PDF printer options by searching for Bullzip in the Windows search bar.
2. In the General tab, set the file name and save location for the converted PDF.
3. Go to the Document tab.
4. Set the Document compatibility level to PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5.x).
5. Click Apply and then OK to close the options.

Step 3 — Convert the PDF

1. Open the original incompatible PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
2. Go to File > Print.
3. Select Bullzip PDF Printer from the list of available printers.
4. Click Print.
5. Click Save on the Bullzip window that appears. The converted PDF will be saved to the location you set in Step 2.

Step 4 — Attach the Converted PDF in BrightTax

1. Return to the tax return in BrightTax.
2. Remove the original incompatible PDF attachment.
3. Attach the newly converted PDF from the save location you specified.
4. Proceed with the submission.

Bullzip is not appearing as a printer option

• Confirm Bullzip was installed successfully — search for it in the Windows start menu.
• If it does not appear as a printer, restart your computer and try again.
• Re-download and reinstall from bullzip.com if necessary.

The converted PDF is still being rejected

• Open the converted PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to File > Properties > Description tab, and check the PDF version shown — it should read PDF 1.4.
• If the version is still higher than 1.4, repeat the conversion process and ensure the Document compatibility level is set to PDF 1.4 in Bullzip before converting.

Q: Is Bullzip free to use?

A: Yes. Bullzip PDF Printer is available as a free download for personal and commercial use from bullzip.com.

Q: Can I use a different tool to convert the PDF?

A: Yes — any tool that can save a PDF at compatibility level PDF 1.4 (Acrobat 5.x) will work. Adobe Acrobat Pro also supports this via File > Save As > Reduced Size PDF or the Export function.

Q: Does this issue affect all PDFs or only certain ones?

A: It only affects PDFs saved in a format newer than PDF 1.4 — typically PDFs created by modern software. PDFs created by older software or already in PDF 1.4 format will not have this issue.