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How to Print in Black-and-White Only

Tap a step to see how it works.

  1. Open the print dialog

    Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) from whatever app you're printing from, then click 'Properties' or 'More settings'.

  2. Find the color option

    Look for a 'Color' or 'Color/Grayscale' setting in the print dialog or printer properties.

  3. Choose black-and-white or grayscale

    Selecting grayscale instead of color prints the document in black and shades of gray, without using color ink.

  4. Save it as the default

    If you don't want to change this every time, open your printer's properties from your system's printer settings and set grayscale as the default color mode -- then every app that prints to it inherits the setting automatically.

  5. Why this is useful

    It saves color ink or toner when printing everyday documents where color doesn't matter, or when you're running low.

Save color ink without hunting for the setting each time

Setting grayscale as the default at the printer level -- rather than inside one specific app -- means every program that sends a print job to that printer automatically prints in black-and-white, so you don't have to remember to change it each time.

'Grayscale' and 'black ink only' aren't always the same thing

Grayscale mode blends your printer's cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink to produce shades of gray, which some printers still do even when 'black and white' is selected. If you specifically want to conserve color ink, look for a setting labeled 'black ink only' or 'true black' in your printer's advanced properties -- it isn't offered on every model, but it avoids touching the color cartridges entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I set it to black-and-white, will pages with photos still print in color?

No -- once grayscale or black-and-white is selected, the whole document prints in shades of gray, with no color anywhere on the page.

Does the setting look the same on every printer?

Not exactly. The wording -- grayscale, black-and-white, or monochrome -- and where it's located in the properties menu can vary a bit by printer manufacturer and model.