How To Print in Black and White on Mac in 2023

Our printers are often configured to give a colorful result, this sits well with most users, but a group of us prefer a black and white print or occasionally need our documents in grayscale.

Most users might easily figure out how to configure their mac printers to give black-and-white results, especially those who are quite tech-savvy others may need a little guidance. If you fall into the latter, don’t fret; we’ve got you covered. 

Therefore, in this article, you’ll see how to print in black and white on Mac, from your Google Drive, and also how to convert a PDF to black and white on mac.

Further, we also documented a way to make printing in this format easy from now on.

How to print in black and white on Mac from MS Word?

It’s no news that Microsoft Word is unarguably the most famous document editor at the moment. Often the documents we need to print are in MS word format, so it’s best I start by showing you the steps to get that black-and-white feature with MS Word. 

1. Locate and open the file in MS Word. You can first open Word, then search and launch the file in there. 
2. When the document fully loads, click on File from the top menu bar. It is often at the top-left corner. 
3. Locate and select the Print option. 
4. From the print menu, click on Black and White, which is in the Presets drop-down menu. Most times, the black and white checkbox may be visible without you needing to open the preset menu; in this case, tick the box there. 
5. Go to the bottom of the Print window and click on  Print. Don’t forget to attend to other customization. 

Also Learn : How To Print Double-Sided On Mac? | A Quick Guide

How to print in black and white on Mac with Preview?

Aside from Microsoft Word, Mac’s Preview app can open a wide range of document formats. PDF usually opens with Preview. You can open other documents like pictures with Preview too. You can print all of them in black and white, provided that the connected printer has provisions for that. 

1. We will work with an image here, so locate any image you want to print in black and white. You can use your Finder for ease. These steps also apply to not just pictures but virtually any document that can be printed from the Preview app. 
2. After finding the image, right-click on it, then click Open With. 
3. Select Preview from the list of apps presented. 
4. When in Preview, click on File from the top menu bar; it is often at the far left. 
5. Go down and click on Print. 
6. From the Print window, locate and select the Black & White option, which is often next to the Copies section. If you can’t find it, click on Quality & Media, it then opens a new pane.
7. In the new pane, tick the Grayscale Printing checkbox. 
8. Attend to other settings, then click on Print. 

To print other documents from Preview, you locate them, right-click on it, select Open With, click on Preview and then follow from step 4 down to step 8.

Please, be aware that GrayScale is the same as Black and White. 

How to print in Black and White from Google Drive?

Many of us access our documents from our Google Drive. You can also print in grayscale from it. 

1. Open your document in Google Drive. 
2. Click on the File button, which is at the top-left of the Google Drive window; this action opens a drop-down menu. 
3. Locate and select the Print option. 
4. In the window that pops up, click on Monochrome, which is under the Colour section. 
5. Go through everything, then hit the Print button. 

Google Drive uses monochrome in place of Black and White or Gray Scale.

How to print PDF files in Black and White perfectly?

Most times, the results we get from printing our PDF documents in Black and White isn’t often ideal. The printings often come out incorrectly. Don’t worry; we can tackle this issue with a simple maneuver. 

1. Open your PDF document. By default, Mac will open it with Preview. 
2. In there, click on File from the top-left menu bar. 
3. Go to the bottom of the drop-down menu and click on Export. 
4. Under the Quartz Filter section, click on Black and White. 
5. Confirm every other setting, then click on Save. 

These steps will export your PDF as a black-and-white doc. What you’ll do next is to open the exported document then follow the steps below. 

6. Now navigate to the exported document and double-click it. By default, it will open in Preview if it doesn’t. Right-click on it, then select Open With and pick Preview from the apps presented. 
7. While in Preview, click on File from the top menu bar. 
8. Select Print. 
9. From the Print window, locate and select the Black & White option, which is often next to the Copies section. If you can’t find the option, click on Quality & Media, it then opens a new pane.
10. In the new pane, tick the Grayscale Printing checkbox. 
11. Attend to other settings, then click on Print. 

Steps to create a Black and White printing preset

Setting your Mac to print in black and white every time could be tedious, especially when you will be printing multiple documents in this format. To save you the stress, you can simply customize a preset, which will come in handy in the future. 

The Preset can contain not only the black and white settings but other customization you’ll need as you go on. Follow the steps below to create a black-and-white preset. 

1. Load a document in Preview. 
2. Click on File from the top menu, then select Print.
3. Next, click on Show Details, then customize all settings you want, including the black and white format. 
4. Now, click the Preset button, a menu pops up, select Save Current Settings as Preset. 
5. In the field provided, enter a name for the preset and choose if you’ll want this new preset applied to All Printers or the currently selected printer (Only This Printer). 

To Print with your preset

1.  Open a document in Preview. 
2.  Click on File, then Print. 
3.  Most times, you can quickly find the Preset button, click on it or click on Show Details to locate the Preset button. From the options shown, select any preset of your choice. 

Troubleshooting issues with Black and White Printing 

If a printer doesn’t support black-and-white printing, then you can’t print in this format. This is a hardware affair; these types of printers don’t have black inks. Nevertheless, if you are sure your printer can print in grayscale, but you don’t seem to see the option, we will try a few things to troubleshoot it.

Usually, resetting the print system on your Mac or deleting the printer might do. You can also consider updating the driver then re-adding the printer. You can do a part of this from the System Preference window. 

1. Reconnect your Printer

1. Unplug the printer from its power source or turn it off. Also, disconnect it from your Mac via the cable or its wireless connectivity. 
2. Go to the top of your Mac screen and click on the Apple drop-down menu. Next, click on System Preferences from the list. 
3. Locate and select Printers & Scanners. 
4. From the left pane, go through the printers list on your computer and select then delete the faulty printer. To do this, click on it, then click the Minus (-) at the bottom of the printer pane to delete it. If Mac prompts you to confirm the deletion, click on Delete Printer. 
5. Connect the printer to the power source, reconnect it to your Mac with its USB cable or turn it on if it uses a wireless connection. 

Allow your Mac to reconnect with the printer completely. Most times, merely reconnecting your printer will suffice; if it doesn’t, consider other remedies below. 

2. Reset your entire printing system

If the above solution doesn’t do the job, you should consider resetting your entire printing system. 

1. Go to the top of your Mac screen and click on the Apple drop-down menu. Next, click on System Preferences from the list. 
2. Locate and select Printers & Scanners.  
3. Right-click on any printer from the left pane, then select Reset printing system. 
4. Confirm the action by clicking Reset in the prompt that pops up. 

This method is somehow similar to the one above; you will need to re-add all the printers to Mac. 

3. Update your Printers drivers

Updating our printer drivers is something we seldom take into consideration. Often, the reason for the issue is due to old or outdated drivers. Go to your printer’s official site and check if you are using the latest drivers. 

Conclusion 

Knowing how to print our documents in black & white or grayscale is a skill that could come in handy anytime. This article has shown you how to print in black and white from your MS Word, Google Drive, or with the Preview app with all the advantages this format offers. We also documented a way to print PDF files perfectly in black and white. Thank you for stopping by, have a great day.