How to Make PDF Black and White: 3 Easy Ways

Learn how to make a PDF black and white to reduce file size up to 80% and lower printing costs. This guide covers how to do it using Xodo PDF Studio on Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as using quick print settings on Windows.

Your 50MB color PDF just bounced back from email again. The attachment limit struck, and now you’re scrambling to find a solution that doesn’t involve cloud storage links or multiple emails.

Turning your PDF to black and white solves this problem instantly. The process greatly reduces document size and lowers printing costs by as much as 60%.

Whether you’re preparing documents for professional archiving, reducing ink expenses, or improving accessibility for users with color vision deficiencies, black and white PDFs offer measurable benefits.

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

• Convert PDFs to black and white in Xodo PDF Studio
• Print black and white PDFs from Xodo PDF Studio
• Print in black and white on Windows 10 or 11
• Understand the benefits of black and white PDFs
• Get tips for converting color PDF files
• Find answers to common questions

The following tutorials walks you through each method, starting with the most comprehensive solution.

How to Convert PDF to Black and White using Xodo PDF Studio

Follow these simple steps to convert a PDF to black and white using Xodo PDF Studio:

1. Download Xodo PDF Studio on your Windows, Mac or Linux.
2. Install and open the application.
3. Open your color PDF file.
4. Click the Convert Colors tool in the Document toolbar.
5. Select the Content Type you wish to convert (text, images, vector graphics) and specify page range.
6. Choose one of the pre-defined ICC color profiles (for example, Gray Profile - Gamma 1.4).
7. When you're done, click OK to create a new black and white PDF.

Xodo PDF Studio supports ICC color profiles for precise grayscale conversion, making it ideal for organizations that require consistent and accurate document formatting.

Beyond grayscale conversion, it includes advanced features like PDF validation, batch processing, redaction, and document security. As a full-featured alternative to Adobe Acrobat, Xodo PDF Studio offers over 60 professional tools for editing, printing, and managing PDFs.

How to Print Black and White PDF using Xodo PDF Studio

To print a PDF in black and white using Xodo PDF Studio, follow these steps:

1. Open your PDF in Xodo PDF Studio.
2. Go to File > Print > Advanced Options for additional print settings.
3. In the Chromaticity section, select Monochrome to convert all colors to grayscale during printing.
4. Adjust any other settings.
5. Click Print to save the PDF to your device.

The preview section shows exactly how the PDF will look after printing, so you can fine-tune settings before creating the final file.

For volume tasks, use the Batch Action tool to apply the same print settings across all documents. This batch processing capability saves significant time when printing large document collections for archiving or distribution.

Pro tip: Xodo PDF Studio also includes Preflight capabilities that checks PDFs against print standards, ideal for ensuring files meet professional printing requirements before final output.

Use the Print Function on Windows to Make PDF black and white

To make a PDF black and white using the print function on Windows 10 or 11, follow these steps:

1. Open your PDF in the default Windows viewer (eg, Microsoft Edge).
2. Press CTRL+P to open the print dialogue.
3. Select Microsoft Print to PDF as the printer.
4. Click More settings to view additional options.
5. Under Color, change the setting to Black and white.
6. Click on Print and enter a new file name to avoid overwriting the original, then click Save.

Note: If Microsoft Print to PDF is missing, go to Settings > Apps > Optional Features and make sure it is installed. Reinstall it if necessary.

This method uses Windows’ built-in features to convert any color PDF to black and white without any third-party software.

Benefits of Converting PDFs to Black and White

Converting a color PDF to black and white offers several practical benefits:

Reduce Size and Save Storage Space

Converting PDFs to grayscale can reduce file size by 70-80%. For example, a 50 MB color PDF may shrink to 10–15 MB. This is especially useful for schools, healthcare providers, and other organizations that manage large archives of image-heavy documents.

Lower Printing Costs

Printing in grayscale reduces color ink and toner usage, which helps cut production costs. This is ideal for internal reports, reference materials, and other high-volume print jobs.

Improve Accessibility and Device Compatibility

Grayscale PDFs are easier to read for users with color vision deficiencies. They also reduce formatting issues and ensure consistent display across older printers and various devices.

Meet Industry and Archival Standards

Black and white formatting supports compliance with legal and archival standards in sectors such as government, law, and finance. It ensures a professional, uniform appearance across all business documents and records.

Tips for Converting Color PDF to Black and White

Use these tips to improve results when converting a color PDF to black and white:

• Handling large PDFs: Use Xodo PDF Studio to divide large files into smaller sections. Convert each section to black and white individually, then batch merge them back into a single file.
• Fixing Grayscale conversion issues: If the converted PDF appears too dark, too light, or inconsistent, review the color management settings and ICC profiles. Use a profile suited to your document’s content to get better grayscale output.
• Fixing pixelated images: Low-quality or pixelated images may result from excessive compression. Adjust compression and image quality settings to strike the right balance between file size and visual clarity. Refer to Xodo PDF Studio’s PDF Optimizer settings to fine-tune these options.
• Working with password-protected PDFs: Make sure you have permission to access the file. Enter the correct password when prompted to unlock and turn the PDF to black and white.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert a PDF to black and white online for free?

You can easily convert a PDF to black and white online for free using Xodo’s PDF editor. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to the online PDF editor.
2. Upload your PDF file.
3. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-left corner.
4. Select Print from the drop-down menu.
5. Choose your desired page range and set the color option to Print Grayscale.
6. Click Print to generate the black and white version.
7. Save the new file to your device.

What’s the difference between grayscale and black and white?

A grayscale PDF contains multiple shades of gray, preserving subtle details in images and maintaining visual depth.

A black and white PDF contains only pure black and pure white pixels, resulting in a high-contrast, binary format that often produces smaller document sizes.

How do I print a PDF in greyscale?

To print a PDF in grayscale, open the PDF in your operating system’s default viewer and access the print dialog.

In the color settings, select the Grayscale option. This converts the document’s colors to shades of gray during printing without altering the original file.

How do I maintain image quality when converting to grayscale?

To maintain image quality while converting to grayscale, use a professional PDF editor like Xodo PDF Studio that offers control over color and compression settings.

In Xodo PDF Studio, you can adjust the ICC Color Profiles before converting to grayscale and choose higher-quality options for images as needed. These settings help preserve image clarity while reducing file size.

Is it possible to convert only specific pages to black and white?

Yes, you can convert specific pages or a page range to black and white with Xodo PDF Studio.

Both the Print function and the Convert Colors tool support selective conversion. You can choose individual pages, a custom page range, or convert only even or odd pages as needed.

What file formats can I convert to black and white besides PDF?

You can convert MS Office files like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to black and white files using Xodo PDF Studio.

You can also convert color JPG, PNG, and other supported image formats to black and white.

During the conversion, these files are first converted to PDF. Then, you can simply apply the black and white conversion.

How much smaller will my PDF file become after conversion?

After conversion, PDF files containing color images can shrink up to 80%, while text-heavy files usually reduce by 20-30%.

Scanned PDFs with large color images often see the greatest file size reduction. The exact decrease depends on the content and complexity of the original file.

Can I reverse a black and white PDF back to color?

No, once a PDF is converted to black and white, the color information is permanently lost and cannot be restored. Always keep a backup of the original PDF if you may need it later. The conversion process is irreversible.

Easily Make Any PDF Black and White for Print or Archiving

Converting PDFs to black and white helps you streamline workflows, reduce printing costs, improve accessibility, and preserve essential document clarity.

Xodo PDF Studio offers a complete solution for professionals and teams who need advanced color management, secure offline conversion, and batch processing, without the cost of Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Start optimizing your PDF workflow today with powerful tools built for professional use.