How to Print in Black and White on Mac

Printing is still vital despite the fact we live in a modern, digital world, almost all companies still need to have hard copies of documents, and some people just like to have the physical copy in their hands.

It is also widely known how expensive color cartridges can be; the black and white cartridges are much more affordable, and printing in black and white on printers connected to a Mac is much faster. This guide will show you how to print in Black and White on Mac.

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How to Print in Black and White on Mac

This process will not require any special software. Preview makes it very easy to print documents in black and white; refer to the steps below to do it.

Open your Mac and find the photo or file you want to print.
Select Open by left-clicking or using two fingers to press simultaneously on the trackpad; choose the Preview app.

Print in Black and White on Mac — how to print in black and white on mac

Once your file is opened in Preview, click on File on the Menu Bar.
Click on Print.

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You can also use the Command-P shortcut to open the print window.
Within the print window, bring the drop-down menu besides Presets.
Select the Black and White option.

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You can also alter if the print is in landscape or portrait and how many copies of it you want.
After you’re done applying the changes, click on Print.

Wait for the document to print and check to see if the settings you have made are accurate or not.

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Black and White printing in Mac using Google Drive

Google Drive is consistently used to upload and save various documents and files in our day-to-day lives. Check out these steps to print in black and white on Mac using Google Drive.

Switch your Mac on and open your preferred browser.
Open the file you want to be printed in Google Drive.
Select Print, which you will find in the File menu.
You can also use the Command-P shortcut to open the printing window.
Choose Black and White from the dialog box next to the Color option.
Hit Print and your document should begin printing.

Now, you can also use Google Drive on your Mac to print the black and white documents.

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How to Print in Black and White on Mac Using Microsoft Word

Printing on Microsoft Word is almost identical to the above two methods, with just minute differences.

Open your mac and run Microsoft Word from the Applications tab inside Finder.
Spotlight can also be used to open word. Use the shortcut Command-Space to run Spotlight Search, type in Microsoft Word, and open it.
You can also use Microsoft Word to open any document. Look for the document and right-click on it, select the Open with option from the menu and click on Microsoft Word.
Once you’ve opened your document in Microsoft Word, click on File in the Menu Bar and select Print.
Choose Black and White, which you can find in the Presets option.
Hit Print, and you’re done.

Microsoft documents look the best in black and white, unlike pictures. However, such inks save a lot of money and not everyone can afford them.

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Changing the Color of a PDF file to Black and White in Mac

Turning a PDF file into black and white is pretty straightforward. You don’t require any additional software; you only need Preview to do this.

Open your Mac and select the PDF.
The PDF should automatically open in Preview; if for some reason it doesn’t, you can always right-click on the file, select Open With, and hit Preview.
Hover the cursor over to File on the Menu Bar and click on Export from the list.
Click the box next to the Quartz Filter, and select Black and White.

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Hit Save, and that’s it.

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What to do if Your Printer is Malfunctioning?

You can always troubleshoot the printer and its setting if it starts malfunctioning to figure out the cause of the problem. Simply refer to the steps given below to resolve printing issues with your Mac.

Open your Mac, hover the cursor over to the Menu Bar, and select the Apple logo.
Find System Preferences from the menu.
Click on the Printer & Scanners tab.
Here you can disconnect and reconnect your printer to the Mac, which might resolve some issues.

Why won't my Mac let me print in black and white — how to print in black and white on mac word

You can also use the Open Print Queue option to check if the printer is already backed up with pages to print.

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Why won’t my Mac let me print in black and white?

There could be a multitude of reasons that you are unable to print black and white images or even documents from your Mac. some of the reasons could be listed here.

Your printer does not support black and white printing.
There is no cartridge with ink in it. In such cases, your printer might show an indication for the same or even your system will alert you once you try printing documents.
The printer driver is corrupted or needs to be updated
You have not made a proper selection from the steps we have mentioned.

These are only a few of the very reasons that we could think of. Now, you can choose to solve the issues as well. Simply check the ink cartridge and refill it. Make sure that your printer does support black and white printing.

Also, if the software or the driver is corrupted, the best way to go from here is simply to reinstall the printer software and try printing again.

Conclusion

As you can see, printing in black and white on a Mac is extremely simple, and the process is quite similar when using other apps as well. You simply need to follow the steps we have mentioned to make it easier for you too. If you have bought your new Mac, this might be of great help to get things started.

There are multiple ways we have mentioned here. However, Apple’s Preview application is more than enough to print in black and white on mac. We hope this article helped you understand how you can print in black and white using a Mac.

Robert

Robert is a tech expert (with more than 10 years of experience in using mac os and iPhone) who loves to help others learn about the Mac operating system and iPhone. He provides helpful tutorials on how to use Mac OS, tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Mac operating system, iPhone tips and tricks, and more. He’s always up for a challenge and enjoys learning new things about his favorite OS. When he’s not helping people get the most out of their technology, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats. Check out more.