Convert PDF to Black and White

Color PDF to Black and White PDF

This tool converts a Color PDF to black and white. It switches all colors to black and shades of grey, depending on the settings you choose. It works with all elements in your PDF including images and text.

Convert PDF to Greyscale

As this wikipedia entry tells us, greyscale images are a kind of black-and-white or grey monochrome and are composed exclusively of shades of grey. This tool will convert pdf to black and white as it takes the luminance in each color in a PDF and switches it to a shade of grey (for example, a dark blue will change to a dark grey and a light blue will change to a light grey).

The online preview allows you to see what your modified PDF looks like with the output color of your choice. Once satisfied, download your document. It converts any scalar or vector graphics and text to raster images. This makes a slightly larger PDF file size, but it the best way to convert all colors systematically in a complicated PDF.

Reverse or Negate Black and White

To switch the whites to blacks or vice-versa, check the “Reverse” checkbox. If you have a PDF with lots of black backgrounds and white text, then reversing colors can save on printer ink. Or if you want to convert PDF to black and white so they are easier to read or easier on the eyes because you aren’t staring at a bright white screen, the Reverse feature in the app above can help.

Convert to True Black and White

Click the “Pure B&W” button to change your document to bi-color: only black and white will appear. This is in contrast to Greyscale, which will have various hints of grey in between black and white. If you are laser printing this can be a useful way to prepare you image.

Adjusting the threshold slider will change which colors get converted to black and which colors will go to white.

Can’t Print in Color?

Sometimes a document has color in it and will not print well on a printer. This could be because your printer is out of color ink or isn’t functioning correctly. A workaround is to convert your PDF to black and white and then print it. This online tool turns a PDF into black and white or greyscale. Converting to B&W will work if hyperlinks, which are often blue, are not printing out correctly… assuming you have black ink.

Reduce Printer Costs by Printing in Black and White

Oftentimes (but not always!) color ink costs more than black ink. So, converting PDFs that have lots of color, like photos or artwork, will save on ink. If what you really care about is printing text, then converting to greyscale will preserve the shape of the fonts, which should be mostly untouched, but will change all the rest of the colors to a version of grey. Saves money!

Change the Contrast of a PDF

Choosing various shades between black and white (gray!) changes the contrast in a B&W document. Choosing a light gray color creates a document with less contrast than black.

Print a PDF when you are out of color ink

What do you do when your printer is out of color ink and you really need to print a form or document? Often, settings in your print driver can be adjusted to make this happen, but the lack of an ability to customize the output can make the print unusable. Maybe you can use the the black ink cartridge to print a substitute, but customizing the degree of greyscale, brightness, and more can produce better results.

Use this online tool to convert PDF to black and white. This will enable you to print a form, article, brochure, and pictures when your printer runs out of color ink!

This tool will change all colors in all elements of your PDF, including:

• fonts and text
• images
• graphics
• pictures
• lines
• shapes
• headings
• titles
• footnotes
• captions
• headers

If the above doesn’t work, try removing your color ink cartridge(s) — sometimes this “tricks” your printer and makes it print black and white without color ink!

More questions about printing in color when your out of black ink? Check out this FAQ:

Check out a quick demo of how to convert an image to monochrome.

And here’s a quick demonstration of how to convert a PDF to black and white.

Brief how-to videos about editing images, PDFs, and GIFs using Super Tools can be found here.