How to print black and white using a Mac

It’s 2023, and it should be easy by now to print black and white documents from a Mac. In this guide, you’ll learn how to do exactly that. Plus, I’ll cover some troubleshooting options in case your printer is not working as expected.

How to print in black and White

If you’re running macOS Ventura 13, it shouldn’t be hard to print in black and white as long as you follow these steps:

1. With a document open on your Mac, choose File > Print, or press Command-P.
2. The Print dialog opens with a preview image of the printed document.
3. Disable the Print in color section – or check the Black & White box.
4. Click on Print to print.

You can also select other options from the print screen.

• Presets: Choose the preset that you want to use for your document. 
• Copies: Select the number you wish to print. To print all pages of a document before the next copy prints, click Paper Handling, then select “Collate Sheets”.
• Print Range You can select the pages that you wish to print. Print all pages, or select the pages you want to print. You can, for example, print pages 6 through 9 of a document with 10 pages. The Selection button allows you to print only a selected range of pages. To select a page to print, click the page label on the Preview sidebar. Pages in your selection don’t have to be in a continuous range. You can, for example, choose to print pages 2 and 4 of a five-page document.
• Double-Sided: Choose On from the Double-Sided pop-up menu to print on both sides of the paper (also called duplexing or two-sided printing) if your printer has this capability. Choose On (Short-Edge) to print the document with the binding ready at the top.
• Paper Size: Select the paper size you want for your document. If the printer is loaded up with paper measuring 210x297mm, for example, select A4.
• Orientation: You can switch between landscape and portrait orientation by clicking on the button. In the sidebar, you can see the change made to the document. 
• Scaling: Enter the percentage to scale the image to fit the size of the paper. The changes are visible in the preview page in the left-hand sidebar.

How to create black and grey presets for printing with Mac

Mac allows you to save your frequently used print settings. Here’s how.

• Click File, then Print in the menu bar after you have opened a document.
• Choose Black & White printing.
• Choose the other settings that you would like to use as black and white, and click on the Presets menu.
• Click Save Current Setting as Preset.
• Name your preset.
• Select whether to save the presets for All Printers, or only this printer.
• Click on OK.

Print in black and White with your Mac now.

How to Troubleshoot Printing on Mac

Don’t worry, it’s not you, it’s probably the printer. If you’re having trouble printing or connecting your device to the Mac, there are two possible things to do: remove and reinstall the printer or connect and disconnect it.

If your Mac doesn’t recognize the printer, try taking it off the plug and then reconnecting it again. You can also try using a USB-C cable if it’s a wireless printer. Downloading the latest software update from the printer manufacturer’s website can also help.

You can also remove the printer from Mac and then add it again to print in black and gray. Here’s how:

1. Connect the printer to your Mac, or turn it off.
2. Click on the Apple menu in the upper left-hand corner of the Mac screen, and then select System Preferences.
3. Click Printers & Scanners.
4. Select the printer that you want to delete.
5. Click on the minus symbol, and then confirm by clicking Delete Printer.
6. Connect your printer to Mac.