Grayscale PDF
Turn a color PDF into black and white.
Runs in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
- Choose the resolution
- Batch convert several PDFs
- Nothing uploaded
How to convert a PDF to grayscale
- Drop your PDF files here.
- Pick a resolution.
- Download the black and white PDFs.
How the resolution setting works
There is one setting: a slider from 96 to 300 DPI, defaulting to 150. Each page is rendered at that resolution, converted to grayscale, and saved back into a new PDF as a single image per page.
| DPI | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| 96 to 120 | Quick previews, on-screen reading | Small text can look soft |
| 150 | Most printing and screen use | Balanced size and sharpness |
| 300 | Fine print, documents you will zoom into | Larger file per page |
Because every page becomes a picture of itself, resolution is the only lever that affects sharpness. There is no separate text-quality setting to fall back on.
What stays the same and what does not
- Page count, page order and page size are unchanged.
- Links, bookmarks and form fields are not carried into the rasterized pages, since the page becomes a flat image.
- Text can no longer be selected, copied or searched, on every page, even pages that started out as plain black text on white.
- Vector lines and small text can look very slightly softer than the original, especially at 96 or 120 DPI.
When you actually need a grayscale file
Most printers can already print a color PDF in black and white from their own driver settings, so you rarely need this just to save ink on a one-off print. It matters more when the file itself has to be grayscale: a copier or fax machine that rejects color PDFs outright, a print shop or government form that specifically asks for a black and white submission, or a scanned color document you want to store as a smaller grayscale archive copy.
Grayscale PDF FAQ
Will the text still be selectable?
No. Each page is rendered as a black and white image, so text can no longer be selected or searched.
Why convert a PDF to grayscale?
Black and white printing is cheaper, and some scanners and copiers only accept grayscale files.
Which resolution should I use?
150 DPI looks sharp on screen and for most printing. Use 300 DPI for documents with small text or fine detail.
Can I convert several PDFs at once?
Yes. Drop in as many as you like and download them individually or as a ZIP.
Does this remove color from images as well as text?
Yes. Every page, including any photos or graphics on it, is rendered as one flat image and desaturated, so color is removed everywhere at once, not just from the text.
Will the file get bigger or smaller?
It depends on the original. A text-only PDF often gets bigger, since a page of crisp vector text becomes a photograph-style image. A PDF full of large color photos can end up smaller once they are grayscale JPEGs.
Can I choose the image quality as well as the resolution?
Only the resolution is adjustable here. Pages are saved as JPEG at a fixed quality that keeps files reasonably small at every DPI setting.
Is this different from just printing in black and white?
Yes. Printing in black and white only affects the ink used, the PDF file itself stays in color. This tool changes the actual file, which matters if you need to email or archive a grayscale copy rather than print one.