Print in Grayscale - still in color

[CPAservice]

[Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (64bit) - Windows 10]

I've killed so much time trying to fix this but can not. I select the checkbox to ' Print in Grayscale' but it continues to print in color and the image preview is also in color. I have another computer (both using Windows 10), and this feature works fine. I considered it was my printer, which I unistalled\reinstalled - no change. I changed the Printer to  ' Adobe PDF ' and the grayscale won't turn to black and white. 

I uninstalled\reinstalled Adobe Acrobat Pro DC about 4 times today - I experienced a new problem with this in that when opening it the screen was black and a pop-up 'An Internal Error Occured'. Eventually I did a complete uninstall of Acrobat Pro DC  including deleting all 'Adobe' or 'Creative Cloud' items in RegEdit. 

After I finally got the progrma to open without issue, the grayscale printing in color is still there. 

Any suggestions is appreciated. 

[Abort_Retry_Fail]

I had this exact same issue, even the error messages. After multiple reinstalls and using the adobe cleanup tool, i at least can print to pdf in color, but greyscale doesnt work no matter what i do. 

tried all:

"print in grayscale" checkbox

"composite gray" option in the adobe advanced section 

i even tried the "paper/quality option of b/w vs color.

i would love to know what happened here.

windows 10 64bit, adobe acrobat pro 64bit. no plugins, and the prefs was even reset to default. 

[CPAservice]

Misery love company, and weeks later the issue, for me, has not changed 😞

[Abort_Retry_Fail]

I solved mine by reinstalling the entire computer.

BUT that is NOT an answer to this problem. 

[Maine-artist]

Same problem. When I was using Reader it worked fine.  I recently upgraded to the paid Acrobat Pro subscription, and now pdf's preview in color whether or not "print in grayscale" is checked, and will only print if I change printer properties to black & white - a tedious workaround. Adobe phone support gave me a regedit fix, which did not work.  Seems like a Pro-specific issue.  (also, I'm skeptical that checking the "save ink/toner" box saves anything...)

[Kevin369589533blp]

This is a Windows 11 issue as we have multiple printers and the check box to print in grayscale does not work for any of them. I also can not find anything on Microsofts support site. I hope this gets fixed with an update.

[Kevin369589533blp]

This is a Windows 11 issue as we have multiple printers and the check box to print in grayscale does not work for any of them but will work when I go to the printer properties from the print screen and select grayscale, but the print image does not show the change, it is very annoying. I also can not find anything on Microsoft's support site. I hope this gets fixed with an update.

[KT Hui]

I am experiencing the same issue on Windows 10 with Adobe Acrobat version 2025.001.205531. Although I select the 'Print in Grayscale' option, documents still print in colour. Additionally, the Colour Management profile appears to be missing in Settings, and when I choose the Monitor RGB - sRGB IEC61966-21 profile, the problem persists.

Could you please advise whether this is a known issue with Adobe Acrobat, and if so, whether a fix is available or anticipated? Thank you very much for your assistance.

[Amal.]

Hi there,

Hope you are doing well and thank you for reaching out and sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue.

We appreciate you sharing the details. Based on what you've described, the ‘Print in Grayscale’ option not working and the missing Color Management profile, please try the steps given below and see if that works for you:

1. Update the Acrobat Application:
Please update the Acrobat application to the latest version 25.01.20577 from the help menu > check for updates and reboot the device once.

2. Try Print as Image:
Go to Print > click on Advanced > check Print as Image, then try printing again.

3. Use Printer Preferences Directly:
Instead of selecting grayscale in Acrobat, try setting it in your printer’s properties/preferences dialog (via the Print > Printer Properties menu). 

4. Check for Driver Updates: 
Ensure your printer driver is up to date. Visit the printer manufacturer's site and download the latest version for your model and Windows 10. You may also try to remove the printer driver from the system, reboot, and reinstall it from the manufacturer's website and check.

Also check the help page https://adobe.ly/4lGMIGs

[KT Hui]

Thank you for your suggestion.

We have downloaded and installed the latest software version, but the issue remains. Under Preferences->Color Management->Setting, Setting profile are nothing and RGB, CMYK and Grayscale are worngly selected profile "Monitor RGB - sRGB IEC61966-21" The problem persists.

As a workaround, we have been manually changing the Grayscale profiles.

[Amal.]

Hi there 

Thanks for trying out the suggestions. 

Just to better understand the issue, could you please try opening the same file in Google Chrome or any other web browser and check if it prints in grayscale correctly there?

Also, are you using an IT-managed device (like one managed by your company or organization)? This will help us narrow down possible causes.

[KT Hui]

Thank you for your reply. The computer has no policy control, and the issue occurs with any application and file.

As I mentioned, to reproduce the problem, please install Windows 10 LTSC v1809 (with or without Windows Update), then install Adobe Acrobat. You will then see the issue.

I have attached a comparison showing the missing profile in the Settings for your reference.

[tomi.]

Just to add to this thread - I have a similar issue as you, however mine is that in addition to the color management only showing the 'Custom' value as you indicated, all the changes that I implement within the Color management settings get reset to Monitor RGB upon application restart. For example if I select any other value for CMYK then the change remains only for the ongoing session and resets back to default Monitor RGB after I reopen the app. Checked registry keys as well and couldn't locate a single key for color management settings or any other pro subscription features; everything else that comes in the default subscription has its settings stored in registry keys.  Would really love to see some kind of solution to the issue.

[KT Hui · Accepted solution]

The issue shown on the left side of the screen occurs on a clean Windows installation (with no previous Acrobat installed) after installing Acrobat 2025.001.XXXXXX will got the problem.

As a workaround, installing Acrobat 2015, DC, or 2020 first, and then upgrading to the Acrobat subscription version, the settings will be normally display.

I have checked the registry and found no relevant settings. It appears that Adobe stores these settings in C:\Users%username%\AppData. I am currently waiting for an official patch from Acrobat to resolve this issue.

[tomi.]

Thanks for the workaround solution, helped solve this ridiculous issue at least temporarily

[Stevven Townsend]

There is no fix to this issue. I have spent way too much time with tech support and my IT team and it there is not workarond.  We pay good money for this program and when I contact suport, they tell me that they have no idea why this happens.  So in the meantime, I have to print large volumes of documents in color (costing a lot of money) becuase of this issue. Adobe, get your act together and fix this issue and make it a priority. 

[Amal.]

Hi there 

We are sorry for the trouble. Would you mind sharing the version of the Acrobat and the OS you are using? Go to Help > About Acrobat and make sure its updated  to the latest version 25.01.20643 go to Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once.

Also, have you tried the workaround shared above? Please give it a try and see if that works. You may also try updating the printer driver and firmware.

Let us know ho it goes.

~Amal

[Stevven Townsend]

[Amal.]

Hi there, 

Thanks for sharing the details. Could you also share a screenshot of the Acrobat Print window so we can get this issue isolated for the fix? 

~Amal

[Lara Clouden37620910u3ui]

Wanted to reply to your earlier comment. Note that the option to print as image is grayed out:

[Amal.]

Hi there,

I hope you are doing well. Thanks for reaching out. I understand how frustrating it must be when the grayscale option doesn’t seem to work as expected.

A couple of things you can try:

1. Check the printer settings directly – Sometimes Acrobat’s print dialog setting may not override the printer’s own preferences. Open your printer properties/preferences and make sure “Print in Grayscale/Black & White” is selected there too.

2. Update printer drivers – Outdated or generic drivers may cause issues with grayscale printing. Updating to the latest drivers from your printer manufacturer’s website often helps.

3. Test with another PDF – Just to confirm if the issue is with one particular file or happens with all documents.

If it still continues to print in color, could you share the version of the Acrobat application and the printer model and operating system you’re using? Also, a small video recording of the steps you are taking and the issue as it occurs would help narrow down this further.

~Amal

[Stevven Townsend]

I've triied all of those "workarounds", nothing works.  Clearly a Adobe issue that needs to be fixed.

[Sergey_Tereshchenko9403]

The best way I found to fix the problem was to right-click the file and select "Open in Firefox." Then "Print." Sorry, Adobe. Nothing else worked.