Print in Grayscale box doesn't work

[Sarah30044816z4fn]

Everything was working fine when I was using the free Adobe reader.  We intalled Adobe Acrobat Pro yesterday and now the "Print in Grayscale" box doesn't work.  I have to go into my printer settings and change it to mono.  It doesn't even work when auto color is selected.  I really shouldn't have to go deep into printer settings every time I need to change from color to grayscale.  This problem only occurs in Adobe.   Is there a way to fix this or work around?

[AkanchhaS]

Hi @Sarah30044816z4fn 

Sorry to hear about your experience

Once you uncheck the "Print in Greyscale" and proceed with printing, Print settings will be preserved for the next time when you give the print command  

Check under Advanced>Output>Color if it is Composite Gray, then change it to Composite.

Also, make sure

1. You have the latest version of Acrobat installed. 

Go to Acrobat> Help > Check for updates and reboot the computer once (you must save all the work before restarting)

To download the patch manually, more information about this release is here: Release Notes | Adobe Acrobat, Reader

2. Update your printer driver and firmware

Thanks,

Akanchha 

[Sarah30044816z4fn]

Whether the Print in Grayscale box is checked or unchecked has no effect on the color output which is where the problem is.  I have to go into the acutal printer settings and change the color output.  Adobe is up to date as is my printer software and firmware.  I have no problem in any other application, just Adobe.  From what I've read in here, I'm not the only one with this problem.  I also didn't have this problem with the free Adobe Reader

[AkanchhaS]

@Sarah30044816z4fn Sorry to hear that the issue persists.

Please reset the Acrobat's preferences once: https://community.adobe.com/t5/acrobat-discussions/how-to-reset-acrobat-preference-settings-to-defau... 

If it still doesn't work, then give it a try.

Run this cleaner tool to remove the existing installer and application’s file traces:

https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/Labs/cleaner.html

Download the Acrobat installer from here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/acrobat-dc-downloads.html

~Akanchha

[Cody8675309]

I also have this issue. This is extremely frustrating! No matter what I do, I cannot get anything to print in gratscale. Please advise. 

[Karen33547107zdi3]

Same problem here. None of the suggestions I have found in the Adobe Community seem to work anymore. Please look into this #devs.

[Cody8675309]

Adobe had to remote connect and change the version of adobe. There is an issue with the current version. Once they changed the version, I had no problems. 

[jaimek99410139]

I just had to have Adobe Support remote in and change the version I was using as well. He told me he couldn't find a bug, but there may be an issue with the latest version itself. Advised me to not update my software anytime soon.

[Meenakshi Negi]

Hi jaimek99410139,

Thank you for reaching out.

Could you please share more details about the issue you are experiencing with the latest version? Share the Acrobat version number with which the issue occurs.

It would be helpful if you could share any screenshots or screen recordings of what was not working with the latest version. 

Thanks,

Meenakshi

[Evan3557454215my]

Same issue here, just went from free version to paid version of Acrobat, using the free version, the "print in grayscale" when checked changed the preview to black and white and printed in balck and white. Since upgrading to the paid version, it does nothing, the way around that is to select the "properties" tab then select "balck /grayscale" there, but that extra step is annoying, especially when you are now paying for it

[Evan3557454215my]

Not true..........Same issue here, just went from free version to paid version of Acrobat, using the free version, the "print in grayscale" when checked changed the preview to black and white and printed in balck and white. Since upgrading to the paid version, it does nothing, the way around that is to select the "properties" tab then select "balck /grayscale" there, but that extra step is annoying, especially when you are now paying for it

[tdprado]

I have the exact same problem the last few months which is very annoying for something costing $28 a month. Free version works fine. 

[Katheryn28876214ucj5]

Adobe products have really gone downhill the past 2-3 years. They used to just work. Now they don't. I've had this problem (still unresolved) and others. Just voicing my general frustration with Adobe for ruining such a good product.

[Evan3557454215my]

Go to the "properties" tab right above to change to black etc

[james38214041rdk8]

I had the same issue and just checked my Colour Management in Adobes Preferences, changed the working space "Grayscale" to Black & White, allowing grayscale. See attached.

 

[shakashaka]

That worked for me! THANKS

[Katheryn28876214ucj5]

When I tried this I got an error that Adobe could not print. 

[tdprado]

I get the same error too. Like some other software products I have to use subscriptions for these days, full of bugs and advertising these days. Not robust products like they used to be anymore. SIgn of the times!

[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 thanks for reaching out. We are sorry for the trouble you are experiencing. 

Please try few things listed below and see if that works:

1. Please update the Acrobat application to the latest version 25.01.20577, go to Help > check for updates and reboot the computer once. 

2. Check Printer Settings Directly: Sometimes Acrobat’s grayscale option doesn’t override the printer driver settings. Try setting grayscale directly from the printer’s own preferences (via Control Panel > Devices and Printers > [Your Printer] > Printing Preferences).

3. Update or Reinstall Printer Drivers: Outdated or corrupt drivers can override app-level settings. Make sure your printer driver is up to date. You may also try to remove the printer driver, reboot the computer, and reinstall the driver from the printer manufacturer's website and check.

Also, check the steps shared in the help page: https://adobe.ly/4lJvloc 

Let us know how it goes.

[KT Hui]

Dear Amal,

Thank you for your reply. We have recloned the computer and either installed or upgraded Acrobat to the latest version 25.01.20577. Unfortunately, the problem persists.

It seems that a fresh installation should select the correct profile automatically. However, Acrobat is defaulting to the problematic profile "Monitor RGB - sRGB IEC61966-21," which prevents reading the information correctly and generating the Grayscale PDF.

It appears the root cause lies with Adobe and needs to be addressed by them.

Thank you for your attention.

[Amal.]

Hi there 

We are sorry to hear that the issue still exists and thank you for trying out the suggestions.

I have shared the details with the development team for review. I will keep you posted as soon as I get more information to share.

Thanks for understanding.