Printer not printing in color

Set the printer’s Windows 10 printing preference to Color first, then use a printer-generated test page to determine whether the problem is in Windows or the printer hardware.

1. Change the Windows printing preference

1. Open Start → Settings → Devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Select your printer, then choose Manage → Printing preferences.
3. Look for Color, Color mode, Grayscale, or Black & white. The setting may be under Paper/Quality, Quality, or Advanced, depending on the printer.
4. Select Color, turn off Grayscale/Black & white, and choose Apply.
5. In the application’s Print window, also verify that Color is selected rather than grayscale or black and white. Some applications maintain their own setting; for example, PowerPoint offers Color, Grayscale, and Pure Black and White modes.^1^

2. Test the printer independently

Print a color test or quality page directly from the printer’s control panel:

• If that page is also black and white: check the color ink/toner levels and cartridge installation. Clean or service the printer if required.
• If that page prints in color: the printer hardware is working, so continue with the Windows driver steps below. Microsoft recommends this test to separate printer hardware problems from Windows configuration problems.^2^

3. Reinstall the correct full-feature driver

If Color is missing from Printing preferences, or the printer’s own test page prints in color:

1. Open Start → Settings → Devices → Printers & scanners.
2. Select the printer and choose Remove device.
3. Restart the PC—use Restart, not Shut down.
4. Visit the printer manufacturer’s support website and search for the exact printer model.
5. Download the driver package matching Windows 10 and the PC’s 32-bit or 64-bit system type.
6. Install it, restart Windows, and check Printing preferences again.

Microsoft’s Windows 10 guidance recommends removing and reinstalling the printer and using a compatible manufacturer driver when Windows does not provide a suitable one.^3^ Reinstalling the manufacturer package also resolved the same symptom where Windows no longer displayed the color option.^4^

If it remains black and white, provide the printer make/model and whether its built-in test page prints in color; those details determine whether the next step is printer maintenance or model-specific driver configuration.

References

1. [Windows](https://support.microsoft.com/accessibility/powerpoint/use-a-screen-reader-to-print-presentations-in-powerpoint#optimize-printing)
2. [Windows 10](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/printer/fix-poor-print-quality-in-windows-blurry-faded-or-streaked-prints)
3. [Windows 10](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/hardware/printer/fix-printer-driver-compatibility-issues-in-windows#step-3-download-a-compatible-driver-from-the-manufacturer)
4. Suddenly I am unable to print in colour. - Microsoft Q&A