Today, many top-rated printers you can buy for your home or office can print in black and white or color. Depending on the task at hand, a user might want to set their printer to print in color. To get the desired results, you’ll need to configure your windows or mac computer to print your document in the desired format. This isn’t always as easy as ABC.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- To print in color, your home or office printer needs a color ink cartridge to change your printer setting to color.
- Whether you are using a Windows or Mac PC, it’s quite simple to change your printer’s preferences through an inbuilt settings menu.
- Once you are satisfied with your color and document settings, Instead of going through the steps for future tasks, you can save a preset of your choice, either color or black.
Fortunately for you, changing your printer setting to color isn’t a difficult task. With the right steps, you’ll be able to print your documents in whatever formats you need. Before you move ahead, it’s essential to check if your printer can indeed print in color.
Printing in Color
Your home or office printer will need a color ink cartridge to change your printer setting to color. A color ink cartridge normally has cyan, yellow, and magenta inks. It uses these inks to mix the user’s desired colors for a printing task. Remember, a black ink cartridge only prints black and grey on a document. Cleaning a laser printer that uses a toner cartridge may be a little bit tricky, and this is why you should start by powering the unit down for a full hour.
How to Set Color Printer Preferences
Whether you are using a Windows or Mac computer, it’s quite simple to change your printer’s preferences through an inbuilt settings menu. The printer preferences let you print in either black and white or color. Also, ensure that you do not need to change out the Ink cartridges as printing in color uses up more ink.
Printer Color Preferences in Windows
Printing on windows is quite easy. To begin, do the following:
- Click on the “Start” menu, and then select “Settings.” On the settings option, choose “Devices,” then “Printers and Scanners.” Look for your printer model on the list of printers that appear and click on its icon. Now, click “Manage.”
- Next, click on the “Printing Preferences” menu under “Manage,” and scroll through the options to view the various configurations, and select the option to print in color.
- After selecting the color option, set any other desired configuration, including the paper size and the number of pages.
It is also possible to access the “Printing Preferences” menu when printing through an individual application. All you need to do is click “Preferences” and change your setting to desired options before printing.
Printer Color Preference in Mac
Printing color from your Mac PC is also reasonably straightforward. You can perform this task from the printing dialog menu. On Mac, you can also save the setting as “Preset” for future similar tasks.
- First, click on “File” and “Print” to load your printing menu. Select “Show Details” to view more information about your printing configuration.
- Now, click on the drop-down menu to view the various setting options and select “Color/Quality.” Pick “Color.” Please note that the names will vary from one printer model to the next.
- Once you are satisfied with your color and document settings, you can save your settings. Click on “Presets” and select “Save Current Settings.” Save your preset with a name you can remember for future tasks and click “OK.”
Next time you want to perform a similar task, instead of going through the above steps, use the “Presets” drop-down menu and select the preset of your choice, either color or black and white.
F.A.Q.S
Where can I find the printer setting on Windows 7?
On a Windows computer, click on Start Menu, then select “Devices.” Now click on “Printers and Scanners.”
Is it possible to print in color on both Windows and Mac?
Yes. Printer manufacturers have built their computers to work on both Mac and Windows PCs. All you need to do is connect your printer to a Mac or Windows PC. Your computer will detect your printer, and you can begin using it.
Will printing in color affect how fast my printer works?
Yes. Printing in color will be generally slower than printing in black and white. However, the printing speed largely depends on your printer. There are printers on the market designed for quick printing tasks, whether black and white or color.
Why is my color cartridge not printing in color?
If your page is configured to print in “black and white,” it will only print in black and white. You will need to change your setting to default to print in color.
STAT: According to IBISWorld analysts, print revenue in the U.S decreased by 9.4% in 2020 alone, revised from a mild decline of 0.7% in the previous year before the global pandemic. (source)
REFERENCES:
- https://it.cornell.edu/citsg/set-your-printer-color-or-black-and-white-printing
- https://files.support.epson.com/htmldocs/cx11nf/cx11nfug/dmnh_2.htm
- https://kb.uwstout.edu/page.php?id=73107r
- https://purchase.libanswers.com/faq/36743
- https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-a-change-my-printer-default-setting-back-to/59f85799-983a-4393-8b6f-1cc9210debf5
