Grayscale PDF
How to convert a PDF to grayscale
- Click the box above or drop your PDF onto it.
- Choose a resolution. 150 DPI is fine on screen, 300 DPI for printing.
- Click Convert and download the grayscale PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Why convert to grayscale?
A print shop charging by the page is cheaper in black and white, and a page that only looks grey can still be billed as colour. Every pixel comes out with its red, green and blue values set equal, so there is no colour left in the file to print.
Does the text stay selectable?
No. Each page is drawn as an image, so text can no longer be selected or searched. That is the trade-off for taking the colour out of the file itself; if you need the text, print to grayscale from your PDF viewer instead.
What does pure black and white do?
Every pixel becomes either black or white at the threshold you set. It suits scanned text and line drawings and makes much smaller files, but it destroys photographs.
Will the file get bigger?
It can. A text PDF is small because it stores letters, not pixels; as images, the same pages are larger. Lowering the resolution brings the size back down.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Everything happens inside your browser, so your files never leave your device and nothing is stored on a server.