November 11, 2026

Windows 10 Printer Not Printing in Color: Getting Colour Pages Instead of Grey

You print a chart, a photo, or a school project full of colour, and it comes out in shades of grey. The colour cartridges are full, and the printer’s own test page may even print in colour. When a Windows 10 printer not printing in color produces grey pages, a setting on the PC is usually telling it to save ink.

Colour printing can be switched off in several places: the printer’s default preferences in Windows, the print dialog of the program you use, and sometimes the printer’s own control panel. Many drivers include a “Print in grayscale” or “Black ink only” option that stays on once selected.

Low or blocked colour ink, clogged print heads, or a cartridge the printer does not recognise can also force black-only printing.

Checking settings first, then the hardware, finds the slot88 cause quickly.

Why This Happens

Colour disappears for these reasons:

• Grayscale or “Black ink only” is set in printing preferences.
• The program’s print dialog has colour turned off.
• A colour cartridge is empty, clogged, or not recognised.
• An office policy or printer setting limits colour use.

If the printer’s own internal test page is also grey, the problem is the printer, not Windows.

Some printers also switch to black-only printing automatically when one colour cartridge is empty, even if the other colours are full, so check the ink levels in the printer’s software.

Start With These Basic Checks

Review the colour settings.

1. Go to Control Panel > Devices and Printers, right-click your printer, and select Printing preferences.
2. Look for Color, Grayscale, or “Print in black and white” options and choose Color.
3. Select Apply and OK.
4. In the program you print from, open Printer Properties in the print dialog and confirm Color is selected there too.
5. Print a colourful test page.

Some programs, such as browsers, have a separate “Background graphics” option that affects coloured areas.

Going a Step Further

Check the hardware.

1. Print the printer’s own nozzle check or self-test page from its control panel.
2. If colours are missing or streaky, run the head cleaning function from the printer software once or twice.
3. Reseat the colour cartridges and remove any protective tape.
4. Replace cartridges that the printer reports as empty or unrecognised.
5. Install the full manufacturer driver if the colour options are missing.

A Word of Caution

Avoid running head cleaning many times in a row, since each cycle uses ink. Check the printer’s warranty before using refilled or third-party cartridges.

Final Thoughts

Grey prints usually come from grayscale settings in Windows or the program. Choose Color in printing preferences and the print dialog, then check cartridges and print heads if the problem continues.