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GivenTool

Convert a PDF to grayscale

Convert a colour PDF to black and white shades for printing or smaller scans. Output is image-based.

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Printing a colour PDF on a black-and-white printer, or submitting a scan to a portal that wants grayscale, is easier with a grayscale file. Each page is rendered with pdf.js at the resolution you choose, converted to shades of grey and rebuilt into a new PDF.

Be aware of the trade-off: the pages become images, so their text can no longer be selected, searched or copied, and links and form fields are removed. It suits scans and print jobs; keep the original for anything you need to edit or search, or run OCR PDF on the result.

How to use it

  1. Choose a PDF.
  2. Pick the resolution (150 dpi is a good default).
  3. Click Convert to grayscale.
  4. Download the grayscale PDF.

Frequently asked questions

Are my files uploaded?

No. The file is read and processed by your browser on your device; nothing is sent to a server. You can load the page, switch off Wi-Fi and it still works.

Why is the text no longer selectable?

Browsers cannot rewrite the colours inside arbitrary PDF content, so each page is converted to a grayscale picture. Run OCR PDF afterwards to make it searchable again.

Will the file be smaller?

For colour scans, usually yes. For text-only PDFs made by a word processor it can be larger, because text becomes an image.

Which resolution should I choose?

150 dpi for most documents, 200-300 dpi for small print or when you will print the result, 100 dpi for the smallest file.

What if my PDF is password-protected?

The tool will say so. If it is your file and you know the password, remove the protection with Unlock PDF first, then use the unlocked copy here.

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