What’s the point of a color printer if everything comes out in black and white or grayscale? If you’re experiencing color-printing problems in Windows 11, there could be several different issues responsible, ranging from printer settings to outdated drivers. In this article, we’re going to supply some fixes for Windows 11 color printing issues.
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Fixing Windows 11 Color Printing Issues – Different Fixes to Try
If you’re struggling to bring the rainbow to your prints, we’ve assembled a few potential troubleshooters below to help you out:
Check for Grayscale
Probably the biggest offender of non-color printing is the printer (or app) settings themselves. If you’re not getting color, then check your app settings. You can also check your printer’s profile in the following way:
Step 1. Open “Settings” (Win + I) and click “Bluetooth & devices” in the sidebar.
Step 2. Click “Printers & scanners.”
Step 3. Find your printer and click to select.
Step 4. Click “Printing preferences” in the next screen.
Step 5. A new window will pop up. Under the “Features” tab, ensure that “Print in Color” is selected, and not “Print in Grayscale.” Your printer’s specific settings window may vary, but just ensure that grayscale is not selected as the printing option.
Step 6. Click “OK” to finalize the process.
Run the Printer Troubleshooter
If you’re not sure what’s causing the issue, the good news is that Windows 11 has a dedicated troubleshooter to help with printer issues. Running it can be a good first step (and hopefully the last step). Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1. Open “Settings” (Win + I) and click “System” in the sidebar.
Step 2. In the next menu, navigate all the way down to “Troubleshoot” and click it.
Step 3. Click “Other troubleshooters” in the next screen.
Step 4. Click “Run” next to the “Printer” troubleshooter.
Step 5. A new window will open. Follow the steps and allow the troubleshooter to run. Afterwards, try printing again to see if the issue is resolved.
Update Your Drivers
With any software problems, including Windows 11 printer not printing color, ensuring that both your version of Windows 11 and your device driver are up to date is vital. For Windows updates:
Step 1. Open “Settings” (Win + I) and click “Windows Update” in the sidebar.
Step 2. Click “Check for updates” to ensure you’re up to date. Install all pending updates that show up, including optional ones.
To install your printer’s latest device drivers, you can either visit your printer manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers manually, check through your printer client, or do it yourself via Device Manager:
Step 1. Open the Run Dialog (Win + R) and type “devmgmt.msc” and click “Enter.”.
Step 2. Click “Print queues” to expand the menu and right-click the printer that’s causing problems.
Step 3. Select “Update driver” from the context menu.
Step 4. In the window that pops up, click “Search automatically for drivers.”
Step 5. If there are any new drivers found, you will be notified on the next screen. Follow the steps to install them.
