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How to Generate PDF in Grayscale

Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar
Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar
Updated:

A grayscale PDF is a type of PDF document where all the colors and shades are represented using shades of gray instead of the full-color spectrum.

IronPDF offers the functionality to render PDF documents in grayscale instead of colors. Printing PDF documents in grayscale is cost-effective for large batch printing. Additionally, rendering in grayscale enhances readability, particularly when the original colors are excessively bright or vibrant. Furthermore, grayscale PDFs enjoy increased compatibility across a wide range of devices, software, and platforms, ensuring consistent viewing and printing experiences across different systems.

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  2. Copy the code

    new ChromePdfRenderer { RenderingOptions = { GrayScale = true } }
    .RenderUrlAsPdf("https://example.com")
    .SaveAs("grayscale.pdf");

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How to Generate Grayscale PDF in C#

  1. Download the IronPDF Library for Rendering Grayscale PDFs
  2. Instantiate the ChromePdfRenderer class
  3. Set the GrayScale property of RenderingOptions to true
  4. Access and render PDF document from a URL, HTML string, or file
  5. Export the grayscale PDF document to the desired location


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First Step:
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Generate Grayscale PDF Example

To generate a grayscale PDF, you can set the GrayScale property of the RenderingOptions to true.

In the provided code snippet, we see that the grayscale feature is enabled after instantiating a ChromePdfRenderer. It is then used to render a web page using the RenderUrlAsPdf method. The code snippet also includes extracting only the first page of the rendered PDF and saving it locally.

:path=/static-assets/pdf/content-code-examples/how-to/color-grayscale-grayscale.cs
using IronPdf;

ChromePdfRenderer renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

// Set GrayScale to true
renderer.RenderingOptions.GrayScale = true;

PdfDocument pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf("https://ironsoftware.com/");
pdf.CopyPage(0).SaveAs("test.pdf");
IRON VB CONVERTER ERROR developers@ironsoftware.com
$vbLabelText   $csharpLabel

Please note
The current implementation of the Grayscale feature will turn the text in the rendered PDF document into an image, resulting in the ExtractAllImages method not outputting any text.

Currently, this functionality is only available when rendering PDFs. In the future, it would be beneficial to have the ability to convert existing PDF documents to grayscale.

Ready to see what else you can do? Check out our tutorial page here: Convert PDFs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a grayscale PDF?

A grayscale PDF is a type of PDF document where all the colors and shades are represented using shades of gray instead of the full-color spectrum.

Why should I use grayscale PDFs?

Printing PDF documents in grayscale is cost-effective for large batch printing. It enhances readability, especially when the original colors are too bright or vibrant, and ensures consistent viewing across different systems.

How do I generate a grayscale PDF?

To generate a grayscale PDF, download the IronPDF Library, instantiate the ChromePdfRenderer class, set the GrayScale property of RenderingOptions to true, render the document, and export it.

Can I convert existing PDF documents to grayscale?

Currently, the functionality to convert existing PDFs to grayscale is not available. However, you can render new PDFs in grayscale using IronPDF.

How does grayscale rendering affect text extraction?

The current implementation of the Grayscale feature in IronPDF turns the text in the rendered PDF document into an image, which means the ExtractAllImages method will not output any text.

Is the grayscale rendering feature available for all PDF types?

The grayscale rendering feature is currently available only when rendering new PDFs with IronPDF, not for converting existing ones.

What are the steps to enable grayscale rendering in C#?

Instantiate the ChromePdfRenderer, set the GrayScale property of RenderingOptions to true, then render and save the PDF document using IronPDF.

Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar
Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar
  Chat with engineering team now
Software Engineer
Like all great engineers, Hairil is an avid learner. He’s refining his knowledge of C#, Python, and Java, using that knowledge to add value to team members across Iron Software. Hairil joined the Iron Software team from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree ...Read More
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