Save Resources by Automatically Printing Draft Versions in Grayscale from PDF Files

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Save Time and Ink: Automatically Print PDF Drafts in Grayscale with VeryPDF PDFPrint

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Cut printing costs and simplify your workflow by printing PDF drafts in grayscale using VeryPDF PDFPrint Command Line.

Tired of Wasting Colour Ink on Every Draft Print?

I used to print everythingclient drafts, internal reviews, quick reference docsstraight from my PDF reader.

Save Resources by Automatically Printing Draft Versions in Grayscale from PDF Files

And yep, every time, full colour.

That meant burning through colour ink way faster than necessary.

It wasn't until I started running into real printing bottlenecks (and ink refills started feeling like a weekly ritual) that I realised something had to give.

The team didn't need high-quality colour printouts for first or second drafts.

We needed a smarter way to default to grayscaleand that's when I found VeryPDF PDFPrint Command Line.

Why I Turned to VeryPDF PDFPrint Command Line

After trying (and swearing at) multiple PDF printers that either required a full UI or couldn't automate colour settings, VeryPDF PDFPrint Command Line just clicked.

No GUI. No fluff.

Just a command-line tool that prints PDFs however you tell it todirectly to any Windows printer, no PDF viewer needed.

If you're someone like me who:

  • Handles tons of PDF files weekly

  • Automates tasks via scripts

  • Wants to save time and ink without micromanaging print settings

...then this tool will be your new best friend.

Here's What It Can Do (And Why It Works for Me)

1. Automatically Print in Grayscale

I use the -color 1 parameter. That's it.

Just drop that into the command and your document prints in black and white. It's been perfect for draft versions, meeting notes, or internal reviews.

No need to fiddle with printer settings manually. No popups. No surprises.

2. Batch Print Like a Boss

We often need to print 20, 30, even 50 PDFs in one go. PDFPrint makes it dead simple.

Just run:

css
pdfprint.exe -color 1 *.pdf

And off it goes, cranking out grayscale prints for all those files in seconds.

No dragging, dropping, or opening each file.

3. Print to File or Queue Up Print Jobs

If I'm not ready to print right away or need to send the jobs to another location, the -printtofile flag saves the spool data to disk.

Or I can merge multiple print jobs into one (-mergeprintjobs) to keep things tidy in the queue.

Massive time-saver.

Compared to Other Tools?

Here's the deal.

Adobe Acrobat and other GUI-heavy tools make it nearly impossible to automate grayscale printing.

Some require manual input every single time. Others don't support grayscale printing unless you dive into driver settingsand even then it doesn't always stick.

VeryPDF PDFPrint?

  • Doesn't require a PDF viewer

  • Works in batch

  • Supports command-line colour switching

  • Prints to any printer on Windows

It's built for automation. Built for speed.

Real Talk: How Much Time & Ink I Saved

I used to waste at least 1520 minutes a day toggling settings and double-checking if I had selected black & white.

Now?

It's all script-driven.

I press a button. It prints. Every draft, grayscale. Automatically.

And ink usage?

Our colour cartridge replacements dropped by 50% in the first two months.

Want to Save Ink and Streamline Your Print Workflow?

VeryPDF PDFPrint Command Line took a manual, annoying part of my day and turned it into something I don't even think about anymore.

If you're printing drafts, bulk documents, or anything where colour doesn't matter

Set it up once, save money and time forever.

Try it out here

Custom Development Services by VeryPDF

Need something more tailored?

VeryPDF offers custom dev services across:

  • Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android

  • Programming languages like Python, PHP, C/C++, .NET, JavaScript, and more

  • PDF tools, virtual printers, print job monitoring

  • OCR, barcode processing, document layout analysis

  • Secure printing, digital signatures, DRM protection

They even build custom printer drivers and PDF SDKs.

Got a unique workflow or enterprise setup?

Reach out here: VeryPDF Support

FAQs

1. Can I set grayscale printing as the default for all PDFs?

Yes. Just include -color 1 in your script or batch file and all PDFs will print in black and white by default.

2. Does it support duplex (double-sided) printing?

Absolutely. Use the -duplex flag with options like 2 for horizontal duplex and 3 for vertical.

3. Will this work on any printer?

As long as it's installed on your Windows system, PDFPrint can talk to it.

4. Do I need to install a PDF viewer like Adobe?

Nope. PDFPrint works headlesslyyou don't need any other software to print.

5. What if I need to print only certain pages?

Use -firstpage and -lastpage to control which pages print. Super handy for reviewing specific sections only.

Keywords

  • Print PDF in grayscale automatically

  • Command line PDF printer

  • Batch print PDFs in black and white

  • Save ink printing PDF drafts

  • VeryPDF PDFPrint Command Line

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