Gray or Poor Output Printing Color Text on Noncolor Printer
Article ID: 112779
Article Last Modified on 8/16/2005
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Word 6.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Word 6.0a
- Microsoft Word 6.0c
- Microsoft Word 95 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q112779
SYMPTOMS
When you print color text on a noncolor printer, the output may be very
poor quality. This happens with text to which you apply color font
formatting and when you use color text to mark revisions.
CAUSE
This happens on some printers if the "Print colors as black on noncolor
printers" option in the Compatibility Options dialog box is turned off.
When this setting is off, Word prints colors in gray scale on noncolor
printers. On some printers, gray text prints very poorly at certain
resolutions. For example, gray text may print poorly at 300 dpi resolution
and print clearly at 600 dpi resolution. In some cases, one color may print
acceptably while another prints poorly (again, depending on the printer).
RESOLUTION
If you are using a low printer resolution setting, switch to a higher
setting in the Printer Setup dialog box and try printing the document
again. You may also obtain better results if you format the text for a
different color.
If you cannot obtain acceptable gray output, you can turn on the "Print
colors as black on noncolor printers" option using the following
instructions:
- From the Tools menu, choose Options.
- Select the Compatibility tab.
- From the Recommended Options For list, select Word for Windows 6.0.
- Select the "Print colors as black on noncolor printers" option so the
box contains an X, and then choose OK.
REFERENCES
"Microsoft Word User's Guide," version 6.0, page 581
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