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Color Powerpoint slides will only print in grayscale/greyscale

Anonymous
2013-01-03T22:27:43+00:00

I have Powerpoint 2010 installed, Windows 7, 64-bit.

Other products (including MS Word) print in color just fine.  All settings in Powerpoint (options and print dialog) are set for color.  I can save as PDF and print that in color, but Powerpoint will not print in color.

This has only just started happening in the last month.  I do not know if this is a side effect of a crash that may have modified the registry.  I am optimistic of a fix based on the hotfix for some confusion trying to print B/W coming out as grayscale or color.

Does anyone know of a fix for something that seems to have broken (used to work fine)?

Thanks!

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-01-05T11:06:45+00:00

    Jim

    IF you are happy playing with the Registry you can try this:

    Make sure PowerPoint is fully updated.

    Start with PowerPoint closed.

    In Regedit navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\PowerPoint

    Add a DWORD and name it IgnoreDevModeColor

    Set the value to 1

    This is meant to fix another bug which prints pure B&W in Grayscale but may also fix your problem

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-01-05T02:33:29+00:00

    Jim, I don't think a printer driver will single out PowerPoint -- but PowerPoint may be using some feature of the printer driver that other programs do not use -- do re-install the driver. You also did mention that this is a recent thing -- and you were able to print to color from PowerPoint last month.

    Have a great day.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-01-04T22:46:15+00:00

    I thought of some experiments to try - I printed to CutePDF, and the result were in color.  Same with XPS - it created color.  I then printed to a color drafting printer, and that worked - the output was in color.

    Recapping:

    Printing any PPT in color from my laptop to printer A now always produces grayscale output.

    Printing any PPT in B/W or grayscale from my laptop to printer A produces B/W or grayscale, respectively.

    Using any other program (Word, MS Paint, Excel, etc) from my laptop to printer A works fine.

    Printing any PPT in color from my laptop to printer B or other print drivers works fine.

    Rebooting did not help.

    I will reinstall the printer driver...

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-01-04T08:56:07+00:00

    Jim, do you also see the Print Preview in grayscale -- or is that in color?

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-01-04T12:51:52+00:00

    Hi Geetesh,

    Thanks for your reply.

    The Print Preview is in color when I have selected color, and the preview switches correctly if I choose one of the other options.

    All visual indications and settings seem to suggest that Powerpoint is okay with proceeding in color, but the printouts are presented in grayscale.

    Word and Excel do not have any such problems.  All Powerpoint presentations (and only Powerpoint presentations)(including those that printed correctly in 2012) are effected.

    Other programs that print do not seem to be effected.

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