PDF to Black and White
Turn any PDF into crisp black and white pages for printing or uploads. Adaptive thresholding, tiny files, sizes kept. Free, private, nothing is uploaded.
- No upload — 100% private
- Instant, on your device
- Free, no sign-up
- Works offline once loaded
How it works
How to use PDF to Black and White
Drop your PDF — Black & white is already selected and every page will be converted.
Leave 200 DPI for sharp text, or pick 150 DPI for an even smaller file.
Click Compress scanned PDF, compare Before and After, and download the black and white PDF.
Why use it
Why use our PDF to Black and White tool
Real black and white, not grey
Each page is thresholded into pure black ink on white paper, the way a fax or office copier does it.
Handles shadows and uneven light
Adaptive thresholding looks at each area of the page, so phone photos with a shadow still come out clean.
Saves printer ink
No colour and no grey backgrounds means less toner and faster printing on any laser printer.
Tiny files for portals
1-bit pages compress extremely well — ideal for job, visa and university upload limits.
Stays on your device
Conversion runs in your browser; the PDF is never uploaded.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Will text pages become images in black and white mode?
Yes, on this page every page is converted so the whole document is black and white, which means typed text can no longer be selected. Untick “Also convert text pages to images” to convert only the scanned pages.
Why do photos look harsh after converting to black and white?
Black and white means each dot is either black or white, which suits text but not photos. For documents with photos, switch to Grayscale to keep the shades.
Is black and white the same as grayscale?
No. Grayscale keeps up to 256 shades of grey; black and white keeps only two. Black and white files are smaller and look crisper for text, grayscale looks more natural for pictures and signatures.
My faint pencil writing disappeared — what can I do?
Very light marks can fall on the paper side of the threshold. Use Grayscale mode for faint handwriting, or raise the resolution to 300 DPI.
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