How do you decide when to print in black and white vs colour? Whether you’re running a business, managing a school, or just trying to keep the office copier from eating your budget, knowing when colour is worth it (and when it’s just draining cash) makes a huge difference.
Here’s the no-nonsense guide.
Why Colour Printing Costs More (And Yes, It Really Does)
The price gap isn’t in your head. A black-and-white page might cost around 5p, while colour can shoot up to 10–15p or more. Scale that over a few thousand pages and you’ll soon be asking who authorised a 40-page colour booklet full of stock photos.
Here’s why it stings:
- More ink = more expense
Monochrome jobs use one cartridge. Colour jobs draw from four – cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Every page chips away at all of them. - Coverage is a killer
Costs are calculated on 5% page coverage. Add photos, graphs, or full-page backgrounds and you’re looking at 50% or more. That “cheap” print suddenly isn’t. - Machines cost more to run
Colour devices are more complex, pricier to maintain, and have more parts to replace. Even service contracts are higher because there’s simply more that can go wrong.
So yes – colour printing costs more. But is it always a waste? Not at all.
When Black & White is the Smart Choice
Most offices default to black and white for a reason: it’s cheaper, faster, and more than good enough for everyday jobs.
Examples where it makes sense:
- Everyday internal documents – draft reports, meeting notes, HR policies. Nobody needs them in colour.
- Legal and financial documents – invoices, contracts, compliance reports. Accuracy matters, not aesthetics.
- High-volume jobs – training manuals, worksheets, bulk handouts. Multiply the cost per page and the difference is huge.
- Formal communications – official forms and proposals often look more professional in plain monochrome.
We’ve seen schools and charities slash their bills in half by locking down colour usage and keeping the bulk of their printing monochrome.
When Colour is Worth Every Penny
Colour is powerful when it’s used with purpose. It grabs attention, builds trust, and makes complex information clearer.
Worth the extra? Absolutely, in these cases:
- Marketing materials – brochures, flyers, posters. Colour here is the difference between being noticed or binned.
- Sales and client presentations – branded proposals, charts, product shots. Colour makes them clear and credible.
- Reports with data – try reading a pie chart in black and white. Colour isn’t a luxury here, it’s clarity.
- Education and training – diagrams, maps, illustrations. A biology worksheet without colour diagrams? Useless.
- Your branding – your logo, your colours, your identity. Don’t water them down in black and white.
The Smart Move: Default Black & White, Allow Colour on Purpose
Here’s how savvy offices manage it:
- Default to black & white on every device.
- Set user quotas or print rules so only those who need colour can access it.
- Educate your team: “Use colour when it adds value. Otherwise, keep it monochrome.”
Final Thought
Colour printing isn’t bad – it’s just expensive. Like decent coffee, you use it when it adds something, not just because you can.
So next time you’re about to hit “Print in Colour,” ask yourself:
- Does colour help explain or highlight something important?
- Is this going to a client, parent, or the public?
- Or am I doing it just because it looks nicer?
If it’s the first two, print in colour and don’t apologise. If it’s the last one, save the pennies – your finance team will thank you.
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