How to Export a Grayscale PDF From a Color InDesign Document

Learn how to use a grayscale color profile to export a full-color InDesign layout to a one-color PDF that will print with just black ink.

In this InDesign how-to video, Mike Rankin shows how to create a grayscale PDF from a color document on export. This method is simple and doesn’t involve making any changes to the InDesign document. Mike shows which settings to choose and also a couple of preferences to set for best results.

Subscribe to the CreativePro YouTube channel for more helpful design tips!

More Resources To Master InDesign

The InDesign Conference is coming to a screen near you—hosted entirely online, December 9–12, 2025.

Join the world’s most knowledgeable InDesign experts as they share their wisdom, tips, and techniques for building documents of every size and format.

LEARN MORE

Members get a special discount on registration! Sign up today.
Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

This article was last modified on August 29, 2025

Comments (1)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Thanks for the tips—the point about making sure to use the Rich Black setting is particularly useful, since that’s hidden deep in the Preferences Panel!