Printing in Black and White and Color

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 15, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365


Ken has a workbook containing 30 worksheets. He would like to print sheets 1 through 29 in black and white and sheet 30 in color. He wonders if there is a way to print all the worksheets at once and specify that a particular worksheet should print in color only.

This is easiest done with a macro. All it takes is to set the .BlackAndWhite property for each worksheet just before it is printed. For instance, consider the following simple macro:

Sub PrintSingleColorSheet()
    Dim w As Worksheet
    Dim S As Integer

    ' Set worksheet to be in color
    ' (All others will print in B/W)
    S = 30

    For Each w In Worksheets
        w.PageSetup.BlackAndWhite = True
        If w.Index = S Then
            w.PageSetup.BlackAndWhite = False
        End If
        w.PrintOut
    Next w
End Sub

The macro stores in the S variable the index number of the worksheet you want to be in color. (In this case, the index number is 30.) Then, each worksheet is stepped through and the .BlackAndWhite property set to True. If, however, the .Index property for the worksheet matches the value stored in S, then the .BlackAndWhite property is set to False, meaning it will print in color. The printout is then sent to the default printer.

You could, if you wanted, get fancier with the macro, meaning you could have it ask the user which worksheet to print in color:

Sub PrintSingleColorSheet()
    Dim w As Worksheet
    Dim S As Integer
    Dim sTemp As String
    Dim sMsg As String

    sMsg = "There are " & Worksheets.Count & " worksheets in this "
    sMsg = sMsg & "workbook. Please enter the number of the single "
    sMsg = sMsg & "worksheet you want to print in color. (All "
    sMsg = sMsg & "others will print in black and white.)"

    sTemp = InputBox(sMsg)
    S = Val(sTemp)
    If S > 0 And S <= Worksheets.Count Then
        For Each w In Worksheets
            w.PageSetup.BlackAndWhite = True
            If w.Index = S Then
                w.PageSetup.BlackAndWhite = False
            End If
            w.PrintOut
        Next w
    Else
        sMsg = "You entered a value that is out of range."
        If sTemp <> "" Then
            MsgBox sMsg
        End If
    End If
End Sub

This version of the macro asks the user to input a worksheet number. If the value entered is out of range, then an error message is displayed, and the macro doesn't print anything. If the user clicks Cancel or leaves the input box empty, then the macro simply exits without printing anything.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (13738) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Microsoft 365.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Conditional Formatting Based on Date Proximity

Conditional formatting can be used to draw your attention to certain cells based on what is within those cells. This tip ...

Discover More

Getting Rid of Negative Zero Amounts

Have you ever seen a worksheet in which some zero values have a negative sign in front of them? There's a reason for ...

Discover More

Replacing Only Whole Words in Excel

Excel's Find and Replace capabilities are handy, but they aren't as full-featured as those in Word. One shortcoming is ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel 2013 Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Setting the Active Printer in VBA

Your macros can control where printed output is directed, but sometimes it can be difficult to get the settings correct. ...

Discover More

Creating a Multi-Worksheet Report

It is not uncommon to use Excel to print out regular reports. If your report needs to span multiple worksheets, here's ...

Discover More

Automatic Selection of Portrait or Landscape

Should you print in portrait or in landscape? The decision can greatly affect the way your printout looks. Wouldn't it be ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three less than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.