BLACK & WHITE PDF

How to make a PDF black and white on iPhone

Workflow checked against the current ScanFile interface · August 17, 2026

A black-and-white treatment can make plain text look cleaner and reduce distracting color. The safe workflow is page by page: apply B/W, inspect small details, leave color where it matters, and export a new PDF.

ScanFile page review showing Adjust, Filters, Rotate, and Delete controls beneath a document page — Open the Filters or Tone control from page review, then compare the result before exporting.

1. Import the PDF or scan the paper

If the PDF is already in Files, use ScanFile’s file import. Each imported PDF page becomes an editable document page. If the source is paper, scan the pages instead and save them as one document.

2. Select the first page and open Tone

Open the saved document, tap the first thumbnail, then tap Tone. ScanFile offers Original, Color, Gray, and B/W. Choose B/W and wait for the page to finish processing.

3. Inspect text, signatures, stamps, and photos

Zoom in before moving on. B/W is a high-contrast treatment, so light pencil marks, gray signatures, colored seals, highlighted text, photographs, and shaded charts can lose information. Switch that page to Gray, Color, or Original if the B/W result removes something important.

Black and white is not grayscaleGray preserves a range of light and dark tones. B/W pushes the page toward high-contrast black and white, which can help text but is less forgiving of faint details.

4. Repeat for the remaining pages

Tap each thumbnail and apply the appropriate tone. ScanFile stores the selection per page, so a mostly black-and-white PDF can still keep one colored chart or signature page in Original or Color.

5. Export a new PDF

Tap Export after checking the entire thumbnail strip. Choose Phone for the iOS share sheet, or select Email or SMS. ScanFile renders a new PDF from the current page order and the selected page appearances.

When B/W helps

Typed forms photographed under uneven indoor light
Plain invoices, receipts, and text handouts
Documents where background color distracts from dark text
Pages intended for basic monochrome printing

When to keep color or gray

Keep color when meaning depends on colored annotations, seals, photos, charts, or highlighting. Use Gray when the page needs smoother shading or contains faint pencil and low-contrast details. Always compare the processed page with the original before deleting or sending the source.

Important output note

This workflow changes how the pages look. It does not promise a smaller file, perfect printing on every device, or a searchable text layer in the exported PDF. If a recipient has archival, accessibility, legal, or OCR requirements, confirm the exported file meets them.

Convert the next text-heavy PDF to B/W.

Keep color only on the pages that need it.

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