Alex Ruben
How To Print in Color or Black and White on Canon IR C3330 in 2025 | Color Printing Settings
Getting your Canon IR C3330 to print exactly the way you want — whether full-blooded color or just crisp black and white — can feel a bit fiddly sometimes. Especially if you’re switching modes frequently or just want to shortcut the process. Maybe the default settings keep sticking to one mode, or the options aren’t obvious. This guide lays out how to access those hidden settings and switch between color and monochrome easily, so you won’t be wasting time tinkering and guessing.
It’s kind of weird, but sometimes the printer driver settings get reset or default to certain modes. On some setups, the color toggle doesn’t stick unless you configure it right. The goal here is to show exactly where those options live and how to switch them on the fly, so printing in the right mode becomes second nature. Expect smoother workflows, less frustration, and more control over your prints.
How to Fix Printing in Color or B&W with Canon IR C3330
Access the Print Settings Console
When you hit Print on your document and the dialog pops up, that’s your first checkpoint. On Windows, most of the magic happens in the print dialog box that appears. On a Mac, it’s pretty similar, but sometimes things are hidden behind menus like Show Details. You want to find and select your Canon IR C3330 so it’s the active printer.
If the printer isn’t showing up, double-check if the drivers are installed correctly. You can go to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners on Windows or System Preferences > Printers & Scanners on Mac, and make sure your printer is listed. If it’s missing, a restart or driver reinstall might be needed. Also, on Windows, it helps to open Devices and Printers, right-click your printer, and select Printer Properties — that’s where you can dig deeper into the settings.
Open the Printer Preferences Panel
Within the print dialog, there should be a button called Preferences or Properties (sometimes called Printer Properties) — click that. This opens up a whole new window with a bunch of advanced options. Because of course, the printer driver wants to make it complicated.
On some setups, this window can be a bit different, but look for tabs like Main, Color Management, or Quality. If you can’t find the right tab, it’s worth revisiting the driver update — newer drivers sometimes change the UI, and not always in user-friendly ways.
Pro tip: If you often switch modes, consider creating custom presets here—most driver interfaces let you save profiles for quick reuse. Super useful for frequent toggles between color and mono.
Switch Between Color and Black and White
This is the core part that trips folks up. In the driver settings (usually under a Main or Color tab), look for something called Color Mode. Sometimes it’s a dropdown, sometimes a toggle. Here’s what to do:
- Color: Select this for vibrant, full-color prints. Good for photos or color graphs.
- Black and White: Choose this for monochrome documents, saving ink and toner, especially if color isn’t needed.
On some machines or driver versions, the option might be under a different label, like Output Mode or Tonality. If you can’t find it, try browsing through other tabs like Advanced or Color Management.
Fun fact: sometimes the driver defaults to one mode depending on the application, which means you might have to re-select each time. That can be annoying, but once you remember where the toggle is, it’s smooth sailing.
Confirm and Print
After you select your preferred mode, click OK. This saves that setting for this print job, but be aware — some driver versions might revert back if you don’t save profiles or if the driver defaults shift after updates. If you notice it switching back to color, double-check the saved preferences, or consider updating your driver from Canon’s support page.
Now, hit Print and watch your document come out in the style you want. If it doesn’t, go back and double-check those driver settings — sometimes a system reboot helps clear up glitches.
Extra Tips & Troubleshooting
If the settings still aren’t sticking, here’s what else might help:
- Make sure the printer’s firmware or driver is up to date — outdated drivers tend to have quirks.
- Check if there’s a separate Color Settings section in your printer’s onboard menu. Sometimes, printer memory settings override driver choices.
- On some setups, Windows Default Printer Preferences override individual print jobs, so resetting default preferences could do the trick.
Also, if you’re on a network and printing from multiple users, check if the printer admin settings enforce certain modes — that’s another rabbit hole.
Summary
- Access Preferences from the print dialog.
- Locate the Color Mode or similar setting in the driver window.
- Switch between Color and Black & White based on your needs.
- Save your preferences, and always check if the driver needs updating.
Wrap-up
This isn’t rocket science, but sometimes these settings hide in plain sight or get overlooked. Once the driver interface is understood, switching between color and monochrome becomes quick and painless — no more digging around each time. It’s a little annoying that Canon’s driver can be inconsistent across updates, but once you know where to look, it’s manageable. Fingers crossed this helps someone avoid the same repeated confusion.