How to Scan in Color on a Printer | The One Setting That Matters

The most common reason a scan comes out monochrome isn’t a broken machine — it’s that the scan mode was left on Black & White or Grayscale from a previous job. The fix takes about ten seconds once you know which setting to change. The exact label differs by brand, but the logic is identical across every printer: find the color mode, select it, scan.

Whether you use your printer’s own screen, a desktop app, or a phone app, the same principle applies. What follows covers the specific menus for HP and Xerox machines, the two most common regardless of operating system.

Where to Find the Color Setting on Your Printer

Most modern printers let you pick the output type right before a scan starts. On the printer’s control panel, look for an option labeled Output Color, Color Mode, or simply Color. Xerox’s support documentation lists the common choices as Black & White, Grayscale, and Color — the setting lives under the scan options on the device control panel.

If you don’t see it immediately, start a scan and watch the preview screen. The color mode selector usually appears either before the preview loads or as a drop-down beside the scan button. On some multifunction printers, the option only shows up after you select Scan from the home menu.

For networked Xerox multifunction printers, the same controls apply whether you’re scanning to email or to a folder. The control panel exposes the output color choice as part of the scan workflow.

Scanning in Color on Windows and Mac

HP’s documented workflows cover both desktop operating systems, and each has its own menu name. On Windows, the built-in Windows Fax and Scan tool works with most HP printers. Click New Scan, then find the color selector under scan settings. It may appear as Color or Color (24-bit) — either one produces a full-color result.

Mac users have two built-in options. HP Easy Scan (free from the App Store if not preinstalled) is the more direct route: open the app, select your printer, then set Mode to Color before clicking Scan. Apple’s Image Capture app works too — select your printer, click Show Details, and change the Kind setting to color.

One reservation on Mac: if HP Easy Scan behaves oddly, check for app updates before troubleshooting anything else. A stale app version causes more scan problems than most people expect.

If your printer has a control panel with a screen, you can often skip the computer entirely. HP’s documentation confirms that the control panel offers the same color choices directly, letting you scan to a USB drive or network folder without launching any software.

Using the HP Smart App for Color Scans

The HP Smart app is the cleanest route on both Windows and Mac. Open the app, select your printer, then click Scan. Under Scan Settings, choose Color before hitting the scan button.

The common trap here is hidden inside the app’s presets. HP Smart groups settings into shortcuts, and if the active preset is set to monochrome, your scan will come out black and white even when you expect color. Open the preset, confirm the mode says Color, and then scan. A preset that defaults to grayscale is the single biggest source of “why is my scan not color” confusion in the HP Smart app.

For photo scanning, avoid the automatic document feeder entirely. The ADF is designed for loose paper documents; photos and fragile media can get scratched or jammed. Place items directly on the flatbed glass for color scans where accuracy matters.

When Color Scanning Still Doesn’t Work

If you’ve confirmed the color mode is selected and the output is still monochrome, a few checks usually resolve it. First, update your printer’s firmware — manufacturers patch scan bugs regularly, and a stale firmware version can silently ignore color settings. Xerox’s support pages recommend the same fix for multifunction devices that misbehave.

Second, restart both the printer and the computer. A hung scan service on either end can force grayscale output regardless of your settings.

If you’re shopping for a machine that handles color scanning reliably, our roundup of the top color printers and scanners compares models that consistently deliver accurate color output.