Photos, signatures & scans
Should an application document be colour or grayscale?
Check what colour communicates before reducing a document to black and white.
Start with the receiving rule
If an application asks for a colour scan, keep colour. If it does not specify, consider whether stamps, highlights, photographs or handwritten changes use colour to convey information. Grayscale removes those distinctions.
Know the tool's result
The Black & white document option produces grayscale-style output rather than guaranteeing a crisp one-bit scanner image. It can simplify a photographed page, but it does not automatically fix lighting, blur or poor framing.
Compare before choosing
Process a copy and inspect coloured seals, pale signatures and highlighted text. Two colours that looked different may become similar shades of grey. Keep the colour version when this could confuse the reader.
Check the actual size
Removing colour may help some files, but do not assume a particular reduction. Enter the required maximum and read the resulting byte count. A readable colour document within the limit is usually a better starting point than unnecessary editing for a smaller number.
Ready to prepare your file? Use Clean up a scan and check the downloaded result.