Fix Word Printing Page Color as a Tiled Background

Sometimes you may run into an unusual printing problem where the Word page color prints as a tiled background instead of appearing as one solid, consistent color.

This issue can make your printed documents look different from what you see on your computer screen. For example, you might select a light blue, gray, or yellow page color, but when you print the document, the color appears as repeated blocks, patterns, or small tiles. In some cases, the background may also look uneven or contain unwanted lines.

The problem can happen because of incorrect Word settings, printer driver issues, background printing options, or document formatting problems. Fortunately, you don’t need advanced technical knowledge to troubleshoot it.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to fix Word printing page color as a tiled background using simple methods.

Fix Word Printing Page Color as a Tiled Background

If Microsoft Word prints your page color as a tiled background, start by checking the document’s background settings and Word’s printing options. Make sure the Print Background Colors and Images setting is enabled, remove unwanted background images, and update your printer driver if necessary.

If the problem continues, test the document in another printer or save it as a PDF to determine whether the issue comes from Word or your printer.

Let’s go through the solutions one at a time.

Step 1: Enable Print Background Colors and Images

The first thing you should check is whether Microsoft Word is configured to print background colors and images.

Word sometimes displays page colors correctly on your screen but doesn’t include them in the printed document because the background printing option is disabled.

Here’s how to enable it.

Open Microsoft Word on your computer and load the document experiencing the printing problem.

Click the File tab in the upper-left corner of the Word window.

Select Options from the left sidebar. If you don’t see this option immediately, scroll down the menu.

In the Word Options window, select Display.

Look for the section labeled Printing options.

Find the option named Print background colors and images and check its box.

Click OK to save your changes.

This setting tells Word to include page background colors and images when printing documents.

Now, open the Print screen by pressing Ctrl + P and print a test page.

Check whether the page color appears correctly instead of displaying repeated tiles.

Step 2: Check the Page Color Settings

Sometimes, the problem isn’t related to printing. Your document may contain an unwanted page background or an image that creates a tiled appearance.

To check this, open the affected document in Microsoft Word.

Go to the Design tab in the ribbon. In some older Word versions, you may find the page color option under the Page Layout tab.

Locate the Page Color option in the Page Background section.

Click the dropdown arrow next to Page Color.

Select No Color to remove the existing background temporarily.

Now, click Page Color again and select a simple solid color, such as light blue or light gray.

Avoid selecting a picture, texture, or pattern if you want a uniform page background.

Press Ctrl + P to open the Print Preview.

Check whether the selected color appears evenly across the page.

If the new solid color prints correctly, the original background settings may have caused the problem.

Step 3: Remove Tiled Background Images

Microsoft Word allows you to add pictures and other visual elements to a document’s background. Depending on how an image was inserted or formatted, it may appear repeatedly across the page.

If your document contains a background image, check whether it is responsible for the tiled printing problem.

Open your Word document and click the Design tab.

Select Watermark and check whether a custom picture watermark has been applied.

If you find an unwanted watermark, select Remove Watermark.

Next, check whether the document contains a picture positioned behind the text.

Go to the Home tab and select Select from the Editing section.

Choose Selection Pane if available.

The Selection Pane displays objects in your document, making it easier to identify pictures and other elements.

Look for background images or repeated picture objects. Select an unwanted image and press Delete.

Be careful not to remove pictures that are part of your actual document content.

Once you’ve finished, apply a solid page color again and print a test page.

Step 4: Check Word’s Printer Settings

Incorrect printer settings can also affect how background colors and images appear on paper.

For example, some printers have special options for printing graphics, background images, and colors. These settings may cause unexpected results.

Open your document in Microsoft Word.

Press Ctrl + P to access the Print screen.

Select your connected printer from the Printer dropdown menu.

Click Printer Properties or Printer Preferences. The exact name depends on your printer manufacturer.

Look for settings related to Color, Graphics, Print Quality, or Background Printing.

If your printer is configured for grayscale or black-and-white printing, change it to Color.

Also, check whether any special settings such as draft mode, toner-saving mode, or economy printing are enabled.

Disable unnecessary options temporarily and click OK.

Return to Word and print another test page.

If the page color now prints correctly, one of your previous printer settings was responsible for the problem.

Step 5: Update Your Printer Driver

An outdated or corrupted printer driver can cause printing problems, including incorrect colors, missing images, unusual patterns, and distorted backgrounds.

A printer driver helps Windows communicate with your physical printer. If the driver isn’t working correctly, Word may send printing instructions that your printer cannot process properly.

To update it, right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.

Expand the Printers or Print queues section.

Find your connected printer and right-click its name.

Select Update driver.

Choose Search automatically for drivers and allow Windows to check for available updates.

If Windows doesn’t find a newer driver, visit your printer manufacturer’s official website.

Search for your exact printer model and download the latest driver compatible with your Windows version.

Install the downloaded driver and restart your computer.

Open Microsoft Word again and print the affected document.

Important: Always download printer drivers from the manufacturer’s official website rather than unknown third-party download websites.

Step 6: Print the Document as a PDF

Another useful troubleshooting method is to save your Word document as a PDF before printing it.

This helps determine whether the problem is related to Word’s printing process or your printer.

Open the affected document in Microsoft Word.

Click File and select Save As.

Choose a location where you want to save the file.

From the file type drop-down menu, select PDF.

Click Save.

Now, open the saved PDF using Microsoft Edge or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Check whether the page background appears as one solid color.

Press Ctrl + P and print the PDF using your connected printer.

If the PDF prints correctly but the Word document doesn’t, the issue may be related to Word’s document formatting or printing settings.

However, if the PDF also prints with tiled colors, your printer driver or printer settings may be responsible.

Step 7: Clear the Printer Spooler

Windows uses a service called Print Spooler to manage printing jobs. Sometimes, a stuck or corrupted printing job can interfere with new documents.

Restarting this service can help resolve unusual printing behavior.

Press Windows + R on your keyboard.

Type services.msc and press Enter.

The Services window will open.

Scroll down and locate Print Spooler.

Right-click it and select Stop.

Now, open File Explorer and enter the following location in the address bar:

C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

If Windows asks for administrator permission, click Continue.

Delete the files inside this folder. Make sure you delete only the files inside the PRINTERS folder, not the folder itself.

Return to the Services window.

Right-click Print Spooler again and select Start.

Open Microsoft Word and try printing your document.

Remember that clearing the print queue removes pending printing jobs, so make sure you don’t need any of those jobs before proceeding.

Step 8: Test With a New Word Document

If none of the previous methods work, test whether the issue is limited to your existing document.

Open Microsoft Word and create a new blank document.

Go to Design and select Page Color.

Choose a simple solid color.

Type a short test sentence in the document.

Make sure Print background colors and images is enabled under Word Options.

Press Ctrl + P and print the new document.

If the new document prints correctly, the original file may contain corrupted formatting, unwanted background objects, or problematic page settings.

In that situation, create a new document and copy the original content into it.

Use Paste Special or the Keep Text Only option when necessary to avoid transferring unwanted formatting.

Then apply your preferred page color and print again.

FAQs

1. Why does Microsoft Word print page colors as tiles?

This can happen because of incorrect background settings, unwanted background images, printer driver problems, or document formatting issues. Check the Print background colors and images option first.

2. How do I print a Word document with its background color?

Open Word and navigate to File > Options > Display. Under Printing options, enable Print background colors and images. Click OK and print your document.

3. Why does Word show the correct page color but print it incorrectly?

Word’s screen display and physical printing process work differently. Printer settings, color management, graphics processing, and outdated drivers can cause differences between the screen and printed output.

4. Does saving a Word document as a PDF fix background printing problems?

It can help. Saving as PDF preserves much of the document’s formatting and helps identify whether the problem comes from Word’s printing process or the printer itself. However, it won’t necessarily fix an underlying printer problem.

5. Can a printer driver cause tiled backgrounds in Word?

Yes. An outdated, corrupted, or incompatible printer driver can cause graphics and background colors to print incorrectly. Installing the latest compatible driver from the manufacturer’s website may resolve the issue.

6. How do I remove a tiled background from a Word document?

Go to Design > Page Color and select No Color. If the tiles come from an image or watermark, check the Watermark and Selection Pane options to locate and remove unwanted objects.

Summary

Having Microsoft Word print a page color as a tiled background can be frustrating, especially when your document looks perfectly normal on the screen.

Fortunately, this issue is usually related to background printing settings, unwanted images, printer preferences, or driver problems.

Start by enabling Print background colors and images under Word Options. Then check your page color, remove unwanted background objects, and review your printer settings.

If the problem continues, update your printer driver, test the document as a PDF, restart the Print Spooler, or create a fresh Word document.