In Microsoft Word, you can choose the background of your document to the color of your liking.  But when you go to print it, the background won’t show up.  Very frustrating.  Luckily, there is a way to fix it.  Microsoft actually posted a solution for it.  I don’t know why this option is disabled in the first place.

To work around this issue, use the method that is appropriate for your version of Word.

Word 2010

  1. On the File menu, click Options.
  2. On the Display menu, click to select the Print background colors and images check box under Printing Options, and then click OK .

Word 2007

  1. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Word Options.
  2. On the Display menu, click to select the Print background colors and images check box under Printing Options, and then click OK.

Word 2003

To work around this issue in Word 2003 or when you use Word 2003 as the e-mail editor in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, turn on the Background colors and imagesoption. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Print tab.
  2. Click to select the Background colors and images check box, and then click OK.

Word 2002

Method 1: Use the Printed Watermark feature

To work around this issue in Word 2002, use the Printed Watermark feature. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. On the Format menu, point to Background, and then click Printed Watermark.
  2. In the Printed Watermarkdialog box, use one of the following methods:
    • To insert a picture watermark, follow these steps:
      1. Click Picture watermark.
      2. Click Select Picture.
      3. Click the picture that you want to use as a watermark, and then click Insert.
      4. Click to select the Washout check box if it is not already selected, and then click OK.

        Note The Washout feature adjusts the brightness and contrast on the image to make the image less visible behind the text.

    • To insert a text watermark, follow these steps:
      1. Click Text watermark.
      2. In the Text box, type the text that you want to use as a watermark.

        Note You can also select the text that you want to use as a watermark by clicking the text in the Text list.

      3. Select the other options that you want to use with the text watermark, such as Font, Size, and Color, and then click OK.

Method 2: Use Microsoft Internet Explorer

To work around this issue when you use Word 2002 as the e-mail editor in Microsoft Outlook 2002, follow these steps:

  1. Open the e-mail message that contains the background that you want to print in Outlook 2002.
  2. On the File menu, click Save As.
  3. In the Save Asdialog box, follow these steps:
    1. In the Save as type box, click Web Page (*.htm; *.html).
    2. In the File name box, type a new name for the message.
    3. In the Save in box, select the folder in which you want to save the HTML copy of the e-mail message.
    4. Click Save.
  4. Close the e-mail message in Word 2002.
  5. Start Internet Explorer.
  6. On the File menu, click Open.
  7. In the Open dialog box, click Browse.
  8. Locate and then click the HTML copy of the e-mail message that you saved in step 3, and then click Open.
  9. In the Open dialog box, click OK to open the HTML copy of the e-mail message in Internet Explorer.
  10. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  11. Click the Advanced tab.
  12. In the Settings list, under Printing, click to select the Print background colors and images check box.
  13. Click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box.