How to Print Duplex

This wikiHow teaches you how to use a Windows or Mac computer to print documents on both sides of paper. If the printer doesn’t support duplexing, you can still set up duplexing manually.

Table of Contents

On PC

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Click the File tab. This option is usually located in the upper left of the window.

If you haven’t opened the document to print, you need to do so before continuing.
If you don’t see the File tab, look for the Ctrl key on your computer keyboard.

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Click Print . The Print button is usually located in a drop-down menu below the File tab, or it can be displayed in a separate window that appears after you click File .

If you can’t find the File tab, you can replace it by pressing Ctrl and P at the same time.

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Click the duplex printing option. Usually you need to click on the current print option (for example, Single Sided – single-sided) and select duplex printing from the drop-down menu.

The page options are usually below the “Page Layout” or “Duplex Printing” headings.
On Microsoft Word, click the Print One Sided button to see two-sided printing options.

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Make sure the computer is connected to the printer. The name of the currently selected printer will appear below the “Printer” heading near the top of the window.

You may need to connect the printer’s cable to the USB port on your computer first (if you don’t have Wi-Fi).
To change the current printer, click the printer name and then select the device you want in the drop-down menu.

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Click Print . This button is usually at the top (with Microsoft Word) or bottom of the window. Your document will start printing.

On Mac

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Click File at the top left of the menu bar at the top of the screen.

If you haven’t opened the document to print, you need to do so before continuing.
If you don’t see the File tab, look for the ⌘ Command key on your Mac’s keyboard.

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Click the Print option in the File drop-down menu. The Print window will open.

If you can’t find the File tab, you can replace it by pressing ⌘ Command and P at the same time.

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Click the Copies & Pages bar. Options are near the top of the window.

If you are printing from an online document, skip this step and the next.

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Click Layout near the middle of the drop-down menu.

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Find the two-sided printing option. The location of the option will vary depending on the document you’re opening.

For example, if you use Safari, you check the box “Two-Sided”.
If you use Word, click the box next to “Two-Sided” to bring up a drop-down menu. In most cases, you can choose Long-Edge Binding from the drop-down menu.

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Make sure the computer is connected to the printer. The name of the currently selected printer will appear below the “Printer” heading near the top of the window.

To change the current printer, click the printer name and then select the device you want in the drop-down menu.

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Click Print at the bottom of the window. The document will start printing in a duplex format.

Manual two-sided printing

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Use a pencil to make a small mark on the top of the page. This will be face up, near the short side facing the printer.

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Click File and select Print . The File option is usually in the upper-left corner of the screen, while Print is in that drop-down menu. The Print window will appear.

If you haven’t opened the document to print, you need to do so before continuing.
You can also press ⌘ Command + P (Mac) or Ctrl + P (PC) to open the Print window.

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Look for the “Page Range” entry. This section will allow you to choose which pages to print.

You may need to click the “Pages” circular button to select the Page Range option before continuing.

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Enter an even or odd number. These are the pages on the document that will be printed on the first print.

For example, if the document has 10 pages, you need to enter 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 .

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Make sure the computer is connected to the printer. The name of the currently selected printer will appear below the “Printer” heading near the top of the window.

To change the current printer, click the printer name and then select the device you want in the drop-down menu.

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Click Print . Based on your request, the machine will start printing even or odd pages on the document.

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Look for pencil marks on the printed side. This will help you know the direction to put the paper back into the printer:

Print a pencil mark facing down – Place the print side down so that the top of the page is facing the printer.
Print out the opposite side of the pencil mark – Place the print side up so that the top of the paper is facing the printer.

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Place the printed pages back into the printer. Remember to follow the pencil mark.

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Open the Print window again. The fastest way is to press ⌘ Command + P (Mac) or Ctrl + P (Windows).

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Enter another page range. For example, if you entered an even range in the previous print, you need to enter an odd number this time.

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Click Print . As long as you arrange it correctly, unprinted pages will be printed on the back of printed pages.

Steps

On PC

On Mac

Manual two-sided printing

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