Are you looking for ways to minimize paper waste at home or in the office? Double-sided or duplex printing is your best solution.
Printing double-sided documents means printing text on both sides of a page in one go using duplex printers. It results in quick printing time and fewer paper jams, allowing for improved overall workplace efficiency so you can focus on more important tasks at work.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to print double-sided documents on different applications in Windows and Mac. We’ll also show you how to print double-sided files using single-sided printers. Without further ado, let’s get started!
How to Print Double-Sided on Word
Follow these steps for printing double-sided documents on Microsoft Word:
- Go to the File tab, then click “Print”. You can also press Ctrl + P on the keyboard to open the print window.
- Under “Print Settings”, click on the Print One-Sided drop-down menu. If your printer supports duplex printing, click on “Print on Both Sides.”
- Ensure the paper tray has enough paper before you click on the Print button.
Not all printers support duplex printing, but you can still save paper by manually printing on both sides of the paper. Here’s what you can do:
- In the Print Settings, click on the Print One-Sided drop-down arrow and look for “Manually Print on Both Sides”.
- Click on “Print” to activate the print job. The printer will give you one-sided printed pages first.
- When the stack is done, Word will prompt you to turn over the stack and place it again on the paper tray.
Image Source: Canva
How to Print Double-Sided on Mac for Word
Mac users can also use Word when printing double-sided documents. Here’s how:
- Click on the File menu or press Cmd + P and click “Print”.
- Look for “Copies & Pages”, then click “Layout”.
- If your printer supports two-sided printing, the Two-Sided option will be available. Click that and choose if you want to print in long-edge binding (portrait) or short-edge binding (landscape).
If your printer doesn’t support automatic duplex printing, here’s what you need to follow:
- On the Print menu, click on “Copies & Pages” then click “Microsoft Word”.
- Click “Odd pages only” to print odd-numbered pages.
- Once all odd pages are printed, flip the stack over and insert them into the tray. Repeat steps 1 and 2, but make sure to click “Even pages only” this time.
→ Read more: Printer Not Printing? Click Here!
How to Print Double-Sided on Google Docs
Are you looking for a Microsoft Office alternative for document printing? Try Google Docs on Windows. Follow these steps to print double-sided documents:
- Open the Google Docs file you want to print.
- Go to the File tab then look for “Print”. You can also click the Printer icon on its toolbar tab, or press Ctrl + P.
- On the print dialogue box, click “More Settings.” Look for the Two-sided section, then tick “Print on both sides”.
- Click “Print” to start printing.
How to Print Double-Sided on Mac for Google Docs
If you’re a Mac user, here’s how printing double-sided works on Google Docs for your computer:
- Open the Google Docs file you want to print, go to File and then click the Print button.
- Look for the More settings section on the print dialogue box, then tick on the Two-sided checkbox near the Copies field.
- Once done, click “Print” or press “Enter” to begin printing double-sided.
Image Source: Canva
How to Print Double-Sided on Google Docs With a Single-Sided Printer
Whether you’re using a Mac or Windows but don’t own a duplex printer, it’s still possible to print double-sided documents! Here’s what you must do when printing on Google Docs:
- Go to the File tab and click on “Print”.
- Go to the Pages field in the print settings window.
- Choose “Odd pages only” then click “Print” to begin the printing process.
- Once the final odd page comes out of the printer, flip the entire stack and insert them again in the tray.
- Go back to the Pages field and choose “Even pages only” then click print.
→ Read more: Common Printer Problems & Solutions
How to Print Double-Sided on PDF
When printing double-sided pages using Adobe Acrobat or Reader, you need to make some changes to your printer’s configuration first.
Editing Printer Configurations in Windows
- Go to Start then type “Printers & scanners” on the search bar.
- Find your printer and select its Printing Preferences then click “Advanced.”
- Click on the Document Options and go to “Printer Features.”
- Look for the Automatic Duplexing checkbox and click it to activate the feature. If you can’t find this, it means your printer doesn’t support double-sided printing.
- Make sure to save your settings by clicking OK.
Editing Printer Configurations in Mac
- Search for the Terminal app on your Mac via Finder or Spotlight, then open it.
- Type sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yes on the prompt then press Return.
- Provide your Mac password then quit Terminal.
- Open your preferred browser then type “http://localhost:631” in the address bar.
- The CUPS web page will load. Look for the Printers tab, and choose your printer.
- Click on the Administration drop-down menu and select “Set Default Options.”
- Enable duplex printing by selecting long-edge or short-edge binding for the Two-Sided option.
- Save all changes by selecting “Set Default Options” again.
Printing on Adobe Acrobat or Reader (Windows & Mac)
Once you’ve configured your print settings, follow these steps for printing double-sided PDF documents:
- Click the hamburger icon or File menu then go to Print.
- In the print dialogue box, select “Print on both sides of the paper.”
- Click Print.
→ Read more: Printing Mistakes You Should Avoid at All Costs
Image source: Canva
Purchase or Lease Duplex Printers at Busys.ca
Printing double-sided is easy, especially when you have a duplex printer that supports the feature. If you don’t, now’s the time to invest in one and simplify your workflow!
Busys.ca is the best choice when it comes to reliable printer solutions for Canadian businesses. Our impressive catalogue offers products from Konica Minolta, Canon, and Toshiba, all available for purchasing and leasing. With over 100 quality printers to choose from, we’ll help you find a printer that fits your double-sided printing needs effortlessly.
Request a quote today!