How to Print Double-Sided (Back to Back) on Any Printer

Printing back to back halves your paper bill, makes assignments and theses thinner, and is what most offices expect for contracts and reports. Some printers do it automatically; the rest can still do it with one flip of the paper stack. This guide covers both, on Windows, Word and PDF, with the one test that saves you from printing half a thesis upside down.

Does your printer have automatic duplex?

Check the model name. On HP printers a 'd' means automatic two-sided printing: P1606dn, P2055dn, M402dne, M404dn, M211dw, M227fdn. Printers such as the LaserJet 1020, P2035, 107/108, 135/136/137 and the Smart Tank range print both sides manually. Our duplex printers page lists every model we stock with automatic duplex.

Automatic duplex: printing both sides in one click

• Windows: press Ctrl + P, open Printer Properties or Printing Preferences, and set 'Print on both sides' (on HP drivers it is on the Finishing or Layout tab). Choose 'Flip on long edge' for normal portrait documents.
• Microsoft Word: File → Print → change 'Print One Sided' to 'Print on Both Sides — Flip pages on long edge'.
• PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader): Print → tick 'Print on both sides of paper' → 'Flip on long edge'.
• Make it the default: Settings → Printers & scanners → your printer → Printing preferences → set two-sided as default, so every job saves paper.

Manual duplex: printing both sides on any printer

Manual duplex means the printer prints one side of every sheet, you put the stack back, and it prints the other side. There are three ways to do it:

• HP driver option: many HP drivers offer 'Print on both sides (manually)' on the Finishing tab. The printer prints the first side, shows a message, and waits for you to reload the stack and press Continue or Resume.
• Microsoft Word: File → Print → 'Manually Print on Both Sides'. Word prints the odd pages, then prompts you to reload the paper for the even pages.
• Odd and even pages in any program: in Acrobat Reader choose More Options → 'Odd pages only' and print; reload the stack; then choose 'Even pages only' and print. If the order comes out wrong, tick 'Reverse pages' for the second pass.

Which way to flip the stack: do this test first

Every printer feeds paper differently, so before printing 80 pages, print a two-page test. Mark the top edge of a blank sheet with a pen arrow pointing into the printer, print page 1, then note where the printed side and the arrow end up. Put the sheet back so page 2 lands on the blank side the right way up, print page 2, and check. Write down what worked (for example 'printed side up, top edge in first') and tape it to the printer. On most HP LaserJets that feed from a front tray, you place the stack printed side up with the top of the page going in first, but always confirm with the test.

Paper and margins for double-sided printing

• Use 80 gsm paper for double-sided work; 70 gsm shows text through from the other side. See our paper guide.
• For bound documents, set Word's Layout → Margins → Mirrored, with a larger inside margin (the gutter) so text does not disappear into the binding.
• Start chapters on a right-hand (odd) page by inserting an 'Odd Page' section break in Word.
• Check your university's rules — some still require single-sided final copies. Our thesis printing guide covers this.

Printing both sides often? Get automatic duplex

If you print long documents every week, flipping stacks gets old fast. Tested imported printers with automatic duplex start at about PKR 23,000 for the HP LaserJet P1606dn and P2055dn, and the Kyocera P2135dn has it at about PKR 18,000 — see the cheapest printers.