Printer

What is duplex printing? I never used to know either.

I didn’t even know duplex printers existed until I got my first office job – ignorant, I know!

I’ve put together this guide to help you better understand what duplex printing is, the different types of printers, and a bunch of other things I think are important for you to know.

The goal here is to give you all the information you need to have a firm grasp of this topic.

This is by no means an exhaustive article and isn’t meant to cover every single aspect – that would take much more time.

By then end of this guide, you should have enough information to take on buying a duplex printer and know whether or not it’s a good match for your needs.

We’ll deal with the things that are unique to duplex printers and answer questions like “What is automatic duplex printing?” and “What is manual duplex printing?”

Let’s get into the guide!

What is Duplex Printing?

Basically duplex printing is printing on both sides of a single sheet of paper.

This is obviously an oversimplification, but it gives you the basic idea.

Duplex printing can be done in two ways:

• Manual printing: you physically take the freshly printed sheet of paper and turn it over to be printed on the reverse side
• Automatic printing: this is done by special duplex printers that turn the paper over automatically and print on the reverse side

The manual mode can be done on an ordinary printer and requires a little testing to make sure you don’t print upside-down or back to front.

The automatic mode cannot be done on simplex printers.

What are Simplex Printers?

These are the opposite of duplex printers and can only print on one side of the sheet automatically.

If you want to print on both sides with a simplex printer, you’ll need to manually turn the sheet over and place it back into the feeding tray.

Also Read: What is a Monochrome Printer? Here’s Our Started Guide

What is duplex mode printing?

Once again, this depends on the printer you have.

When you choose to print, a dialogue box will pop up. This is where you have the chance to tell your computer and printer that you want to print on both sides of the paper.

You’ll need a printer that’s compatible with duplex printing. You’ll be able to fine-tune the process and give the printer more advanced instructions.

The printing is then carried out according to these instructions. It’s done automatically on a duplex printer – but will need to be manually controlled on other printers.

What are the Various Types of Duplex Printing

In order to properly answer our “What is duplex printing?” we’ll need to talk about all the different types of it.

Here are the various types of duplex printers we’ll take a look at in this section:

• Automatic duplex printing
• Manual duplex printing

For each one, we’ll look into it a little more and also talk about how to print using that method.

You’ll learn about the process you should follow to successfully print. The steps easy to follow and are beginner-friendly.

You May Also Love To Read: Best Double Sided Printer – 2022 Top Picks and Buyer’s Guide

What is Automatic Duplex Printing

As mentioned before, these printers are able to print double-sided by default. They can be set up to do this automatically.

There are two ways to change these settings (depending on the printer you have):

1. Via the display on the printer itself
2. Via the printer settings on your computer

I’m not going to get too much into how to change the settings on the printer itself as there are so many different options out there.

Before you attempt to change the settings, make 100% sure that your printer is capable of duplex printing. This could save you quite a bit of wasted time.

My advice is for you to find your printer’s manual and go to the section that deals with the printer display or menu. Use that to navigate to the relevant section.

You want to set it to print double-sided by default so that you don’t need to manually select the setting every time.

The other way to change the settings is via the printer’s settings from your computer. Here’s how to do it:

• Go to Control Panel and then to View Devices and Printers
• Scan the list for your printer’s name and right-click on the icon and select Printer Properties
• This will open the box that allows you to adjust the printer’s settings and defaults
• You should see a bunch of tabs along the top of the dialogue box that shows up
• Navigate to the Advanced tab and look for the Printing Defaults button – it should be near the bottom of the window

Clicking on this should take you to the section that has the settings that allow you to change your printer’s default printing settings.

If your printer is compatible with duplex printing, then you should see a setting like Auto Duplex Printing Settings.

You might not see the exact phrase, but you should get something along the same lines.

Go through the settings and change the ones you need to. Bear in mind that everything you print from now will adhere to these new settings.

If you’re looking to print a double-sided once-off, this might not be the best approach, so we’ll outline that process in a bit. For now, though, let’s move on to how to manually print.

Also Read: How to Print Photos on Mac – A Step by Step Guide

What is Manual Duplex Printing?

I’ve found this to be the go-to option for most people. Your ability to use automatic duplex printing depends on the make and model of your printer.

Many common printers don’t have the ability to automatically print duplex by default.

Don’t get worried yet though, the manual process is quick and gives you broad control over what and how you print.

This section goes into what manual printing is and how to do it on most Windows computers.

There are two types of manual duplex printing:

• Printing by changing the printer settings on your computer
• Printing without changing the settings of your printer (for the most part)

Manual Duplex Printing by Changing the Printer’s Settings

This will be the method you should go with if you’re using a printer capable of duplex printing.

You’ll need to browse all your printer’s settings to see if there are any options to print duplex. There is usually a setting, but it’s often not clearly labeled as such.

Spend a little time working through your settings, and the pop-up dialogue boxes that come up.

If you don’t have any success with this, then I’d suggest you move onto the next step.

If you do find the setting, take note of where it is and what it’s called. You’ll need to repeat this when you print.

The prompt is usually near the end of the printing process. There’s also a chance that it’s on your actual printer body, so double check there too.

Manual Duplex Printing without Changing Settings

These steps are perfect for the ordinary printer, or if you aren’t sure whether or not your printer is able to duplex print.

This is a pretty easy-to-handle workaround, so don’t give in just yet. These steps might slightly differ depending on what software you’re using.

Here’s what you should do:

• Check to see if you have the option to set pages to print in odd or even numbers (e.g. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
• This option is usually at the bottom of the drop-down list that shows when you click on the Print All Pages option (or the nearest similar button)
• There should be an option near the bottom of the list called Only Print Odd Pages or Only Print Even Pages
• If you use MS Word then you can follow these steps exactly – otherwise, you need to do a little research to find where the option is for your specific software
• You can print with odd numbers only first
• Take the printed paper and feed it back in the other way round (to print on the reverse side)
• This time, print with only even numbers

If you’ve followed these steps correctly, you should have all your documents duplex printed.

The manual steps are a little touch and go, so don’t worry if the options you have aren’t the same as mine. Each printer and software program has its own variations that you need to familiarize with.

Read Also: What is a Sublimation Printer? A Detailed Starter Guide

What is Edge Binding Duplex Printing?

This refers to the process of printing so that the final product acts and resembles that of a book. These are designed to pivot on one edge of the paper.

Here are the different types of edge-binding duplex printing:

• Long edge portrait – the normal orientation of an A4 piece of paper and the paper flips left and right as a normal book does
• Short edge portrait – the binding is on the shorter edge side of the paper and the pages flip vertically
• Long edge landscape – the pages flip vertically on the long edge of the horizontal long edge
• Short edge landscape – the pages flip left and right along the shortest side of the paper

What is Centre Binding Duplex Printing?

This works the same way as the edge binding, except that the bind along a line through the center of the page.

The pages open like a booklet and are printed in two columns and these are the three types:

• Booklet-open to the left
• Booklet-open to the right
• Booklet-open to the top in landscape orientation

Final Thoughts

You should have a good idea of how duplex printing works and how you can do it for yourself.

You’re now equipped to print in duplex both manually and automatically.

It might take a while to get completely comfortable, but a little practice and experience should give you what you need.

Now that you have your answer to the “What is duplex printing?” you’re ready to get out there and start getting the results you want from printing!

Related Post:

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4. What is a Monochrome Printer

Learning how to print photos on Mac isn’t always as straightforward as you might think.

Printing a document can be done in just a couple of clicks, so that must be the same for Mac, right?

Unfortunately…it isn’t.

There are quite a few additional options to choose from and several settings that you need to comb over.

It’s definitely not the same as quickly printing a document or short text. There’s quite a bit more to it.

This isn’t to say that the process is really complicated, as that wouldn’t be true. It’s easy to do once you know the process.

It can be difficult for new users, first-time photo printers, and those who might not be particularly tech-savvy.

Mac OS is typically easier to use and perform actions than the Windows equivalent, so you have that going for you.

The point of this article is to guide you through the steps to make sure that you don’t make any accidental mistakes or of course too early.

Some points may seem overly basic but just stick with me because I’m sure there’s something for everyone to learn here.

We’ll also take a look at the most commonly asked questions. You’ll also find solutions to some of the likely issues you’ll face when learning how to print photos on a Mac.

By the end of the article, you should feel fully equipped and confident enough to print photos on Mac without too much time and effort.

Before long, you should be able to get it done in no time. You’ll have a better overall grasp of what to do, and how to manipulate the settings to get the exact results you’re looking for.

Let’s get into the guide!

Step 1: Loading the Paper into Your Primary Input Tray

Exactly how this is done will depend on the model of your printer and the manufacturer. If you aren’t sure what to do (or it’s a new printer) then I suggest you find your printer’s manual.

Look for the section on loading paper and follow the instructions. Once you’ve done it the first time, you shouldn’t have trouble with it again.

Your printer might have a separate photo paper tray. If yours has one, then you need to read your manual to see the correct way to load your paper.

Here’re the steps you need to follow when loading your photo paper:

1. Take out any plain paper that is currently in the tray
2. Load in your photo paper in (short edge first) – if the paper has a handling section for you to hold after printing, make sure to feed it in facing up towards you (to avoid being printed on)
3. Once the paper is incorrect, line the guides up with the edges of the paper

P.S. Not all printers have guides and the exact process you should follow needs to be based on your specific printer model. These steps are perfect if you’re learning how to print photos from a mac to HP printer

Also Read: How to Print Double Sided Google Docs – a Very Quick Guide

Step 2: Here’s How to Set Up For Printing the Photo

Before you even go through this section, make sure you have the correct photo printing software for Mac and the compatible software that lets you connect to your printer.

Check to see if your printer is recognized by your Mac and possibly run a test print to see if everything is in working order.

Here are the “How to print on Mac” steps you should follow in this section:

1. Finish up editing the photos (to improve the colors and add other effects)
2. Open up the photo, open the File dropdown menu, and then click on Print
3. If you’re in the Photos app, you’ll have to manually select the layout you want it to print
4. When you click Print, a pop-up window will show with a bunch of options on it
5. If you aren’t seeing all the options, you’ll need to click Show Details to bring up the complete set of printing options
6. Go ahead and select your specific printer from the Printer menu
7. Depending on your printer and the model, it might offer you some photo printing presets to choose from
8. Locate the Paper Sizes menu and select the size that corresponds to the paper that you loaded into your input tray earlier. Some sizes have more than one option; make sure you choose the correct one (for printing borderless photos, etc.)
9. Choose the Orientation that you want to print in (portrait = vertical; landscape = horizontal)

If you’ve made it up to this point, you’re doing excellently. Don’t get worried if you’re feeling a little confused. It’ll all fall into place once you’ve done this a couple of times.

There are some additional settings you might want to change if you like more control over your printing, so that’s what we’ll look at here. Continue from where the last section left off and follow these steps:

10. Change additional settings that are found in the unnamed print option drop-down menu; here are some of the things you’ll be able to change:
    • Paper type: this decides how your printer will apply the ink onto the paper you’re using. The option is under the Media & Quality section
    • Print in color or black and white
    • Paper tray to feed on: this is particularly important to check if you have more than one input tray for your printer
    • Altering the print quality via the quality slider
    • Removing or adding a border to the final photo printout
    • Mirror printing: this flips the image 180 degrees horizontally

These don’t cover all the options and some get pretty advanced – but they’re the most important to look out for.

11. Click Print!!

That covers all the most important steps you need to take to print successfully.

Now we’ll take a look at some common questions that you might have wondered about.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How to print multiple photos on Mac?

A: In the preview app, you can open multiple photos by selecting them all and opening them. From here all the options are the same as when printing one option. You can choose to print only some of the previewed options by clicking view > thumbnails. You can click the thumbnails of the photos you want to proceed with.

Q: Printing 4×6 photos Mac? How does this work?

A: Insert 4×6 photo paper. Open the photo you want to print with iPhoto. Click File > Print and select “Print Size” to 4 inches by 6 inches. Click “Print” to finish off. Avoid touching the printout until the ink has dried.

Q: How to print wallet-size photos on Mac?

A: When you select the photo size, choose the 4×6 option. You’ll need to manually drag and adjust the image size to the one you want. You can follow the normal procedure before and after this action.

Q: How to print a picture on a Mac from Google?

A: Drag the picture from your browser onto your desktop. Click the icon. It will open in the preview. Follow the same procedures you’ve already followed in this article to complete the print process.

Final Thoughts

We’ve looked at how to print photos on Mac, and discussed some troublesome areas and how to overcome any issues.

We also looked at the most commonly asked questions about how to print on Mac.

By now you should have a really firm grasp of printing photos on your Mac. You’ll see now that it’s not complicated as you might have thought before.

It doesn’t matter if you’re totally new to using Mac, or you just got a new printer. Perhaps this was your first time learning how to print a photo on a Mac from Google.

Regardless, you’ve learned all you need to in this guide.

Take what you’ve learned on how to print photos on Mac, get some practice and you’ll be getting the results you want in no time!

Related Posts:

1. What is Duplex Printing
2. How to Print Pictures from Digital Camera 
3. Why Does My Printer Not Print Anything
4. What is a Monochrome Printer

How to print double sided Google Docs? We’ll get to that and more in this article. Google Docs is an awesome browser-based alternative to Microsoft Office and other productivity suites.

It saves in real-time, is easy to retrieve, and can do almost all the same things that other suites can. I personally use Google Docs all the time and I know just how good it is for article and blog writing, spreadsheets, and more. It’s easy to combine with other add-ons and extensions such as Grammarly. You have access to an entire world of help outside of what you’d usually be able to use.

On top of all this, you’ll be able to synchronize and share your documents across your connected devices. The utility you’re getting for free is just insane. The benefits are obvious and make this one of the most useful and feature-rich free productivity suites you’ll find on the market.

Issues pop up from time to time as people often find themselves in unfamiliar territory. It can be tricky to figure things out. This is especially true when connecting to external devices like printers and projectors.

In this article, we’ll be dealing with the printing end of the spectrum. We’ll specifically look at Google Doc printing double-sided processes and some of the most common issues you’re likely to face – and how to overcome them.

Let’s get into the guide!

Google Doc Printing Double Sided Step-by-step Guide

Here’s I’ll break down each of the major steps you’ll need to take in order to print double-sided Google Docs correctly.

Step 1: Launch Your Browser and Sign in

Since Google Docs is browser-based, you’re going to need to open up your browser and sign in to your Google account. Here’s what to do:

1. Open your preferred browser (I prefer to use Google Chrome as I can use extensions)
2. Sign in to your Google account in the top right-hand corner of the window
3. After signing in, open Google Docs
4. Search for the document you want to print and open it

This is the first step. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting through these.

I suggest using Chrome as your browser as it’s more Google-friendly than many other browsers.

I write a lot on my Google Docs, so I use plugins like Grammarly to help me out. This is possible on other browsers, but I find it to be smoothest with Google Chrome.

Step 2: Setting Up to Print

This step is where most people come across issues.

Here’s the process you should follow to set your printing up the right way:

1. Look for the “Print” icon in the top left side of the screen and click it – you should see a print preview displayed on your screen
2. There should be an option called “Print Using System Dialogue”
3. If you don’t see this option, then click “More Settings” and scroll down to the bottom (it’s often in a different color font to the rest of the text)
4. Choose your printer from the list or use the “Find Printer” option if you don’t know which one to choose
5. Once you’ve selected your printer, click on the “Properties”, “Preferences” or “Settings” option. Which option you have available will depend on the printer you’re using
6. You’ll need to look around a little and select the option for “Double Sided Printing”. If you don’t see this option, then look for “Duplex Printing” or “Print on Both Sides”
7. Click the “OK” button, then click the “Print” button in the following window
8. Once the first sheet has been printed, you need to take it out and feed it back into the tray in the correct orientation

There are a couple of things that can go wrong here, so this quick section will help you out:

• If you need more information on Step 6 (above) you’ll need to get your printer’s manual or online guide out and look for more information on double-sided printing
• Do a practice run to see how your printer does with the double-sided printing
• Make sure you double-check that you’re in the right orientation before printing
• If you’re going to print in landscape, you may have to make extra adjustments to the paper when you feed it in the second time (for the reverse side printing)

Here Are Some Helpful Tips

This section will go through a couple of tips and tricks that’ll help you avoid the potential issues you could face in this process.

Check Your Printer Before Starting

I always like to check to make sure that my printer is in working order before starting out. I usually just print a sample to check that everything is in order. It’s super-frustrating to spend 30 minutes trying to figure out what you’re doing wrong on your end, only to see that the printer was out of ink, or that a cable was loose.

• Print a quick sample to check that everything is working normally
• If it’s not, make sure all the cables are properly connected and check that there aren’t any kinks or sharp bends in any of them
• Do a paper check to see if any of the paper has been wet or folded – also make sure there’s more than enough paper to do all the printing
• Check to see if you have enough ink (no need if you have a color or laser printer
• Make sure there’s nothing blocking the paper from feeding into the printer

Here’s what to Check on the Computer’s Side

Once you know that the printer is in working order, and you have successfully printed a test document, you need to make sure everything on your side is in order.

Here’s a list of things to check for if you’re running into trouble (but know for sure that your printer is working):

• Make sure that Windows (or Mac) recognizes your printer and has the drivers for it
• If not, go to your device manager and update them. You can also go to you’re the manufacturer’s website and get the latest drivers there
• Make sure you know how your printer handles double-sided printing and the names it uses (you can find all this in your printer’s manual)
• Ensure that you’re using the correct orientation for your document
• If you’re printing in the landscape, you might need to make more adjustments to make sure that the paper is lined up symmetrically on both sides

The double-sided printing often takes a little practice to get good at feeding the printed sheet back into the printer.

Check These Things:

• There shouldn’t be any folds or liquid on the paper
• Check that there’s enough paper
• Know which way your paper needs to be oriented to get a print that isn’t upside down

These tips should have you covered in a normal situation. Google cloud print double-sided processes should be simple and quick with this system. Once you’ve done it once, you’ll be able to do it again without much trouble. Sometimes there are other problems that are a little harder to diagnose, so we’ll cover some of them in the FAQ section below. The issues discussed in the FAQ are pretty specific and most of the likely problems you encounter will be fixed by going through the process we’ve already covered.

Also Read: How to Print Without Black Ink – the Ultimate Guide for You

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How to turn off double-sided printing on Google Docs?

A: Look at “Step 2: Setting up to Print” in this article. Number 6 dealt with how to enable double-sided printing. To turn off double-sided printing, follow numbers 1 through 5. When you reach the point where you need to click the option for double-sided printing, select single side printing instead. Bear in mind that the exact names used will depend on the printer you have – check the manual if you get lost or confused.

Q: How to print double-sided without upside-down Google Docs?

A: This tends to be more common on Duplex printers and inkjet printers. You need to check the box for the option called “landscape/portrait produces vertical flipping”. This should sort out the issue. If only the reverse side is being flipped, then you need to put the paper into the feeding tray the other way round to make sure it prints the correct orientation.

Q: How to print double-sided on Mac?

A: When in the document you want to print, click “File” then click “Print” (it’s at the bottom so you’ll need to scroll down). Click “Print using the system dialogue” and then check the “Two-Sided” box (it’s next to the “Copies” box). Click “Print” to begin the printing.

Q: No option to print double-sided Chrome?

A: Go to “Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Devices and Printers”. Click the printer you’re using and select “Printer Properties” and go across to the “Device Settings” tab.

Underneath the “Installable Options” make sure that the “Duplex Unit” is set as “Installed”. Press “Apply” and the issue should be fixed. You should see the double-sided option when you’re trying to print now.

 

Final Thoughts

We’ve broken down how to print double-sided Google Docs in an easy-to-follow and understand way.

We also looked at the common problems you might run into, and how to fix or avoid them.

We finished off by looking at some more specific issues and how to deal with them in the FAQ section.

By now, you should have a very clear understanding of how to print on both sides of your Google Docs, and the know-how to navigate most issues.

With your new knowledge of how to print double-sided Google Docs, you’re ready to get printing, and save some time and effort along the way!

Related Posts:

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