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You may need to print a 2-sided booklet or simply want to save paper by printing 2-sided. You can print double-sided in Microsoft Word on Windows and Mac, whether you have a duplex printer or not.
If you have a duplex printer, double-sided printing can be quick and easy. But if you have a printer that can only print on one side, you’ll need to be close enough to the printer to flip the paper when it’s time. Let’s go through both options in Word on Windows and Mac.
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Two-sided printing in Word on Windows
If your printer supports two-sided printing, it only takes a few steps to print two-sided from a Word document on Windows. Otherwise, use the manual method.
Printing with a duplex printer
Open your Word document, select the File tab, then choose “Print.”
If necessary, select the Printer at the top. Under Settings, open the second drop-down list and choose one of the “Print on both sides” options. The first option flips pages on the long edge, while the second flips pages on the short edge.
Make any other changes you want and click “Print” when you’re done.
If you don’t see the Print on both sides, your printer does not support duplex printing. Go to the section below to do manual duplex printing.
Manual duplex printing
If your printer only prints on one side, you can print one set of pages, flip them over, and then print the remaining pages. Word on Windows gives you two ways to do this.
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Open your Word document, select the File tab and choose “Print.”
In the second drop-down list under Settings, choose ‘Manual two-sided printing’. With this option, Word will ask you when it is time to turn the pages in your printer.
You can also use the first drop-down list under Settings and choose “Print odd pages only” or “Print even pages only”. Make the other necessary adjustments and click ‘Print’.
Once the set of pages you selected has printed, turn the pages over and reload them. Depending on your printer, you may also need to rotate the pages. Consult your printer documentation for this.
Return to the Word document and use the first drop-down list under Settings to select the other set, odd or even, and continue printing.
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Two-sided printing in Word on Mac
While the two-sided printing options in Word on Mac are similar to those in Windows, there are a few minor differences.
Printing with a duplex printer
Open your Word document and select File > Print from the menu bar. In the pop-up window, select your Printer and Presets at the top if necessary. Choose “Layout” from the next drop-down list.
In the lower section, select Long-edge or Short-edge binding next to Duplex, depending on whether you want to flip pages on the long or short edge of the paper. Make any other adjustments needed and click “Print” when you’re done.
If the Duplex option is not available, your printer does not support duplex printing. You can still print double-sided by following the steps in the next section.
Manual duplex printing
If you don’t have a duplex printer, you can manually print duplex in Word on Mac. As in Windows, print the odd or even pages, flip them over, and then print the other set of pages.
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Open your Word document and select File > Print from the menu bar.
In the pop-up window, select your Printer and Presets at the top if necessary. From the next drop-down list, choose “Microsoft Word.”
Next to Print, mark Odd Pages Only or Even Pages Only, whichever you want to print first. Make any other adjustments you want and click “Print” when you’re done.
Once your printer has finished printing the set of pages you selected, turn the pages over and reload them into your paper feeder. Depending on your printer, you may also need to rotate the pages. Consult your printer documentation for this.
Return to your Word document, select File > Print > Microsoft Word and choose the other set of odd or even pages. Click on ‘Print’.
When you have a Word document that you want to print double-sided, you can choose whether your printer supports double-sided printing or not.
For additional help with printing in Word, see how to create and print labels or how to create and print envelopes.
This post Two-sided printing in Microsoft Word
was original published at “https://www.howtogeek.com/793565/how-to-print-double-sided-in-word/”
