How to Print Double Sided on Mac?

Mac, short for Macintosh, is a computer series released by Apple. Mac computers are highly advanced, state-of-the-art pieces of technology that dominate the computer market nowadays. Its desktop computers are one of the most sought-after in the world. The only competitions it faces are from equally popular brands like HP and Dell.

Now that that’s out of the way. Let’s talk about double-sided printing. It’s eco-friendly as it uses much less paper when compared to single-side printing. And fewer papers mean that there is less demand for them, ultimately resulting in more trees left alive. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into it.

How to Print Double-Sided on Mac from an App

If you want to print from applications such as Word or Excel, etc., do the following

1. Make sure your Mac has a connection to a suitable printer that has the property of duplex (double-sided) printing.
2. Click File on the top left of the screen.
3. Go ahead and select Print from the drop-down list.
4. Then select Copies & Pages and then Layout.
5. Now, click Long-Edge binding from the Two-Sided option.
6. Now click Print.

Yes, it’s that simple. Also, “the difference between “Long-Edge binding” and “Short-Edge binding” is that you use the former when you want to move through your pages as if it were a book. Short-Edge binding enables a printout to be more like a notepad where you flip over the pages. The front and back page are both upside-down to each other. Now, there are many different types of applications, each with its steps. Some have even fewer steps than shown above. Like, take Notes as an example. Duplex printing on such an app would go as follows:

1. Click on the File shown on the top left of the screen.
2. Click on Print.
3. Select the Two-Sided options.
4. Now click on Print.

Four steps that merely take up half a minute!

How to Print Double-Sided on Mac from Google Docs

Double-Sided Printing on Mac is easier when using Google Docs. Easy in the sense that it requires fewer steps than when using a Microsoft Office App. Follow the given steps.

1. Set up a connection between your Mac and a duplex-printing supported printer.
2. Open your Google document and click on File.
3. Then click on Print and select Two-Sided.
4. Press Print.

That’s all there is to it. It’s that straightforward.

How to Print Double-Sided on Mac using a Non-Duplex Printer

Although most computers sold nowadays come equipped with the feature of double-sided printing, there are some exceptions. In other words, some printers can only perform single-side printing. Follow these steps:

1. Establish a computer-to-printer connection and open the print section of the document.
2. Click on Paper Handling located below the Presets option.
3. Next, click on Pages to Print and select the Odd Only option.
4. Click Print. After printing, place them back into the paper tray, this time turned over
5. Go back to Pages to Print and select Even Only this time.
6. Press Print again, and the printer will print the even pages on the empty sides of the previously-printed pages.

The above method is tricky. Thus, it would require a bit of practice at the start. But it is an effective way to utilize double-sided printing on sing-side capable printers.

Why Can’t I Print Double-Sided on Mac?

There may be times when you may find yourself unable to locate the “Two-Sided” option. But fear not. There may be a high chance that double-sided printing is not yet enabled. To enable it, do the following,

1. Go to System Preferences. 
2. Click on Printers & Scanners and then on your printer.
3. Go to Options & Supplies and see whether the Duplex Printing option is enabled.
4. Click on Ok.

And there you have it. You’re now going to print double-sided on a seemingly “Single-Side Printing” supported printer.

How to Print Double-Sided on Windows 7/8/10

Enabling double-sided printing on Windows 7, 8, and 10 isn’t much tricky at all. For double-sided printing on Windows 7, do as follows:

1. Open the Print menu and click on Preferences.
2. Go to the Finishing tab.
3. Click on the checkbox beside the Print on both sides option.
4. Click Print.

And for double-sided printing on Windows 8, do the following:

1. Open the document to be printed.
2. Swipe your mouse down the far-right side of the screen vertically.
3. Tap on Devices and then on Print.
4. Select a printer from the menu that came up.
5. Click on More Settings and then click on Duplex Printing.
6. Tap on Print.

Lastly, for Windows 10, perform the following:

1. Open the Control Panel from the Windows menu.
2. Click on View Devices and Printers located under the Hardware and Sound heading.
3. Right-click on the desired printer and then tap on Printer Properties.
4. Now, go to the Device Settings tab.
5. Click on the Automatic Duplexing unit’s check box.
6. Click on Apply to enable the double-sided printing property.

Conclusion

Printing on Mac is easy. Usually, the case is that on the document, you click on File and then on Print. On the menu page that pops up, there is an option for double-sided printing pages. It may be present in the form of Long-Edge Binding in the Two-sided tab for applications. Or click on Two-Sided and then print if it is a Google Document.

You can even Duplex Print on a Non-Duplex printer by printing odd pages first, flipping them over, then print all even pages. To enable Double-Sided Printing on a Mac, try doing so from the Printers & Scanners area in the System Preferences. If the OS is Windows, go to the Print menu and enable Duplex Printing. You can find this option in one of the tabs. Note that the wordings of Double-Sided printing may vary like “Print on both sides” or “Automatic Duplexing Unit.”