One of the most common questions I get from people buying or leasing machines is how to print double sided.
With all of the copiers we sell there’s an option to print double sided. When it comes to how to print double sided on your particular machine, it’s hard to say because every machine is different.
Depending on the machine you have, there may be a tab, or a button, or some way to adjust the machine to allow it to do something other than print one sided.
If you’re stuck figuring out how to print double sided it may be that you’re not familiar with the terminology. Not every machine will say “print double sided”, you may see an option for “duplex printing” which means exactly the same thing.
Another place where people get tripped up figuring out how to print double sided is getting the settings right. There are multiple options — you can take a double sided document and turn it into a double sided copy. You can also do double sided to single sided, or take two single sided documents and create a double sided print.
All machines we sell have the ability to take a double sided original and make a double sided copy, same with single sided to double sided. When learning about how to print double sided, it also helps to be familiar with the mechanics.
How to Print Double Sided – The Mechanics
You can’t answer the question “how to print double sided” without discussing the mechanics behinds it. There are two ways machines can accomplish this.
One way is with an auto-feeder. An auto-feeder will scan one side of a page, flip it over, and scan the other side. An auto-feeder is necessary to make a two sided copy of a two sided original.
Another way machines make double sided prints is by scanning both sides with one pass. Many of the production machines do this, and customers love it because the paper doesn’t need to be refit so there’s much less chance of a paper jam.
Some customers want to print double sided because they prefer the look of it, but most often customer ask how to print double sided because they want to use less paper. Using less paper can not only reduce your business’s carbon footprint, it can save you money!
However, there are some instances where printing double sided is not ideal. For example, delicate documents or important originals shouldn’t be fed through an auto-feeder because there’s always a risk of them getting ruined in a paper jam.
When printing double sides you’re feeding the page through the auto-feeder twice, so there’s twice the chance for it to get stuck. That’s something to keep in mind when deciding which documents to make double sided prints of.
Those are the basics of how to print double sided. If you have any other questions please leave a comment below or get in touch with me directly via the contact form.