How to Print Double-Sided
Turn on two-sided printing in the print dialog on Windows 11, Mac, and iPhone, and use the odd and even pages trick on printers with no duplex unit.
Double-sided printing is a setting in the print dialog, not on the printer. Most laser printers and mid-range inkjets have an automatic duplex unit; the last step covers the rest.
Print double-sided on Windows
Press Ctrl + P in the app. In the Windows print dialog, look for Print on both sides and set it to Flip on long edge. If it is not visible, click More settings or Printer properties and look there. Microsoft Office apps put it under Settings in the print pane, where Print One Sided changes to Print on Both Sides. Click Print.
Print double-sided on a Mac
Press Command + P. Turn on Two-Sided, which sits near Copies in most apps. In some dialogs it is a pop-up menu inside a Layout section with the choices Long-Edge binding and Short-Edge binding. Choose long edge and click Print.
Print double-sided on an iPhone
Open the item, tap Share, then Print. On the print options screen, turn on the Double-sided switch and tap Print. The switch only appears when the selected printer supports duplex.
Set it as the default
To avoid turning it on every time, set it once at the printer level. On Windows 11, go to Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, click the printer, click Printing preferences, and enable two-sided printing on the maker's settings tab. On a Mac, save it as a preset: set Two-Sided in any print dialog, open the Presets menu, and choose Save Current Settings as Preset.
Use manual duplex if the printer has no duplex unit
If the option is missing or grayed out, the printer cannot flip pages itself. Print the odd pages first: on Windows, set the page selection to odd pages in the print dialog; on a Mac, open the Paper Handling section and set Pages to Print to Odd Only. Take the stack out, turn it over as the printer's manual shows (usually printed side up, without reordering), and reload it. Print again with even pages selected.
If you are choosing between long edge and short edge. Long edge is normal book style, where pages turn like a book in portrait orientation. Short edge flips the back page top to bottom, which is what you want for landscape pages bound at the top, like a calendar.
If the reverse side comes out upside down. Switch to the other edge option. The two settings are the only difference.