How to perform automatic 2-sided printing with the Duplex Unit in macOS

Applies To

  • Operating Systems: macOS
  • Hardware: Printers with a Duplex Unit.
  • Related Articles:
    • KA-01558 (manual 2-sided printing, if your printer doesn't have a duplex unit)
    • KA-01587 (the equivalent guide for Windows)

Description

Four types of 2-sided printing are available: automatic standard, automatic folded booklet, manual standard, and manual folded booklet.

Note:
  • 2-sided printing is only available for plain paper, in US Letter, A4, or B5 sizes.
  • This feature isn't available with borderless printing — don't select a paper size with a "borderless" option (this may vary by model).
  • If your printer has more than one paper cassette, make sure the correct paper Source is selected in your printing application.
  • Only use paper suitable for 2-sided printing — otherwise print quality may decline, ink may bleed through to the other side, or the paper surface may smear.

Solution

Setting the Driver for a One-Off Print Job

Note: Available settings and menu names may vary depending on the printer model, driver version, and macOS version.
  1. Open the document you want to print.
  2. Click File > Print.
  3. Click Printer Options (or Show Details, if available) to expand the print settings.
    Printer Options in macOS print dialog
  4. Click Two sided Printing Settings.
    Two sided Printing Settings option in macOS print dialog
  5. Click the Two-sided Printing drop-down and select Long-edge binding.
    Odd Pages Only option in macOS print dialog

    What each 2-Sided Printing option does:

    OptionWhat It Does
    OffPrints on one side.
    Manual (Long-edge binding)Prints on both sides of the paper manually, to bind along the long edge — see KA-01558 if your printer doesn't have a duplex unit.
    Manual (Short-edge binding)Prints on both sides of the paper manually, to bind along the short edge.
    Note: Available settings differ depending on the product model.
  6. Select the appropriate Document Type setting. This automatically adjusts Print Density and Increased Ink Drying Time for that document type.
  7. Click OK to return to main Print dialog.
  8. Click Print to start printing.

Duplex printing is now enabled for this print job.