What is Duplex Printing & How to Duplex Print?

When shopping for a new printer, or if you are wondering how to print double-sided, you’ve probably come across the words “duplex printing.” But what is duplex printing and how does it work? Simply put, duplex printing means two-sided printing, or printing on both sides of a sheet of paper. When you learn how to print double-sided, you can make use of a convenient function that many printers, including Canon printers, offer today. However, duplex printing function can vary by printer. On some printers, you can select automatic printing on both sides, but other printers require you to manually flip the paper for double-sided printing.

How do you know if you need duplex printing? If you want to be able to print on both sides of the paper, and if you’re looking for ways to potentially save paper and space, duplex printing may be a helpful feature to look for in a printer. Read on to learn more about duplex printing and how to duplex print.

Duplex printing is a feature that can make both large and small print jobs easy. Because duplex printing involves printing on both sides of the paper, it can potentially reduce the amount of paper you use. If your printer has automatic duplex printing (see more on that later in this piece) the printing process might even take less time.

When you print on both sides of a piece of paper, you can potentially reduce the amount of paper you use by up to 50%. For example, if you have a 56-page report, duplex printing may be able to print your entire report in 28 pages by printing on the front and back sides of each page. That may help both to save natural resources and to reduce your environmental impact (paper comes from trees, after all).

Think about the efforts it can take to keep your printer doing its job: it takes you time and money to purchase the ink and paper that you need. Then, you have to find space to store those supplies in your home or office. And, of course, you must load paper into your printer as needed so that the device is ready to go whenever you are. With duplex printing, since you’re printing on both sides of the paper, you’re potentially decreasing the amount of paper you use by up to half, which in turn can reduce your paper expenses and maybe even the amount of storage space you’ll need. That could free up some of your office storage space for other supplies.

Some projects look much more professional when using a double-sided printer. Imagine, for example, a brochure or handout that has words and photos on only one side. Duplex printing can give documents a polished and professional look, whether you’re producing a report, a menu, a calendar, a book, a pamphlet or other professional-type projects. Plus, when an item is printed on both sides, it may take up less space in an office or in a briefcase.

Many newer printers may come equipped with an automatic duplex printing function. That means the printer can automatically perform double-sided printing for print jobs that require more than one sheet of paper (you may need to set this function up in your “page setup” settings). When a printer is equipped with auto duplex printing, even large print jobs can run smoothly. While the printer is doing its job automatically printing on both sides of each sheet of paper, you can accomplish other tasks.

You’ve probably wondered about duplex printing vs double-sided printing. They are the same thing, but did you know that there are two types of duplex printing? There is automatic duplex printing and manual duplex printing, and both can offer the same potential cost-saving and paper-saving benefits. However, automatic duplex printing may be a bit simpler for the user, while manual duplex printing may require a little more effort on the part of the user.

Many new printers come with automatic duplex printing, meaning they can print on both sides of the paper and you won’t have to flip the paper over for double-sided printing. The entire document will be printed from beginning to end using both sides of the paper. There’s no need for the user to turn the page over to print on the opposite side of each sheet of paper. We’ve got some picks below of Canon printers that come with auto duplex printing.

For printers that don’t have automatic duplex printing, the printer will print on one side of the page, and then the user will be prompted to flip the paper so that the printer can complete the job on the back side of the paper. It’s not difficult to learn how to print double-sided manually. One example of a printer with manual duplexing is the Canon PIXMA TR150 Wireless¹ Portable Printer. This printer can easily travel along with you, and manual duplexing allows you to print double-sided documents anytime, anywhere, for maximum convenience - all you have to do is flip the page.

Looking for a double-sided printer that can carry out your printing needs? Consider these auto-duplex options from Canon:

This wireless¹, four-in-one printer prints, copies, scans and faxes. With automatic duplex printing capabilities, this device can make double-sided printing a breeze. Thanks to a cassette that holds up to 250 pages of plain, letter-sized paper and a 50-sheet automatic document feeder, this double-sided printer by Canon can handle even large print jobs while you focus on other priorities.

This wireless¹ laser printer is a wiz when it comes to print speed, printing up to 42 pages per minute². With auto-duplex printing available, it can complete large print jobs quickly and easily - and doesn’t need constant oversight.

Print, copy, scan and fax with this wireless¹, all-in-one inkjet printer. By using sizable, integrated ink tanks, this duplex printer can print up to 6,000 black and white and 14,000 color pages with one full set of replacement ink bottles³. Add to that the available function of automatic double-sided printing, and you could potentially save on for large print jobs.

To learn more about Canon printers with duplex printing functionality, visit the Canon U.S.A. site today.