How to print double-sided on google docs

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Let us check out how to print double-sided on Google Docs. Digital documents are extremely handy, however many businesses still rely on printed documents for their use cases. Printed documents are more accessible for individuals than digital copies. It requires no additional digital device like PC or mobile phone to use them.

To print front and back on Google Docs, Open the document –> Click the File menu –> Choose Print option –> Click on ‘More settings’ option –> Check the “Print on both sides” checkbox.

Having said this, the primary need for any business would be to reduce the cost of such processes as much as they could. Because even today printing official documents are one of the daily tasks of offices. And thus it’s very essential that it needs to be done in the right way to reduce the costs of paper.

Duplex printing

Printing on both sides of the paper is called duplex printing. Most printers offer the option of automatically printing on both sides of a sheet of paper which is termed as automatic duplex printing.

On the other hand, other printers provide instructions so that you can manually reinsert pages to print the second side. This is termed as manual duplex printing.

How to print front and back on Google Docs

If you have an auto-duplex printer, the following steps work fine,

Step 1: The very first step is to open google docs on your browser. 

Step 2: Once done, navigate to the Google Docs folder, and open the file that you want to print.

Step 3: Click on the Print button in the left corner of the screen or press CTRL + P to start printing.

Step 4: A new dialogue box will appear on the printing menu, and also the print preview of your document will be displayed.

how to print front and back on google docs

Step 5: Now, click on the properties, settings, or preference button, depending on the best printers’ driver for further settings.

Step 6: A new dialogue box will appear, and you have to select print both sides, double-sided printing, or duplex printing. (depending upon the printer varieties)

How to print double-sided on google docs

Step 7: After selecting the option for duplex printing, you have to click on the OK button to save the setting changes.

How to set up print settings in an auto-duplex printer?

To set up print settings in an auto-duplex printer, simply follow the below steps:

Step 1: Start your printer and then press the menu button

Step 2: Following that, look for the option that allows editing the settings of your printer. It can be either found as edit configuration or settings.

Step 3: Select one, and then press the OK button to enter the settings menu 

Step 4: Then navigate for the auto duplex mode option.

Step 5: When reached the duplex mode option, press OK to turn it on.

Step 6: Sometimes the printer may ask you again what do you want to turn on the auto duplex mode. 

Step 7: Make the selection and finally, press the OK button to save settings for the further process.

Now both your auto duplex printer and Google Docs are completely ready to print double side. 

Steps to print double-sided on google docs using manual duplex printer?

All might not be that affordable and have full functional duplex printers to support double-side printing. However, printing double side saves lots of money and papers. Probably this can be a huge lifesaver for students’ use cases.

Don’t own a duplex printer yourself. No worries, as google docs allow to do duplex printing with a manual duplex printer as well. The document needs to go through your printing machine twice, and it needs some tweaks in addition.

The following simple steps are followed for double-sided printing on google docs with a manual duplex printer.

Step 1: Open the word file you like to print the document.

Step 2: Make the print command by clicking on the print option or press CTRL + P

Step 3: A new dialogue box will be displayed along with the print preview on the screen.

Step 4: Locate the printer for art prints preferences, advance settings, or print properties for further settings. Click on any of these options which you find on your device.

Step 5: You will find options named print only odd pages and print only even pages.

Step 6: First, you have to select the odd pages and then press the print button. The odd pages like 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 of your document will print on one side.

Step 7: The next step reveals our tweak. You have to arrange the sheets on the sheet tray in the right way to support printing on the opposite side.

Step 8: After putting the sheets, now go to the print properties again to print the even pages.

Step 9: Then select the print only the even pages, press the print button to print on the opposite side of the sheet.

Step 10: Finally, the even pages of your Google document will be printed on the other side of the paper.

By following these steps, one can do duplex printing with your manual duplex printer from google docs.

Is it possible to print double-sided on google docs using a manual duplex printer?

Yes, it’s possible to print double-sided on google docs similar to the windows system. The steps are as follows,

Step 1: Click File in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the drop-down menu and click Print or use cmd+P

Step 3: Click Copies & Pages.

Step 4: Then scroll down and click Layout.

Step 5: Go to the Two-Sided submenu.

Step 6: Click Long-Edge binding in the Two-Sided submenu.

Step 7: Finally, click Print.

Difference between Long-edge binding and short-edge binding

Long-edge binding prints double-sided sheets so that you turn the page over sideways. The margins are adjusted to accommodate binding on the left side.

In contrast, short-edge binding prints such that you flip the page over vertically (as with notepad) and margins adjust for binding at the top.

Advantages of double-side printing on Google Docs

  • Save Money – The duplex printing helps you save money on printing supplies, reducing the use of paper by up to 50%.
  • Time-Saving – The duplex printing will save time because for double-sided printing does not have to turn over the paper manually.
  • Save space – Less paper to consume, more space to store.
  • Environment – Beyond the trees that become paper, transport and the paper production process also have an impact on the environment.
  • The duplex printer is lightning fast. That 100-page report that had the simplex 2 hours would only lead to a duplex in about 2 minutes to complete.

Disadvantages of double-side printing on Google Docs

  • Reduced human resources – If you do not have an auto-duplex affordable printer, then the task for printing on both sides will demand more human resources in most cases. That’s why it’s far better to own an auto-duplex printer to reduce human resources while doing duplex printing.
  • Need Internet Connectivity – You will need active internet connectivity to print the word document from google docs as it is a web program that can not work without active internet connectivity.
  • Consume More Time – The manual duplex printing from google docs will demand a little more time to arrange the sheets in the right way and to give the printing command twice. Thus an auto-duplex printer can help you to save your time while doing duplex printing on google docs.

Bonus tip for proper double-side printing on Google Docs

Depending on whether the printout is in landscape or portrait orientation, you may need to rotate the paper before feeding it back into the printer to ensure both sides are correctly aligned.
Easy, wasn’t it?

You may like the following Google docs tutorials:

Printing documents on both sides hardly take a couple of minutes given that you know the procedure properly. However, depending upon the printer type process could vary. Thus now things would be super clear for all to print and save paper costs.