Printing on both sides of the paper (duplex printing) is a fantastic way to save money on office supplies and reduce your environmental footprint. Whether you are printing a long manuscript or a simple school essay, Microsoft Word makes it easy to print double-sided—provided your printer supports the feature.
Method 1: Automatic Double-Sided Printing
If you have a modern printer with an automatic duplexer, it will pull the paper back in and flip it over for you mechanically.
- Open your document in Microsoft Word.
- Click the File tab in the top-left corner.
- Select Print from the left-hand menu (or press Ctrl + P on Windows / Command + P on Mac).
- Under the “Settings” section, locate the dropdown menu that currently says Print One Sided.
- Click the dropdown and select Print on Both Sides.
- You will usually be given two options:
- Flip pages on long edge: This prints the pages so they turn like a standard book.
- Flip pages on short edge: This prints the pages so they flip up from the top, like a legal notepad or calendar.
- Click the large Print button.
Method 2: Manual Double-Sided Printing
If your printer does not have a duplexing mechanism, the “Print on Both Sides” option will not appear in the menu. You can still print double-sided, but you have to flip the paper yourself.
- Go to File > Print.
- Under the “Settings” menu, select Manually Print on Both Sides.
- Click Print.
- Word will print all the odd-numbered pages (1, 3, 5) first. Once finished, a dialog box will appear on your computer screen instructing you to reload the printed stack of paper into the printer tray.
- Carefully turn the paper over and place it back in the tray. Click OK on your computer screen to print the even-numbered pages (2, 4, 6) on the blank sides.