Printing double sided, also known as duplex printing, allows you to print on both sides of a sheet of paper. This saves paper, cuts costs, and is better for the environment. If you use Google Docs for creating documents, here is a complete guide on how to set up double sided printing.
Why Print Double Sided?
There are several benefits of double sided printing:
- Saves paper: You use 50% less paper compared to single sided printing. This saves money and trees.
- More professional look: Documents that are printed double sided like reports, brochures etc. look more polished and professional.
- Eco-friendly: Cutting paper usage is good for the environment.
- Takes up less space: Double sided documents are thinner and take up less filing space.
What You Need
To print double sided from Google Docs, you need:
- A duplex printer: Your printer should support automatic double sided printing. Most new printers have this feature.
- Google Chrome: The instructions here apply to Chrome browser.
If your printer does not support automatic duplexing, don’t worry – you can still print manually on both sides.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these simple steps to set up double sided printing on Google Docs:
- Open your document in Google Docs that you want to print double sided.
- Click on File > Print or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD + P.
- In the print window, click on the More settings button.
- Under Two-Sided Printing section, check the box for Print on both sides. Print on both sides
- Select the type of duplexing:
- Long edge: The pages flip along the long edge of the paper
- Short edge: The pages flip along the short edge of the paper
- Change any other settings like page size, margins if needed and click Print.
And you’re done! Your document will now print on both sides of the paper.
The first time you print double sided, print a test page first to ensure the layout and formatting is correct.
Tips and Suggestions
Here are some handy tips when printing double sided with Google Docs:
- Format your document properly with page size, margins set before printing.
- Use page break to ensure text does not get split awkwardly between pages.
- Print a sample first to confirm layout.
- For manuals or booklets, short edge binding is easier to read.
- Consider paper thickness – thicker paper jams less.
- For best results, use high quality printer paper. Regular paper may crease or wrinkle.
Manual Double Sided Printing
If your printer does not support automatic duplexing, you can still print double sided manually:
- Print only the odd or even pages first.
- Take the printed pages and flip the stack.
- Place the stack back in the paper tray to feed the blank sides again.
- Now print the remaining even or odd pages.
It takes a bit more work, but lets you print double sided even with simple printers.
Save Paper, Save Trees
And that’s it – you are now ready to print double sided documents with Google Docs to save paper, money and the environment. Duplex printing is an essential skill in today’s eco-conscious world and helps create professional style documents.
Many modern printers support duplex out of the box, so make sure to use this useful feature. If your current printer cannot print both sides, consider upgrading to a model with automatic duplexing. It will save you effort and improve efficiency when printing double sided.
