Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Using Duplex Printing.

Using Duplex Printing

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 14, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Some printers support duplexing, meaning that they allow printing on both sides of a piece of paper. Being able to print on both sides depends on what type of printer you have set as your default printer. For instance, an HP OfficeJet Pro L7780 prints duplex but other models of HP printers may not offer this as an option. Assuming that you have a printer that supports duplexing and that you have a printer driver that supports it, you can turn it on by following these steps:

  1. Choose the Print option from the File menu. Word displays the Print dialog box.
  2. From the list of available printers, select the printer on which you want the document printed.
  3. Click on the Properties button. This displays a Properties dialog box for the printer you selected.
  4. Select the Paper tab, then click the More Options button.
  5. Change the Duplex Printing option to either Flip on Long Edge or Flip on Short Edge, depending on how you want your document printed.
  6. Close the dialog boxes and print your document.

Again, these steps will vary based on the printer you are using. You may need to look around in the printer's Properties dialog box to see where the actual control for duplexing is located. (Another good place to look is on the Finishing tab, if such a tab exists in your printer's Properties dialog box.)

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (406) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Using Duplex Printing.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

A Ruler in Excel

A few workarounds for the fact that Excel does not have a built-in ruler.

Discover More

Searching for a Value Using a Function

Searching for a value using Excel's Find tool is easy; searching for that same value using a formula or a macro is more ...

Discover More

Jumping to the Top of a Page

Do you want to easily jump to the top of a page in your document? You can use the Go To command to make the shift, or you ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Misbehaving Leader Dots

Leader dots can be a great formatting "flourish" to use in your documents. If the leader dots don't print out correctly, ...

Discover More

Automatic Font Color Won't Print Properly

Imagine that you go to print your document, and all the text you can see on the screen just isn't there on the ...

Discover More

Printer Name on the Status Bar

The status bar is a great place to display all sorts of information. It might not be the best place to put the name of ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 + 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.