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: Printing Reversed Images.

Printing Reversed Images

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated December 3, 2019)

There may be times when you need to print your document as a "negative." This means that everything is printed the opposite of what it was when created: black is printed as white, and white areas are printed as black. This is particularly helpful if you are doing camera work with your output. Other times you may need to print a mirror image of your output, which is helpful if you are creating output for phototransfer processes or for silkscreening. There are a couple of ways you can create negative output, and all of them have to do with your printer driver. Finding the right combination of commands to do the trick may take a little digging, and it may vary depending on the type of printer you have. We use an old HP LaserJet 4MV, and we use the PostScript driver for the printer. These steps work for us:

Press Ctrl+P. Word displays the Print dialog box.
In the Name field, select the printer you want to use for your output. (This obviously only applies if you have more than one printer driver installed.)
Click on the Properties button. Word displays the Properties dialog box for your selected printer driver.
Scroll through the properties categories and expand the PostScript Options group by double-clicking on it.
To enable mirrored output, click on the Mirrored Output option and then click the On radio button at the bottom of the dialog box.
To enable negative output, click on the Negative Output option and then click the On radio button at the bottom of the dialog box.
Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
Print your document as normal.

Once these settings are changed, they remain changed until you explicitly change them back. In reality, the steps you follow don't really matter that much. What matters is the capabilities of your printer. You need to display the Properties dialog box for your printer driver (steps 1 through 3, above) and then find the controls in the dialog box that control the negative and mirror imaging. If you can't find any such controls, then chances are good that your printer won't handle doing reversed images and you may need to use a different printer.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (459) 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: Printing Reversed Images.

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. Learn more about Allen...

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What is five minus 4?

2021-11-18 06:31:25

cam

Thank you so much for your advice! I've managed to print transfers for t-shirts for a protest thanks to you! Great work!

2020-11-14 21:55:49

Robert Johnson

I have a different question about inverted printing. I have been using the Microsoft translation app for iPhone to scan and translate a German technical manual. It works well until I print. It will only print the translation inverted. It prints the German text normally.

2015-02-16 10:18:07

John Polasek

Remember that all the white areas will print as black, so with a lot of white in the picture you could use up as much as 20 or 50 pages of normal printing.
We photocopied a check, open air, and used up a good part of a cartridge painting the rest of the page black. (It should have been backed up with the white cover.)

2015-02-15 12:21:35

Sandra Gey

I tried to print a mirror image for my HP Office Jet 4500 from Word and the tip you gave me, doesn't exist. There are no properties that list mirror image. Any other solutions?

Thanks,

san

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