How Do I Print Double Sided on a Mac: Your Comprehensive Guide

Enabling double-sided printing, also known as duplex printing, on your Mac can significantly reduce paper consumption and help you be more environmentally friendly. However, users sometimes encounter difficulties getting this feature to work correctly. If you’re asking “How Do I Print Double Sided On A Mac?” and finding the option greyed out or missing, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will walk you through various troubleshooting steps and solutions to ensure you can easily print on both sides of the paper from your macOS device.

Understanding Double-Sided Printing on Your Mac

Before diving into solutions, let’s clarify what double-sided printing entails on a Mac. When you choose to print double-sided, your printer automatically flips the paper to print on both sides. This feature, often called “duplex printing,” is usually readily available in the print dialog box on macOS. Typically, you’ll find a “Two-Sided” or “Duplex” option within the print settings.

However, sometimes this option is not available, greyed out, or doesn’t function as expected. This can be due to several reasons, ranging from printer driver issues to incorrect system configurations. The following sections will explore common causes and effective solutions to get your double-sided printing working seamlessly.

Common Solutions to Enable Double-Sided Printing on Mac

If you’re struggling to print double-sided, here are several methods you can try. These solutions are based on common user experiences and expert recommendations to resolve double-sided printing issues on macOS.

1. Check Printer Capabilities and Driver

First and foremost, ensure your printer actually supports double-sided printing. Not all printers have this capability. Refer to your printer’s specifications or manual to confirm if it’s a duplex printer.

Next, the correct printer driver is crucial. macOS generally supports printers using AirPrint, but for full functionality, especially duplex printing, using the manufacturer’s specific driver is often necessary.

Solution:

Visit your printer manufacturer’s website (e.g., Epson, HP, Brother).
Download and install the latest driver specifically designed for your printer model and macOS version.
During installation, ensure you select the “full feature” driver if offered, as basic drivers might lack duplex options.

2. Resetting the Printing System

Sometimes, the macOS printing system can encounter glitches that prevent features like double-sided printing from working correctly. Resetting the printing system can resolve these issues by clearing out old configurations and allowing for a fresh start.

Steps to Reset Printing System:

Go to System Preferences from the Apple menu.
Click on Printers & Scanners.
Right-click (or Control-click) in the blank space in the left printer list panel. If you have a printer selected, right-click on your printer name.
Select “Reset printing system…”
Confirm the reset when prompted.
Click the “+” button to add your printer back.
In the “Add Printer” dialog, ignore the “Use” default (like Secure AirPrint).
Click on the “Use” dropdown menu and select the original software/driver for your printer (e.g., “Epson XXX series”, “HP Laserjet driver”). Look for options that explicitly mention “duplex”.

ignore the default setting and click the field Use

Alt text: Screenshot showing the “Use” dropdown menu in the Add Printer dialog on macOS, highlighting the need to select the printer’s specific driver instead of the default AirPrint option.
You may see multiple driver options for your printer. Try each one, especially those mentioning “CUPS” or explicitly stating “with Duplex support,” until you find one that enables the double-sided option in print settings.

click the field Use and select the original software for your printer

Alt text: Screenshot showing the “Use” dropdown menu expanded, displaying a list of printer drivers, emphasizing the selection of the printer manufacturer’s driver for duplex functionality.
Click “Add”.

click Add in the right bottom corner

Alt text: Screenshot of the “Add Printer” dialog with the “Add” button highlighted in the bottom right corner, prompting the user to finalize adding the printer.
After adding the printer, go back to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners, select your newly added printer, and click “Options & Supplies…” > “Options”.
Look for a “Duplex Unit” or similar option and ensure it is checked or enabled.

then, in the opened up window, check duplexer option or sounding something like this

Alt text: Screenshot of printer options showing a “Duplex Unit” checkbox, instructing users to enable this option to activate double-sided printing.

3. Utilizing CUPS to Configure Duplex Printing

CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) is the underlying print system in macOS. It offers advanced configuration options that can sometimes help enable duplex printing, especially if drivers or standard settings are failing.

Steps to Configure Duplex via CUPS:

Enable CUPS Web Interface: Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal) and type the following command, then press Enter:
```
sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yes
```
Enter your administrator password when prompted.
Access CUPS Web Interface: Open your web browser and go to http://localhost:631.
Navigate to Printers: Click on the “Printers” tab.
Select Your Printer: Click on your printer’s name from the list.
Access Administration Menu: From the dropdown menus, select “Administration” then “Set Default Options”.
Find Duplex Settings: Look for options related to “Duplex,” “Two-Sided Printing,” or “Duplex Unit.” The exact wording will vary by printer model.
Enable Duplex: Select the option indicating that the Duplex Unit is “Installed” or “Enabled”.
Set Default Options: Click the “Set Default Options” button at the bottom of the page. You may be prompted for your macOS username and password again.
Disable CUPS Web Interface (for security): In Terminal, type:
```
sudo cupsctl WebInterface=no
```

4. Checking Printer Options in System Preferences

Sometimes, the duplex option needs to be explicitly enabled within the printer’s settings in System Preferences.

Steps to Check Printer Options:

Go to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
Select your printer in the left panel.
Click “Options & Supplies…”.
Go to the “Options” tab.
Look for a “Duplex Unit” or “Two-Sided Printing” option.
Ensure the box next to it is checked or that it is set to “Installed.”

5. Epson Printer Specific Solution

For users with Epson Workforce printers, there’s a specific setting within the printer’s web interface that might resolve double-sided printing issues on a Mac.

Epson Workforce Solution:

Go to System Preferences > Printers & Scanners.
Select your Epson printer and click “Options & Supplies…” then “Show Printer Webpage…”.
On the printer’s webpage, look for a “Back to Main” or similar button and click it.
Find a dropdown menu, often at the top of the page, and select “Advanced Settings”.
In the left-hand menu, look for “Printer Settings” then “Error Settings”.
Ensure “Auto Error Solver” is switched “On”.

Troubleshooting Application-Specific Issues

Sometimes, double-sided printing problems are isolated to specific applications like Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, or web browsers.

1. Adobe Acrobat and Reader

Adobe applications sometimes have their own print dialogs that can override system settings.

Troubleshooting Adobe:

In the print dialog, look for a “Printer…” button (often in the bottom left corner). Clicking this should open the macOS system print dialog, where you should find the standard “Two-Sided” option under the “Layout” settings.

Adobe InDesign Printer Button

Alt text: Screenshot of Adobe InDesign print dialog highlighting the “Printer…” button, which leads to the macOS system print settings for duplex control.
Alternatively, some older versions of Adobe Reader might not directly offer duplex options in their print panel. In these cases, you may need to configure duplex printing directly through your printer’s control panel or the CUPS interface as described earlier.

2. Microsoft Word

Similar to Adobe, Word might also have its own print settings that could obscure the double-sided option.

Troubleshooting Word:

In Word’s print dialog, ensure you are using the macOS system print settings. Look for a dropdown or button that allows you to switch to “Layout” settings, where the “Two-Sided” option should be available.

3. Web Browsers (Firefox, Safari, Chrome)

Most browsers utilize the macOS print dialog, but inconsistencies can occur.

Troubleshooting Browsers:

If the two-sided option is missing in one browser but present in others (like in the example of Firefox vs. Acrobat in the original thread), the issue is likely application-specific, potentially related to how the application interacts with the print system.
Try resetting browser settings or reinstalling the browser if the issue persists in a specific browser.

When Double-Sided Printing Still Doesn’t Work

If you’ve tried all the above steps and still cannot print double-sided, consider these further points:

Printer Hardware Issues: Although less common, a hardware malfunction in the printer’s duplex unit could be the cause. Contact your printer manufacturer’s support for hardware diagnostics.
macOS Version Compatibility: While macOS is generally good at backward compatibility, very old printers might have driver issues with newer macOS versions. Check for driver updates compatible with your specific macOS version.
Consult Printer Support: Reach out to your printer manufacturer’s customer support. They may have specific troubleshooting steps or updated drivers for your printer model and macOS version.

Conclusion

Enabling double-sided printing on your Mac is usually a straightforward process. However, when issues arise, systematically working through the solutions outlined in this guide should help you resolve most problems. From checking printer drivers and resetting the printing system to configuring CUPS and verifying application-specific settings, you have a range of tools to get duplex printing working efficiently. By following these steps, you can effectively answer the question “how do I print double sided on a mac” and enjoy the paper-saving benefits of duplex printing.