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UBC Mathematics: MathNet FAQ [Duplex Printing]



UBC Mathematics: MathNet FAQ [Duplex Printing]



Question: How do I print on one/both side(s) of the paper?
Author: Joseph Tam
Date: Dec. 1, 2005

Printing from a Windows workstation, the single-sided/duplex options can usually be found in the "Properties" submenu of the print menu. In the "Paper" tab, it will give you the option of "None" (single-sided), "Long edge" (flips over on the long edge which is what you probably want) and "Short Edge".

Printing from Unix, the usual way to set duplexing is by choosing the correct printer queue. Most public printers will have variations of a printer queue name that affects duplexing. The rule of thumb is that the printer name will usually print double-sided. Affixing a '1' or 's' will make it single-sided, whereas affixing '2' or 'd' will make it double-sided.

For example, if the printer is named "apple", sending it via

lpr -Papple ...
lpr -Papple2 ...
lpr -Pappled ...
will all produce double-sided output, whereas sending it to
lpr -Papple1 ...
lpr -Papples ...
will produce single-sided output.

Please use duplexing whenever possible as it makes more efficient use of paper.

To find a list of public accessible printers that can duplex, see the FAQ item

What public printers can I use and where are they located?