How to Print Front and Back on HP / Canon / Epson

Duplex printing looks different depending on your printer brand. HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother all handle it slightly differently, different driver interfaces, different menu locations, different support levels. This guide covers the exact steps for each brand.

How to Print Front and Back on HP Printers

Most HP printers support automatic duplex, making them good choices if two-sided printing matters to you.

HP Printers with Auto-Duplex

1. Open Print Dialog

   Press Ctrl+P (Windows) or Cmd+P (Mac) in any application.
2. Click Printer Properties

   In the Windows print dialog, click Printer Properties or Preferences. On Mac, expand the dialog and change the dropdown to Layout.
3. Find the Two-Sided Option

   In HP's driver (Windows), look under the Finishing tab. Select Print on Both Sides → choose Flip on Long Edge (portrait) or Flip on Short Edge (landscape).
4. Print

   Click OK then Print. The HP printer handles the flip automatically.

HP Printers Without Auto-Duplex (Manual Duplex)

Many HP DeskJet and HP ENVY models are manual-duplex only. HP Smart or the HP driver will print odd pages first, then show a dialog to flip the stack.

Enable Duplex Unit on HP (if greyed out)

Go to Devices & Printers → right-click HP printer → Printer Properties → Device Settings. Set Duplex Unit from "Not Installed" to "Installed." Then update your HP driver from support.hp.com.

How to Print Front and Back on Canon Printers

Canon's duplex option is found in the Canon driver interface, typically labeled as 2-Sided Printing.

Canon PIXMA (Home Inkjet)

1. Open print dialog → click Properties.
2. Go to the Main or Page Setup tab.
3. Find 2-Sided Printing and check the box.
4. Click Stapling Side Settings to set the binding edge.
5. Click OK and Print.

Canon PIXMA models typically show a 2-sided icon directly in the Quick Setup tab, the fastest path.

Canon imageClass (Office Laser)

Canon imageClass printers almost universally support automatic duplex:

1. Open print dialog → Properties → Finishing tab.
2. Under Binding Location, select Long Edge (Left) for portrait or Short Edge (Top) for landscape.
3. Enable 2-Sided Printing.
4. Click OK, then Print.

Canon. Face-Down Output Note

Canon laser printers are almost always face-down output. For manual duplex (if auto-duplex isn't available), the even pages need to be printed in reverse order. Use DuplexReady to handle this automatically.

How to Print Front and Back on Epson Printers

Epson's duplex settings vary significantly between EcoTank, Expression, and WorkForce models.

Epson WorkForce (Auto-Duplex)

1. Open print dialog → Printer Properties.
2. Select the Main tab in Epson's driver.
3. Check 2-Sided Printing.
4. Click Settings next to it → choose Binding Edge (Long Edge or Short Edge).
5. Click OK → Print.

Epson EcoTank / Expression (Manual Duplex)

Most Epson EcoTank and Expression home printers are manual duplex only. Epson's driver will show a dialog: "Print odd pages, flip the paper, click Continue to print even pages." The catch: Epson inkjets are face-up output, so your flip direction is different from Canon lasers.

For consistent results: use DuplexReady to pre-sort your PDF for face-up manual duplex.

Epson. Important: Ink Dry Time

Epson inkjets need ink dry time before re-feeding. After printing odd pages, wait at least 30 seconds before loading the pages back in. Feeding too quickly causes smearing.

How to Print Front and Back on Brother Printers

Brother HL and MFC series are among the best for automatic duplex printing. Most models above the entry level include it.

1. Open print dialog → Printer Preferences.
2. On the Basic tab, find 2-sided / Booklet.
3. Select 2-sided.
4. Click 2-sided Settings to choose Long-edge or Short-edge binding.
5. Click OK → Print.

Brother printers also have a Booklet option in the same menu for saddle-stitch printing, see: How to Print a Booklet from a PDF.

Manual Duplex for Any Printer

If your specific printer model isn't listed above, the universal approach for manual duplex is:

1. Print odd pages (1, 3, 5...), or let the printer's driver handle it via "Manually Print on Both Sides."
2. Wait for ink/toner to dry (especially for inkjet).
3. Flip the stack correctly for your printer's output direction.
4. Print even pages (2, 4, 6...).

Or: upload your PDF to DuplexReady, download the reordered version, and print all pages single-sided. No need to print in two passes or worry about flip direction.

Common Issues by Brand

• HP: Duplex unit not recognised → check Device Settings, update driver from support.hp.com
• Canon: 2-sided option missing → driver may be generic; install Canon-specific driver from canon.com
• Epson: Pages smeared on back → ink not dry; wait longer before reloading
• Brother: Booklet pages out of order → use Adobe Reader's booklet mode or DuplexReady

For a complete troubleshooting guide, see: Why Is My Double Sided Printing Not Working?