Both the environment and your bottom line will benefit from double-sided printing. As you cut back on some of your printing expenses and improve the professional appearance of print jobs, you can feel good about going “green.” Double-sided printing can be done manually, but a printer duplexer automates the procedure, making it simpler and quicker. You can better understand a printer duplexer’s rules and maintain the efficiency of your print jobs by taking the time to learn how it operates.
Identification
If your printer has duplex printing capabilities, you can purchase a printer duplexer as an add-on accessory. A printer duplexer is a distinct, typically removable hardware device that comes with a printer. The majority of duplexers also need printer drivers, which are specialized software packages that enable the duplexer unit to function with your computer’s operating system. You can download printer drivers from both manufacturer and third-party websites.
Process
Depending on whether your duplexer has one or two print engines, duplex printing can be done in one of two ways. Each page prints on one side first using a single-engine duplexer, which is the most common kind, before “flipping” or turning around to print on the other side. A double-engine duplexer uses a multistep process to enable simultaneous printing on both sides. The information from your computer is used by a conductor belt to create an invisible “picture” of both sides of the print job. It then sends each side of the page picture to one of two transfuser belts, which come together and apply toner as each page passes through the printer.
Print Direction
The direction in which pages print and how a single-engine duplexer reads a print job depend on the page orientation, either portrait or landscape. The printer continuously reads each page from top to bottom, first right side up and then upside down, in long-edge landscape and short-edge portrait orientations. When printing a short-edge landscape or long-edge portrait, the printer reads both sides from top to bottom, right side up, but separately from the left and right sides.
Considerations
Duplex printing requires a lot of memory to operate. See if your printer has an open memory slot, and if so, think about adding more memory. Be aware that duplex printing’s multidirectional nature raises the risk of paper jams. Duplex printing is therefore not recommended for paper heavier than a 28-lb weight, labels, envelopes, or vellum.
