Menu option for "print on both sides" not displayed

[Gast]

I have the latest Acrobat X on my MAC, but the print option for "print on both sides" does not show up. It shows up fine in other applications, just Acrobat doesn't include it in the print dialogue box.Of course, the printer allows for double-sided printing, and I use it all the time. And there is only one printed installed on the computer.

  I look through the "Preferences," but couldn't find anything governing printing.

  Any idea what it could be?

[atir.husain]

Hi,

In the Print dialog box go "Multiple" tab and check the option for "Print on both side of paper".

[Gast]

I'm not sure I was clear enough. "Print on both sides of paper" does NOT show up in Acrobat, no matter what buttons I push. But it DOES show up in all other, I mean all other applications when I try to print.

[Dpakch]

Could you please attach the screnshot of Print dialog box. Also, what is the version of Mac and Acrobat at your end ?

[Gast]

Mac OSX , Acrobat X:

[Dpakch]

Could you please downlod the Post Script printer driver for Mac from Brother's website, and check if that works

[Gast]

This worked for me! I am using a HP printer in a Windows 7 environment. I uninstalled the PCL driver and installed the PostScript driver and now duplex/double-sided printing is showing up in every application and when I print pages on the internet. Thanks!

[Phillip M Jones]

Did you go into document properties and Change Printing from Simplex to Duplex?

Adobe has taken upon itself to overriding printer setting and requires you to set this in Adobe before your allowed to set twosided Printing.

see this link: https://skitch.com/pjonescet/853nc/document-properties

Adobe should respect the Print Driver for Page setup and Printing just like every other Application does.

I had the same problem with with my C310e HP Inkjet  I thought about pulling my hair  out then I went exploring.

The thing is, up to Acrobat and Reader 9  they did respect the print driver settings as set by computer and print driver.  Then someone got a wild hair in acrobatReader X to add this stupid  feature. With the high cost of supplies you always want to use duplex when possible. cuts down on wasted paper by half.

[Gast]

When I go to "multiple," it makes a 2-page spread, and I only want to print single pages, but on both sides of the paper. The "Document properties" only allows for setting the printing default, so that if I choose "duplex" it defaults to "multiple," but again, no printing on both sides for "single" pages.

[Gast]

I contacted Brother, and they confirmed that there is no Postscript driver for the MAC OS. They said the only hope is to have Adobe sort out the problem, since that is the only software that doesn't reocgnize the two-sided printing capacity of the printer.

[Agarwal_Atul]

Hi,

It is possible that Adobe Reader/Acrobat does not show the print on both sides option for certain printers as we read this information from a printer driver file which could be missing this information.

As an alternate, I would suggest you to please ckick on "Printer" button on the bottom of Print Dialog and that would invoke the MAC platform print dialog. You should be able to set the print on both sides option from Mac print dialog.

Thanks,

Atul Agarwal

Adobe Systems

[Gast]

I have a hard time parsing your English, but in any case none of what you say is any help. These were the most obviius things that I tried from the beginning. 

[Agarwal_Atul]

What i requested you to try was click the button as highlighted in red and select the desired option through another print dialog which is an OS controlled dialog.

[Gast]

This was, of course, the FIRST thing we tried. No options at all show up.

[Agarwal_Atul · Accepted solution]

If the Mac OS dialog is unable to detect whether your printer is double sided or not, Acrobat/Reader would not be able to detect so.

To explain about this technically, Acrobat/Reader always read this information from a printer driver file if a printer is a double sided or not. If that key in printer driver file is missing then it directly assumes that printer is a single sided printer and no longer shows the print on both sides option.

Sometimes it so happens that a printer is a double sided printer but the printer driver does not contain this information in its file which causes the applications to not display appropriate option. In such cases, it is recomendded to use an appropriate driver which has to be downloaded from vendor's site.

[Gast]

Once again, I would ask you to read the mails before you answer. Mac recognizes the printer in EVERY program except for Acrobat.

[Agarwal_Atul]

Could you send me the screenshots of MAC OS print dialog launched through Acrobat/Reader and other non-Adobe applications?

[Gast]

Sorry for the delay. I was away. First there is a screen shot of what happens in MS Word on my Mac:

… and here is what happens when I choose "Printer" at the bottom of an Acrobat page--same computer, same printer, moments later:

It seems clear to me that it is NOT a problem with the printer driver, but with Acrobat on the MAC.

[Agarwal_Atul]

Dear user,

My question is still not answered completely.

In the second screenshot above which shows"The print set up dialog box is provided by the OS...........", click on "Yes" button and that would invoke another dialog which is a MAC OS specific Print dialog. Share the screenshot of that dialog.

Thanks,

Atul

[Gast]

After downloading the latest drivers from the Brother support site, there has finally appeared a  'Yes/No' option in the print dialogue box, where there was formerly only an 'OK' button.

  If anyone else has the problem, the very most recent driver is the solution.

[gkaiseril]

Acrobat and Reader can access the printer definition file and can tell if a printer is capable of two sided printing or not. If the printer can perform this task then the option is visible. If the printer cannot do this without user intervention to flip and turn the pages, then the option is not displayed. So as noted one needs to make sure they have Acrobat/Reader up to date as well as their print drivers.

[Black_Scourge]

As if printing double sided is the only option on a modern printer: I have presets (in the Mac print dialog box) for "single sided", "single sided stapled", "single sided stapled with holes punched", double sided", "double sided stapled", "double sided stapled with holes punched", plus a few more. Since the printer always uses the latest used preset, I (almost) always have to open the Mac print dialog box when printing to check the settings: click on "Print" there and then click on "Print" in the Adobe dialog box. A series of completely unnecessary steps. A far as I can see there in *no added value at all* with the Adobe print dialog box, just tedious extra work.

[gkaiseril]

Not all printers provide the duplex printing, specifically inkjet printers and dot matrix printers.

One can create multiple Adobe PDF printers set for different options and then one can select the printer as needed. It is also possible to set the printParams using JavaScript so one can toggle the different options and either create a toolbar button for each printer setting or a JavaScript to create a menu pop-up or a Dialog for selecting or setting the printer options.

[Black_Scourge]

Your answer says it all: why keep things simple when you can complicate them?

I can only repeat my original point of view: it was just a *very bad idea* by Adobe to have their own print dialog box.

[tysong7012054]

This whole thread is ridiculous. Considering that this thread dates back to 2012, I kind of can't believe I'm having the same problem that so many other people are having in 2016. Adobe the problem in on your end. Your program is the ONLY application that has this problem. You need to add the print of both sides option as a permanent fixture of the first print window that appears. It's totally insane that you haven't already done this. The amount of time you are forcing your customers to waste on a function that most people use on a daily basis is criminal. Why not just fix it instead of giving so many people the run around?