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Answered

Printing double sided InDesign

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
February 3, 2020
8 replies
103294 views

I am new to InDesign. Trying to print a tri-fold double sided and the reverse side is printing upside down. I think it is some settings I need to tweak but can't find an easy answer. Can anyone give guidance?

Correct answer Frans v.d. Geest

That is handled by the printer options, not InDesign. You have to set this up in your printer settings.

J

justin_6068

New Participant

When you go to the Printer settings through the IND dialog box, you need to select Double-sided On (Short Edge), then it will print correctly.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Braniac

That was answered 5 years ago.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

O

Olen Neal Caldwell

Participating Frequently

The post I wrote about this issue was misplaced on this question. I was having issues printing double-sided, which isn't what the OP was asking about. Sorry, I had too many windows open and you can ignore what I wrote (unless someone can tell me HTF I can delete a post.)

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Braniac

It's going to be here for all eternity for all to see! 😜

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

O

Olen Neal Caldwell

Participating Frequently

Good posts continually get buried under the weight of non-necessary ones. Yeah, that's a good policy.

O

Olen Neal Caldwell

Participating Frequently

The other answers are technically correct, but likely didn't help solve the issue. While it is true that you have to select "Printer" (bottom of first screen) and "Two-Sided" (second screen near top), you also have to have "All Pages to print" selected rather than the "Current Page" you're on, which is very likely what was causing your issues (it was ready to print all the pages on both sides, but you still weren't asking it to do so because you had print "current page" only selected). At least that's what I'm guessing was the issue, as was mine 5 minutes before I typed this. I realize this is an old thread, but other people will read this for answers so I'm posting it anyway because after reading all the answers, I still had to figure it out for myself anyway.

A

akhnenaton

Participating Frequently

When you initially create a new document for a double-sided pamphlet, I think you need to uncheck "facing pages" and give your document some bleed space 3mm or so, and that's that. Facing Pages should be checked off for a two-sided one page pamphlet. You're printing one document on both sides which isn't the same as printing a book (many pages). Once you're done with your document, you can export it as a PDF included the crop marks and bleed so the press shop knows how to set it up. Might be a variation if you're printing at home on your own desktop printer compared to some massive high-quality print run on a professional hardware. Other settings such as PPI for images, DPI, CMYK, and all that will depend to what output printer you're sending it to. A $250 Epson or a $1500 Epson isn't the same as a Xeikon PX3300HD (it prints at 1200dpi)..

It's not necessarily that it's handled by the printer as to more how it's set up. A printer at home can do duplex, many do. No doubt about that. It's more about how the document is setup. A pamphlet should, in my opinion, be set up as "no facing pages" (uncheck 'facing pages' when creating a new pamphlet document). You can have a no facing pages or facing pages and still instruct the printer to do duplex.

If facing pages is on, you'll notice a difference in how the pages are presented in the interface in InDesign. A pamphlet properly set up at the start with "facing pages" unchecked will show up differently in the pages interface in InDesign. It's showing you one piece of document with two sides not two pages. Confusing a bit, but physically, it's like taking one A4 on your desk, table, whatever, and there's only one physical page on the table. Facing pages, means, every physical piece of paper you lay flat on your desk, you'll have as many pages, two pages, means it two A4 on your desk that can print both sides.

For a one tri-fold pamphlet, you only need one page. It should be "no facing pages" (facing pages unchecked when creating new document). That's it.

Upside print? Depends if you're printing at home. Might be the way you are inserting the page back into the printer. Properly set up it shouldn't do that.

If you're printing from home, you'll probably have to select "print double-sided" on your home printer. How you insert the page back in, should be as according to the printer's instructions. Either way, that part, you'll need to read your printer's instruction or manual.

Again, a printer can print both sides of any document. That is not the same as setting up a one page non facing page document. In InDesign, telling it to do "no facing pages", tells it that the two pages you see in InDesign are the front and back of the document.

There are videos on this concept on YouTube.

T

tomahtoe2

New Participant

I am trying to TILE print from InDesign 2024 and it insists on printing double sided 😞 I have been in all rabbit holes realted to the printer and event look at the settings from Preview and Acrobat an in all cases "Double sided is turned off."

The work-around to export PDF and open in in Acrobat to tile-print is yielding this this error Below.

I was starting to have faith that ADOBE was a compentent/modern/up-to-date software company, as they seemed to be a 20 yrs ago but, alas. 😞

"Could not create PDF from:

/var/folders/6p/635zt43d2nz1frtwnm742z600000gn/T/PSxq8phD.tmp

Using Adobe PDF Settings: High Quality Print

see the log file for details.

"Very aggravating!

James Gifford—NitroPress

Braniac

Okay, just to start at the beginning — it helps to identify the version of InDesign you're using, and on what platform and OS version. You also don't identify the printer except in passing. The idea that all versions of everything are the same and should work properly/the same/together may be the first part of the problem here. (Spoiler: they don't. For example, some makes/models of printer driver, even in 2024, don't work well with certain software or completely on one computer platform or another.)

So besides those guiding basics... can you successfully print tiled output from ANY app on your system?

I'll also note that (in 2024) it's not too unusual to offload complex printing operations on Acrobat, to give a consistent, reliable path for many things, including color management, booklet printing, tiled printing and the like. Export to PDF and using Acrobat to manage the print process is just how things have evolved, to give the maximum amount of capability/compatibility in an ever-fragmenting world of systems and peripherals. (That said, my system supports printing of tiled output, with considerable control, from both ID and Acrobat.)

But yes, in the end, it may be that ID/Acrobat are not entirely compatible with your printer's driver. Or it may be that you're overlooking some simple step or setting in the process. There's no way to know until you give a rundown on the printer etc. (not screen snips of error messages), and confirm that yes, from _______ you can print tiled output successfully on your system.

Q

Querty

Known Participant

This was solved over HERE. In your document, go to File > Print. At the bottom of the box, there's a button called "Setup..." - clicking this brings up a warning, clicking OK brings up printer preferences. Select your printer, click "Preferences" and one of them should be double sided printing. Two years late, but hopefully it helps anyone else looking for the same thing!

bmack3

New Participant

I am having the same issue. The "two-sided printing" box is un-cheked in printer set up and InDesign still prints double sided. I did not have this issue until several months ago. Thanks - Bob

Scott Falkner

Braniac

Thank you. I'll try the reset when I am between projects.

You should tell us what printer you are using, what OS, and what version of the OS.

Here are the two main panels of InDesign’s Print dialogue and there is nothing to control or even select duplexing.

If I click the “Printer…” button at the bottom of the dialogue I can access printer specific controls, including duplexing and how the pages are bound.

Ashutosh_Mishra

Inspiring

Hi Jenifer,

Thanks for reaching out. I'd recommend checking out an old but similar discussion on https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign/printing-2-sided-from-indesign/td-p/2222207?page=1
Let us know if it helps.

Regards,

Ashutosh

Frans v.d. GeestCorrect answer

Braniac

That is handled by the printer options, not InDesign. You have to set this up in your printer settings.

jenniferm10679084Author

New Participant

Every other program I tried to print double sided comes out fine, so it does seem as though it is a setting in InDesign

John Mensinger

Inspiring

"it does seem as though it is a setting in InDesign"

But it's not. InDesign's Print dialog doesn't include duplexing settings. Your best bet would be to export the pages to PDF and print from Acrobat, but either way, duplex is a print driver setting. There is no universal convention for how it's presented, but "flip on [long or short] edge" is pretty common these days. If for some reason you must print from InDesign, click the Setup button near the lower-left corner of the InDesign Print dialog to access the print driver settings.

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