How to Print From a Laptop: Print Settings and Double-Sided Printing

In short

Once your printer is set up, printing from a laptop takes three steps: open the print dialog, check a few print settings, and press Print. This tutorial explains the settings that matter most, including page ranges, copies, color, quality and double-sided printing, so you print exactly what you need and save paper and ink along the way.

Before you start

The printer must already be added to your computer. If it isn’t, follow our printer setup tutorial first.

Every program has its own print dialog, so the screen you see in Word, a web browser or the Photos app looks slightly different. The important settings appear in almost all of them, although names vary: “two-sided”, “duplex” and “print on both sides” mean the same thing. Some settings only appear after you open More settings, Printer properties, Preferences or Show Details.

Key terms

• Print dialog: the window that appears when you choose Print, where you pick a printer and settings.
• Print preview: a picture of how the pages will look on paper before you print.
• Page range: which pages to print, for example only page 2, or pages 3 to 5.
• Duplex (two-sided) printing: printing on both sides of each sheet. Automatic duplex printers flip the paper themselves.
• Default printer: the printer your computer chooses automatically when you print.

Lesson: print with the settings you want

1. Open the document, web page or photo you want to print.
2. Open the print dialog. Press Ctrl + P on Windows or Command + P on a Mac, or choose File > Print from the program’s menu. In a web browser, the browser’s main menu also has Print.
3. Under Printer, choose your printer from the list. Avoid “Microsoft Print to PDF” or “Save as PDF” unless you want a PDF file rather than paper.

Checkpoint: the preview should show your document. If the preview is blank, close the dialog and check that the document has finished loading.

4. Choose the pages. Select All, or type a range such as 1-3 or 2, 5. In a web browser, the preview shows page numbers so you can skip the last page of adverts or blank space.
5. Set the number of copies. If you print several copies of a multi-page document, look for Collate so each copy comes out in order.
6. Choose color or black and white. Printing in black and white or grayscale saves color ink for everyday documents.
7. Check the paper size and orientation. Letter is the standard in the United States; A4 is standard in most other countries. Choose Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide) to match your document.
8. Pick a quality setting if your printer offers one. Draft or Fast uses less ink; Best or High is for photos and important pages. Select the matching paper type, such as plain or photo paper.
9. Select Print.

Lesson: double-sided printing

1. Open the print dialog with Ctrl + P or Command + P.
2. Look for a setting such as Print on both sides, Two-sided, Duplex printing or Pages per sheet / Both sides. In Windows programs it may be under More settings or Printer properties; on a Mac it may be a Two-Sided option in the dialog or under the layout settings.
3. Choose Flip on long edge for normal portrait documents that read like a book. Choose Flip on short edge for landscape pages or calendars that flip upward.
4. Select Print.

If your printer doesn’t support automatic duplex printing, many drivers offer a manual two-sided option: the printer prints one side, then shows instructions for turning the stack over and putting it back in the tray. Follow the on-screen picture carefully, because the correct orientation differs between printers.

Checkpoint: the second side should read the right way up. If it’s upside down, switch between long-edge and short-edge flipping.

Lesson: set your default printer

If you have more than one printer, or see entries such as fax and PDF printers, set a default so you don’t have to choose every time.

1. In Windows 11, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. In Windows 10, open Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners.
2. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer. When it’s on, Windows picks the printer you used most recently.
3. Select your printer, then choose Set as default.
4. On a Mac, open System Settings > Printers & Scanners and choose your printer from the Default printer menu.

Check that it worked

Print a two-page document using double-sided printing in black and white. You should get one sheet, printed on both sides, with the text the right way up. Then open the print dialog again: your default printer should already be selected.

If something goes wrong

• The two-sided option is missing: open Printer properties or Preferences from the dialog; if it still isn’t there, your printer may only support manual duplex printing.
• Pages come out smaller or cut off: check that the paper size in the dialog matches the paper in the tray, and choose Fit to page or Scale to fit if available.
• Nothing prints and there’s no error: make sure the right printer is selected, then check for a stuck queue in our printer offline tutorial.
• Colors look wrong or faded: set the correct paper type and quality, then see print quality help.
• The printer prints extra blank pages: use the preview to check the page range; web pages and documents often end with an empty page.

FAQ

What is the keyboard shortcut to print?

Press Ctrl + P on Windows or Command + P on a Mac. It works in almost every program, including web browsers, Word and the Photos app.

How do I print only part of a web page?

Select the text you want with your mouse, open the print dialog, and look for an option such as Selection or Print selection only. Not every browser shows this option; if yours doesn’t, copy the text into a document and print that.

Why does my laptop keep choosing the wrong printer?

Windows may be set to manage the default printer for you, which picks the last one used. Turn off Let Windows manage my default printer and set your own default.

Does printing in draft mode damage the printer?

No. Draft mode simply uses less ink and prints faster, with lighter results. It’s a good choice for everyday documents you don’t need to keep.