Duplex Printing from Multiple Trays

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 5, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

Lesley has a printer that has multiple paper trays. She has the letterhead in tray 2 and the continuation bond in tray 3. She wrote a macro that prints the first page from tray 2 and the rest of the pages from tray 3. She has a need, though, to create a macro that will print duplex from tray 2 (which covers the first two pages of the letter) and the rest of the pages duplex from tray 3.

This can be done with a macro, but the approach is probably not what you'd expect. In general, what you need to do is this:

Create a new printer definition in Windows that prints from tray 2 in duplex.
Create another new printer definition in Windows that prints from tray 3 in duplex.
Create a macro that prints pages 1 and 2 of a document to the printer you created in step 1, then prints starting at page 3 to the printer you created in step 2.

The key here is to create the printers definitions in steps 1 and 2. If you don't do this, you can't force the printers (within a macro) to print in duplex. The reason is that duplex is handled at a printer level, and Windows doesn't make those settings available to Word. However, since the printer definition is set to print duplex, anything you send through that "printer" (in Word) is automatically in duplex.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (5681) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Turning Off Insert Options

When you insert rows, columns, or cells in a worksheet, does the resulting Insert Options icon bother you? Here's how to ...

Discover More

Beginning of a Future Week

Because Excel stores dates internally as serial numbers, it makes doing math with those dates rather easy. Even so, it ...

Discover More

Converting Strings to Numbers

When working with data in a macro, there are two broad categories you can manipulate: numbers and text. Sometimes you ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Printing Summary Information

Word automatically maintains a number of properties for each document you create. As part of those properties you can ...

Discover More

Controlling Where a Full-page Border is Printed

When you add full-page borders to your document, you may be bothered to find out that one or more sides of the border ...

Discover More

Printing Only Some Pages

I often need to print only select pages of a document, rather than the whole thing. Word makes it easy to be judicious in ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is six more than 9?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.