Short edge vs long edge
If every other page is upside down, this page is your answer. Change one setting.
When a printer prints both sides, it has to decide which way to flip the paper over. Flip it about the long edge and the back is the right way up for a portrait document. Flip it about the short edge and the back is the right way up for a landscape one.
A booklet is imposed on A4 landscape. So it needs short-edge flipping. Long edge gives you alternate pages upside down — the classic parish booklet failure.
What the setting is called
| Where you are printing from | What to look for |
|---|---|
| macOS print dialog | Two-Sided → Short-Edge binding |
| Windows / Adobe Reader | Print on both sides of paper → Flip on short edge |
| Google Chrome | More settings → Two-sided → tick Flip on short edge |
| A copier’s own touchscreen | 2-sided, sometimes shown as Top to Top vs Top to Bottom. For landscape you usually want Top to Bottom — test one sheet. |
Test with one sheet
Never discover this on a run of 120. Print a single sheet, fold it, and look. Thirty seconds now against a recycling bin full of Sunday’s booklets later.
It is still wrong
- Right way up but wrong order — the imposition is wrong, not the duplex setting. See imposition.
- Fine on the first sheet, wrong after — the printer is reversing the output stack. Look for a “reverse order” option.
- The copier ignores the setting — some copiers override the driver from the panel. Set it on the panel too.
Questions
Should booklets print on short edge or long edge?
Short edge. A booklet is imposed on A4 landscape, and landscape duplex needs short-edge flipping. Long edge produces alternate pages upside down.
Why is every other page of our booklet upside down?
The printer is flipping on the long edge. Change the duplex setting to flip on the short edge and reprint one test sheet.