Manual Duplexing features and drawbacks

What is 'Manual Duplexing'?

Manual duplexing is the process of printing on one side of the paper, and then taking that page and manually feeding it back through the printer in order to print on the other side of the page.

For most laser printer models, manual duplexing is not a recommended procedure. Most laser printers have a duplex feature built into the printer or have an available duplex option for purchase that can be added to the printer. Either feature enables the printer to feed pages back through its system automatically, thereby allowing the printer to print on both sides.

The main advantage of using one of these features when printing on both sides is that they slightly change some of the printer settings (such as temperature). These adjustments decrease the chances of print quality and paper feed issues. When feeding the pages through manually, however, these advantages are not available. Therefore, the risks of paper jams and print quality issues increase when reloading paper by hand in an attempt to print on both sides.

Manual Duplexing feature and guidelines

Some laser printer models do offer a 'manual duplex' feature. For those printers, you can feed printed pages back through the printer to print on both sides. When doing so, you need to follow the guidelines below.

• Use good quality paper. Using such paper will help preserve the print quality when processing the second side of the page. See the printer's User's Guide for information on recommended paper types.
• Confirm that the stack of paper lies flat in the tray. If the paper is exiting the printer on the first pass with an excessive amount of curl, there is probably too much moisture in the paper. Try opening a new ream of paper and printing on it to see if that reduces the amount of curl.
• NOTE: To reduce the chances of curled paper, store the paper in a climate-controlled environment (i.e., an office). Also, try not to leave paper in the tray or in an opened package where it can be exposed to moisture.
• Straighten the stack of paper before loading it back into the tray.
• Make sure the side guides in the paper tray are properly positioned and are not pressing too tightly against the paper.

Manual Duplexing disadvantages

Be aware that some issues can arise when duplexing pages manually.

• Duplexing pages manually can increase the chances of paper jam and print quality issues occurring. This is because the paper has already gone through the printer once.
• The rollers that pull the paper out of the tray (also known as the 'pick tires') can become dirty. This happens when the surface of the rollers pick up toner as they grip and roll across the printed side of the page. You will need to periodically check and clean these rollers. In addition, you may have to replace the rollers more often than when single-sided printing.

Additional information

If you have any questions about manual duplexing, please contact Lexmark Technical Support.

When contacting Lexmark, you will need to know your printer's machine (model) type and serial number (SN). This information can be found on a label located either on the inside of the front cover or on the back of the printer.

NOTE: When calling Lexmark Technical Support, please call from near the printer in case the agent on the phone asks you to perform a troubleshooting task on the printer.

LEGACY ID: SO5229