Duplex (Double-Sided) Test
Print a double-sided registration test.
Print settings
Print this on the paper you normally use, then examine each section. What a healthy result looks like is described above each pattern on the sheet.
RunTheTests Duplex (Double-Sided) Test · print at 100% · plain paper
Duplex registration — print double-sided; marks should align through the page
Alignment — registration crosshairs (lines should meet cleanly)
How this test page works
Printed double-sided, the marks on front and back should line up through the page. Offset means the duplex unit is not registering the two sides correctly.
What the results mean
- Front-to-back registration
- Hold the sheet to the light — the marks should overlap. A consistent offset indicates a duplex calibration issue.
Common problems and fixes
- The offset is different on every sheet
- That is a feed problem rather than a duplex calibration one. Inconsistent registration comes from paper slipping as it is turned — worn or dirty pickup rollers, guides set too loose, or curled stock. Clean the rollers, set the guides snug against the stack, and try a fresh ream before adjusting any calibration.
- The back page is upside down
- That is a binding setting, not a fault. Long-edge binding flips the back page for book-style reading; short-edge binding is for notepad-style. The print dialogue offers both, and choosing the wrong one produces a document that reads correctly on one side and upside down on the other.
- The registration marks are offset but the paper looks right
- Check scaling before believing the offset. "Fit to page" resizes each side to clear the unprintable margin, and it does so independently of how the sheet is turned over — which manufactures a front-to-back mismatch that the duplex unit had nothing to do with. Set scaling to 100% and confirm it survived selecting the two-sided option.
Frequently asked questions
My double-sided prints are misaligned
The duplex unit’s registration is off. Some printers have a duplex-alignment routine in their menu; otherwise a firmware update or service is needed. A small offset is normal and usually unnoticeable in text.
How much front-to-back offset is acceptable?
Around a millimetre is normal on consumer printers and invisible in ordinary text documents. It matters when you are printing forms that must line up, artwork that bleeds across both sides, or anything that will be trimmed — at which point a millimetre becomes the difference between a clean edge and a visible band.
Can I fix duplex misalignment myself?
Sometimes. Check the printer's menu for a duplex or two-sided alignment routine, which prints its own pattern and adjusts automatically — many office models have one and most home models do not. Failing that, a firmware update occasionally addresses it; beyond that it is a mechanical adjustment for a service technician.