How to Print Mixed Portrait and Landscape PDF Pages Double-Sided
Question details
The user needs to correctly print a PDF file containing both portrait and landscape pages double-sided without some of the pages printing upside down.
- Product
- PDF Printer
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Sending a multi-page PDF document with mixed page orientations to a printer for double-sided (duplex) printing.
- Observed behavior
- When the document is printed double-sided, the printer applies a single binding edge setting to the entire job, causing the landscape pages to appear upside down when flipped.
Verify whether your printer supports automatic duplex printing and take a quick look at your document to note which page numbers are in landscape orientation.
Print Portrait and Landscape Sections Separately
By splitting the print job, you can apply the correct double-sided flip setting (long-edge or short-edge) to each batch of pages.
Most standard printers cannot automatically switch between long-edge and short-edge binding in the middle of a print job. Because portrait pages require long-edge binding and landscape pages require short-edge binding to flip correctly, printing them in one batch causes upside-down pages.
To resolve this, you must print the document in two separate passes.
Scroll through your PDF and write down the page numbers that are in portrait orientation, and the page numbers that are in landscape orientation.
Go to File > Print. In the 'Pages to Print' section, enter the page numbers for your portrait pages (e.g., 1-5, 8-10).
Select the 'Print on both sides' (Duplex) option and ensure 'Flip on long edge' is selected. Click Print.
Open the Print dialog again. This time, enter the page numbers for your landscape pages (e.g., 6-7, 11).
Select the 'Print on both sides' option, but change the setting to 'Flip on short edge'. Click Print to finish.
Rotate Pages to a Uniform Orientation Before Printing
Temporarily rotate the landscape pages so that every page in the PDF shares the exact same portrait orientation before you send it to the printer.
Fix PDF Printing Issues Quickly with WPS Office
WPS Office offers a built-in PDF editor that makes it incredibly easy to manage page orientations, split documents, and configure advanced printing settings to avoid double-sided printing errors.
- 1. Open your PDF: Launch WPS Office and open your mixed-orientation PDF document.
- 2. Navigate to Page Management: Click on the 'Page' tab on the top ribbon to view all your pages in thumbnail mode.
- 3. Rotate to Match: Select all your landscape pages at once and click the 'Rotate' button to align them with your portrait pages.
- 4. Print Double-Sided: Press Ctrl+P, select your duplex settings, and print the entire document flawlessly in one go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my landscape pages print upside down on double-sided settings?
Printers apply a single binding setting to an entire print job. If you choose 'flip on long edge' for a portrait document, the printer flips the page along its longest side. When it encounters a landscape page in the same job, flipping on the long edge causes the back of that page to be upside down.
What is the difference between flip on long edge and flip on short edge?
Flipping on the long edge binds the pages like a standard book or magazine. Flipping on the short edge binds the pages along the top, similar to a legal notepad or calendar.
Can my printer automatically detect mixed orientations and adjust the duplex binding?
Most standard consumer and office printers cannot switch the duplex flip direction mid-job. Unless you are using advanced commercial RIP software, you must manually split the job or rotate the pages in the PDF file.
