To make two-sided printing easy to reuse on a Mac, set the duplex option in a print dialog and save it as a preset. Use a print job preset when you want a complete, repeatable group of settings; use a custom preset when you want to add or change duplex while leaving other job settings alone. Presets are the documented way to reuse print settings—macOS does not offer a separate universal “always duplex” switch in Printers & Scanners.

Choose the duplex option for the way you bind pages

Open a document and choose File > Print. Select the printer you intend to use, then find Double-sided in the dialog. Choose On for ordinary two-sided printing. Choose On (Short Edge) when the pages should turn over the short edge, such as for top-bound pages. The setting may be missing if the printer does not support duplex, and available controls can vary by app and printer. Apple’s print settings guide describes the option and its availability; Apple’s double-sided printing instructions also note that app-specific screens can differ.

Before saving, check the preview and confirm the selected printer and paper setup. A duplex preset only helps if the target printer supports the option and the print job exposes it. If your dialog lacks Double-sided, check the printer’s documentation or available printer software rather than assuming a hidden macOS command will enable it.

Save a reusable preset

With Double-sided set as desired, open the Presets menu and choose Save Current Settings as Preset. Give it a clear name, such as “Office — two-sided long edge.” Choose whether it should be available for the selected printer or all printers, then choose the preset type. Apple documents these steps in Save frequently used print settings for routine printing on Mac.

Choose a Print Job Preset if the whole saved configuration should be reapplied to a job. It replaces the job’s print settings with those captured when you saved it, so include any other settings you expect to use with duplex. Choose a Custom Preset if duplex is the specific change you want to preserve while leaving other settings untouched. Custom presets can be combined with a print job preset; however, choosing a print job preset overrides previously selected print job and custom presets. That order matters if you build a combination.

Apply it and check why a setting may not stick

For each later job, choose File > Print, verify the printer, then select your saved preset from Presets before printing. Apple says the menu can show current presets or the last-used settings; selecting the named preset makes the saved choice explicit. A preset saved for one printer may not appear when another printer is selected, so check its Available for scope if it seems missing.

If your Mac automatically returns a chosen preset to default settings after printing, review Edit Preset List from the Presets menu. Apple documents an option to make selected presets revert after a print job. Turn that behavior off if you want the chosen preset to remain selected in subsequent print dialogs. This controls preset reversion; it does not make duplex a printer-independent system default.

If duplex is unavailable or the printer behaves differently from the dialog, confirm the selected printer and check its driver or manufacturer guidance. macOS presents only the options available for the app and printer in use. A saved preset can retain settings that the print system exposes; it cannot add a feature the printer or its software does not provide.

A practical preset choice

For recurring documents on one known duplex printer, create a printer-specific Print Job Preset if you want both duplex and the rest of the configuration to repeat together. For mixed jobs where paper size, color, or other options change, keep the job-specific settings separate and use a Custom Preset for duplex. Name presets by printer or binding direction when that distinction prevents a wrong choice. This is a workflow recommendation based on Apple’s documented behavior for the two preset types, not a guarantee that every app exposes identical controls.

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