Windows 11 Duplex Printing flips on the short side regardless of settings

[CAPTAINPROTON]

HP 1606DN printer will not properly duplex from Windows 11.

All duplex output from Win11 flips on the short side regardless of settings. 

I have uninstalled and reinstalled the HP driver multiple times.  I have reset the printer to factory multiple times.  I have tried the application print dialog, I have tried the system print dialog.  I have tried printing from a number of different applications.

I have set flip on the long side in the application, the printer properties, the printer default and directly on the printer in the WEB IDE.

Just to cover the bases I tried setting it to flip on the short side, which also flips on the short side.

Duplex on the printer works as expected from Win10, IOS, Android, Mint, RedHat.. 

Unfortunately not from Win11.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @CAPTAINPROTON 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

I understand that your HP LaserJet Pro P1606dn Printer printer is not performing duplex printing as expected on Windows 11, with all printouts flipping on the short side regardless of settings, here are some steps you can take to try and resolve the issue:

Verify Printer Settings in Windows

• Ensure the duplex unit is recognized by Windows.
• Go to Start → Settings → Printers & Scanners → HP 1606DN → Manage → Printer properties → Device Settings
• Under Installable Options, set Duplex Unit to Installed
• Click Apply and then OK

Check Printing Preferences

• Confirm duplex printing is configured correctly.
• Go to Printers & Scanners → HP 1606DN → Printing preferences
• Under Basic tab, locate Two-sided Printing
• Select Flip on Long Edge
• Click OK to save changes

Update Printer Drivers

• Most Common Fix
• Outdated drivers may override duplex settings.
• Visit HP Support website → Drivers & Downloads
• Download the latest driver for HP 1606DN compatible with Windows 11
• Install and restart your computer

Check Advanced Print Settings

• Confirm duplex settings in the print dialog.
• When printing a document → Printer Properties/Preferences
• Ensure duplex printing is enabled
• Select Flip on Long Edge before printing

Update Printer Firmware

• Firmware updates can resolve persistent duplex issues.
• Visit HP Support website → Firmware Updates
• Download and install the latest firmware for HP 1606DN
• Alternatively, access the printer’s Embedded Web Server to check for updates

Hope this helps, Please revert if the issue persists.

Take care and have an amazing day!

[CAPTAINPROTON]

I know how to use duplex, that should be clear from my original post where I state that it works from the listed OS’s.  I know how to select duplexing and long vs short edge from the application dialog, the system dialog and from the printers webui.  Just to reiterate I have tried all possible iterations of those options.

Firmware is patched to the latest level.

i am using the HP delivered 1606DN driver.  The 1606 does not have a seperate duplex module, therefore is no option to activate the duplex module, so that does not apply to my scenerio.  Also, per my post..  IT IS DUPLEXING.  The issue is that it duplexes on the short edge REGARDLESS of any application, OS or internal printer settings..

On a side note, it does recognize if duplexing is turned off from the application or the system dialog.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @CAPTAINPROTON,

Thank you for responding.

I regret to hear that the issue is not resovled. It defaults to flipping on the short edge regardless of driver or application settings. It works correctly on Windows 10, but Windows 11’s print subsystem and IPP driver handling cause the misalignment. However I would request you to try:

Switch Driver 

In Device Manager → Printers, update the driver.

Instead of the HP delivered driver, try the HP Universal Print Driver (PCL6) https://support.hp.com/au-en/drivers/hp-universal-print-driver-series-for-windows/model/3271558 

Avoid the Windows IPP class driver.

Hope this helps, Please revert if the issue persists.

Have a good day.

[CAPTAINPROTON]

As noted in my post, I am using the HP delivered 1606 driver. For Win11.  The IPP driver recognizes none of the 1606 features, so it can only do std print..

I tried the HP UPD (PCL6) driver, unfortunately it won’t print at all.,  App shows printed..  Printer shows it receives a data stream but no output..

Keep in mind the 1606 is a PCL5e device., so not necessarily a surprise..

Unfortunately, HP has pulled the PCL5 enabled UPD from the driver page and from the FTP archive..

[Pallipurath]

Hi @CAPTAINPROTON

Thank you for responding.

To resolve the duplex orientation issue with your HP LaserJet P1606d non Windows 11, you must manually force the driver to recognize the duplex unit. Because PCL5 support is limited in newer universal drivers, the following steps focus on forcing the existing driver to acknowledge the "Long Edge" binding.

Force Duplex Recognition

Even if the driver is installed, Windows often defaults to "Not Installed" for the duplex unit. 

• Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
• Select your
• Go to the Device Settings tab.
• Locate Duplex Unit (or Installable Options) and ensure it is set to Installed. Click Apply.

Refresh Printing Preferences

Sometimes the driver gets stuck on a "Manual Duplex" setting. 

• In the same Printer Properties window, go to the General tab and click Preferences.
• Look for Two-Sided Printing. If it says "Two-Sided Printing (Manually)," click the Refresh button or manually change it to Flip on Long Edge

Have a good day.

[CAPTAINPROTON]

The 1606 does not have a seperate duplex unit, it is built in.  There is no option within the HP provided 1606 driver for Win11 to activate/install a duplex unit.  That would not make sense in theory and in practice is not an option.

just a reminder, IT IS DUPLEXING, so implying it does know it has a duplex unit is illogical in this context.  But again, not an option.  Also as I reminder. I gave uninstalled they driver, reinstalled, I have set the printer back to factory.

As to manual/auto settings.  I have tried switching back and forth and it made not difference.

I think a more accurate description of the current UPD is that PCL 5 support is non existent.  My testing shows limited to be an inaccurate description.  To be clear, I am not saying it will not print duplex, it will not print period.

thanks

[Kuroi_Kenshi · Accepted solution]

Hi @CAPTAINPROTON.,

Thank you for the detailed follow-up and for clearly outlining everything you’ve already tested,  that helps narrow this down significantly.

Based on your findings, this does not appear to be a configuration issue. Since Duplex works correctly on Windows 10 and other operating systems and consistently forces short-edge binding only on Windows 11 regardless of settings, this strongly points to a Windows 11 print subsystem or driver compatibility limitation with the PCL5e-based device.

Given your constraints (PCL5e device, UPD PCL6 not working, and IPP driver lacking features), here are the most relevant next steps:

Use Microsoft Generic PCL5 Driver (Workaround)
Windows 11 still includes a generic PCL5 driver that can sometimes handle legacy devices better than newer HP drivers:

• Go to Printers & Scanners > Add printer > Add manually
• Choose “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings."
• Select existing port (USB/TCP-IP)
• Under Manufacturer: Microsoft
• Choose “Generic / Text Only” or “MS Publisher Imagesetter” (test both)

Note: Feature support is limited, but this can help validate whether the issue is strictly driver interpretation of duplex flags.

Force Duplex via Application-Level Control (Advanced Test)
Some applications (like Adobe Acrobat) allow overriding driver instructions:

• Print via Adobe Acrobat
• In Print dialog > Properties > explicitly set binding to “Long Edge”
• Also check “Auto-Rotate” and orientation settings

This helps confirm whether the issue is at the application > driver layer vs OS > driver layer.

Known Limitation (Important)
At this point, given:

• Consistent short-edge forcing
• Correct behavior across other OS
• Lack of functional PCL5 driver support in modern stack

This is very likely a Windows 11 driver/rendering limitation with legacy PCL5e devices, not something that can be fully corrected via settings alone.

For a stable long-term solution, the practical options are:

• Continue using Windows 10 driver environment (if critical workflow depends on duplex orientation)
• Use an intermediate workflow (print to PDF > print via another application)
• Consider upgrading to a printer with native PCL6/PostScript support for full Windows 11 compatibility

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[CAPTAINPROTON]

I have Win11 Pro, there is no PCL generic printer driver listed, I can check Microsoft support site for availability's.

Suggesting I buy a new printer is NOT helpful.  There is nothing wrong with the printer I have, HP provides a Win11 driver for my printer.  It was ‘reasonable’ to assume it actually worked.  I agree with your assessment that the issue is with the driver and it does not work properly on Win11, despite being listed as compatible with Win11.

HP had a PCL 5 UPD driver, they seem to have removed it completely from their driver archive.

I don’t expect any vendor to support old equipment, but removing existing drivers that work…well..

Just to close this out, since my company buys a lot of HP equipment I was able to use that connection that to get the PCL5 UPD.

it works perfectly…all features of the printer work as expected on Win11.  That resolves my issue, without buying a new printer.

Thanks..