Printing Errors or Lights & Stuck Print Jobs

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Some users have issues using the automatic duplexer in Vista or Windows 7.  This guide addresses some of the common issues and provides some solutions.  

No option for two-sided printing. The selection for automatic two sided printing may be grayed out, or only manual duplexing is offered.  This typically occurs because the duplexer is not recognized as installed, or the driver may default to not installed.   To correct this in Vista do the following: go to Start, Control Panel, Printers, right-click on the printer, Run as Administrator, Properties, (continue), Device Settings, Installable Options, set the "Two Sided Duplex Unit" to installed, OK.  For Windows 7 the method is similar:  go to Start, Devices and Printers, right click on the printer, Printer properties, Device settings, Installable Options, set the "Two Sided Duplex Unit" to installed, OK. 

Back Side Prints Upside Down.  There are several possible issues that can cause the back side to print upside down.  The first thing to check is the settings.  Typically there will be a checkbox in the "Finishing"  or "Features" tab to select "Flip Pages Up" or perhaps "bind on short edge".  You may find that some programs require this box to be reversed from what you would expect.  I have heard that some Adobe products require the setting to be reversed.  If changing the setting does not change the orientation then you may need an updated driver or a patch.  You can check for driver updates from HP's web site here.  Patches for some inkjet models are available here.  This issue has been corrected in many of the drivers for Windows 7 but may still occur on Windows 7 systems that were updated from Vista.  The patches for Vista will work in Windows 7 as well if needed. [Update - HP has now corrected this issue in many drivers.Check here before proceeding with my patches, the HP solution is better automated for installing the fix.]

"Duplexer Hardware not Installed".  Some network connected printers such as the Photosmart C7280 may incorrectly indicate that the duplexer hardware is not installed when printing duplex pages.  Clicking "OK" will cause the pages to print properly.  HP has released updates for the drivers that address this issue, check the HP driver page to see if any updates are available for your model.  If your printer does not have an update available there is a workaround that may help:  some users have reported that temporarily installing the printer as a USB connected device, then changing back to networked once the installation has completed will fix the issue.

Other Issues.  If you have other issues printing duplex in Vista or Windows 7 please post the questions as a new thread in the forum.  Be sure to note which printer model, how the printer is connected, your operating system as well as details of the issue you are having.