How to Print Double-Sided on Google Drive

The paper-free simplicity of creating, accessing and sharing office documents with Google Drive makes it an eco-friendly alternative to desktop-based solutions. For those times you simply need the hard copy of a file, however, it's also possible to send files to a local, Google Cloud or AirPrint-based printer using the built-in printing functionality of your Web browser.

With the document open in your Google Drive account, either press "Ctrl-P" on a PC or "Command-P" on a Mac to launch your print dialog box. Alternatively, you can also select the print option from the browser toolbar -- in Chrome, for example, click the "Menu" icon, which looks like three perpendicular lines and is located to the right of the address bar, and then select "Print." From there, simply check the box for "Two-Sided Printing" to enable duplex copies and click "Print."

If you're working with a printer that doesn't feature duplexing capabilities, there's still a workaround to getting those pages printed double-sided. You will, however, need to run your print job through the machine twice. Begin by printing only the odd pages of your document -- some printer dialog boxes will feature a "Odd Pages" check box, while others require you to manually type in your document's odd numbered pages, as in "1, 3, 5, 7." Once these pages are printed, flip the stack of pages over and start another print job, but this time print the even pages instead.