Photosmart 9180 - Duplex Printing?

[mkolier]

Though the specs say that duplex printing is not supported by the 9180, has anyone tried it? Obviously you'd have to do it manually on appropriate paper. Do you think it can be done without harming the printer?

[gcrogers]

Welcome to the forum, m.

I don't know that any photo-specific printer supports duplex printing per se. That said, any can do it manually. My 2 cents would be to make sure you are using two-sided paper, and the only I have ever seen are of the matte variety, and that side one is thoroughly dry prior to printing side 2. (then subsequently doing it all over again because you put the paper in wrong side up on the second side )

Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but in my experience, duplex means automatic two-sided printing and really has nothing to do with printing front and back manually. With that in mind, I wouldn't take 'does not support duplex printing' to mean not to print the other side of a two-sided photo sheet.

Curious to hear other takes on this, if there are any.

[bez]

They all will do it manually, but allow to dry for as long as possible before printing the second side - it may feel dry to the touch when it comes out of the printer but the surface remains soft and vulnerable for at least an hour or more.
I can’t imagine how it would harm the printer; it’s more likely to damage the side you’ve already printed, depending on the feed mechanism of the 9180, which is known to have occasional transport-wheel problems.
Double-sided paper is available in a variety of surfaces.

[Costas L]

I don't know that any photo-specific printer supports duplex printing per se. That said, any can do it manually.

Wish you hadn't said that greg - I can now see the marketing people getting hold of your statement and proclaiming a leap forward in their photo printer technology.

Duplex printing fully supported - just turn the paper over when the inks dry

[samdring]

Before I sold my 9180, I put together an album of a wedding - not a wedding album rather photos and comments on the more amusing side of the wedding (and stag/hen nights!) with space for guests to sign and add wishes etc. I used a Hahnemuhle Fine Art Album with double side inserts and the quality was superb. Given the medium, 'twas dry very quickly. Special template available for printing given that one edge needs larger margin for the fasteners.

[gcrogers]

Duplex printing fully supported - just turn the paper over when the inks dry

[mkolier]

Terrific answers - thank you everyone! I will look into the Hahnemuhle paper. You've all been very helpful (and funny). I was planning on turning the paper over and printing the second side but the tip about possibly needing an hour to dry is significant. I know I can't get photo paper that's glossy both sides but maybe a cover stock might work - the printer supports up to 220gsm from the feeder tray so I might be able to find something that will be close.

Thanks again!! and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions as I learn all the ins and outs fo the 9180.

Michele

[BrianA]

Sorry to join so late, but I've only just found this wonderful forum. I have a B9180, which has brought me equal amounts of joy and pain. Lovely prints (though 6x4's often suffer from track marks?); a temperamental feeding mechanism; I hate the need to leave it on all the time - surely it's wasting precious energy? Won't go on - there are other problems.

The one I am desperate for an answer to is this: I have written a book and wish to print out a trial copy. I want to do this on both sides of the page to save paper as well as to make it look like the real thing. On my old Canon printer (and before that an Epson) all I had to do was print out one side using a Odd Pages setting in the set-up; turn over the paper and put it back in the printer, select Even Pages, and - Eureka! - it would print out the double-sided pages.

For some reason the 9180 will not let me do this. It prints the pages in weird orders, skipping out some, spitting out blank pages at other times. I have spent some time on the phone to the Technical Dept of HP (and we all know what fun this is), where I had considerable difficulty getting the Tech to understand the problem in the first place - telling me that the printer didn't support Duplex printing - which I already knew, and wasn't trying to do. Finally I thought I had got through to him, but, sadly, he had no constructive suggestion to give. 45 minutes of my life I will not get back again.

I am assuming that there is a setting that I have got wrong. Does anyone have any advice?

By the way, does anyone else have the problem that when you select the Document setting in the Printer set-up dialogue it constantly tells you that you have the wrong size of paper in no matter what size you select? It's always A4 for me, and I have tried all kinds of other sizes, smaller, bigger, but no dice.

[jrhilton]

Sorry to join so late, but I've only just found this wonderful forum. I have a B9180, which has brought me equal amounts of joy and pain. Lovely prints (though 6x4's often suffer from track marks?); a temperamental feeding mechanism; I hate the need to leave it on all the time - surely it's wasting precious energy? Won't go on - there are other problems.

The one I am desperate for an answer to is this: I have written a book and wish to print out a trial copy. I want to do this on both sides of the page to save paper as well as to make it look like the real thing. On my old Canon printer (and before that an Epson) all I had to do was print out one side using a Odd Pages setting in the set-up; turn over the paper and put it back in the printer, select Even Pages, and - Eureka! - it would print out the double-sided pages.

For some reason the 9180 will not let me do this. It prints the pages in weird orders, skipping out some, spitting out blank pages at other times. I have spent some time on the phone to the Technical Dept of HP (and we all know what fun this is), where I had considerable difficulty getting the Tech to understand the problem in the first place - telling me that the printer didn't support Duplex printing - which I already knew, and wasn't trying to do. Finally I thought I had got through to him, but, sadly, he had no constructive suggestion to give. 45 minutes of my life I will not get back again.

I am assuming that there is a setting that I have got wrong. Does anyone have any advice?

By the way, does anyone else have the problem that when you select the Document setting in the Printer set-up dialogue it constantly tells you that you have the wrong size of paper in no matter what size you select? It's always A4 for me, and I have tried all kinds of other sizes, smaller, bigger, but no dice.

How about saving your book as a pdf (using a free pdf printer driver maybe) and select odd or even only in the adobe reader print option screen (or are you doing this?) It worked ok for me when printing double sided a while back.