Dual-sided ID cards are great because they give you twice as much space to print cardholder information. But if you already have a single-sided printer, can you print dual-sided cards?

The Difference between Single and Dual-sided Printers

Single-sided ID card printers are built to only print on a single side of your cards – the card goes into the printer, is printed on, and then ejected. There is no way for the printer to automatically print on the second side, unlike a dual-sided printer.

Dual-sided printers, on the other hand, are designed to print on both sides automatically. Some printers have two printheads so the card is printed on both sides without flipping. Most printers, however, have a built-in card flipper that will flip the card over to print on the back side.

How to Print Dual-Sided Cards on a Single-Sided Printer

If you have a single-sided ID card printer and cannot upgrade or replace it with a dual-sided printer, you can still print dual-sided cards – it will just take a bit more work.

Run your card through the printer like normal to print the front side. Then load your card into the printer upside down and run it through the printer again, to print on the second side. You can do this for each card as you go, or print one side in batches and then the other.

Do be careful with how you handle the cards though! Touching the surface of the cards can leave oily fingerprints or dust behind, which can negatively impact the print quality. When handling cards, you should only hold them by the edges.