Printer Settings Explained

What the common options in a print dialog do: quality, paper type, two-sided, scaling, colour and more.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · Written by Ask Buddy · General information; steps vary by model and software version.

The print window on your computer or phone offers more choices than most people use. Here is what the common ones do. Names vary a little between apps and operating systems.

Printer

Which printer the job goes to. If you have used several printers, or the same printer over both USB and Wi-Fi, it may appear more than once. Pick the one you mean; a copy that says "offline" or has "(Copy 1)" in the name is often an old entry.

Copies and pages

"Pages" lets you print a range such as 1-3, 5. "Collate" prints complete sets one after another instead of all the page 1s first.

Paper size and paper type

Size (Letter, A4, 4×6 photo and so on) must match the paper actually loaded, or the printer may stop and ask. Type (plain, photo, glossy, cardstock) changes how much ink is used and how the printer handles the sheet. Choosing the right type is the simplest way to improve photo prints.

Quality

Draft or "fast" uses less ink and is quicker; "best" or "high" is slower and uses more. Normal is right for most documents.

Colour or greyscale

Greyscale (black and white) saves colour ink on documents that don't need it. On some inkjets, greyscale still uses a little colour ink to make a richer black.

Two-sided (duplex)

Prints on both sides. "Long edge" binding suits portrait pages turned like a book; "short edge" suits pages flipped upward like a notepad. If your printer can't duplex automatically, some systems offer "manual duplex": print one side, turn the stack over as instructed, and print the other.

Scale and layout

"Fit to page" shrinks or enlarges content to the paper. "Actual size" or 100% keeps exact dimensions, which matters for forms, labels and tickets. "Pages per sheet" puts several pages on one sheet to save paper.

Borderless

On photo paper, prints edge to edge. The image is slightly enlarged, so the very edges may be trimmed.

Where to find more options

Look for "Properties", "Preferences" or "Printer Features" in the print window. These come from the printer's driver or the operating system and differ by model. The manufacturer's user guide for your model lists exactly what each one does.

Ask Buddy is an independent business. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorized by any manufacturer or brand mentioned on this website, and we are not an official support channel for any of them.

Related articles