ARCHIVED: Why does duplex (two-sided) printing count as two pages on my printing allotment?

Although duplex (two-sided) printing is a good way for students to reduce the use of paper at Indiana University, it does not represent a significant savings in printing costs.

The cost of paper represents only about 12.5% of the cost of printing a single page image on one side of a sheet of paper. You would have to print 16 pages in duplex (on 8 sheets of paper) in order to recover the cost of printing one page of your allotment. If you printed your entire allotment in duplex, the savings to UITS in printing costs would be less than $3.00, or 75 printed pages.

The cost of printing includes costs such as printer parts, which are often not covered under warranty, and wear out at a rate directly proportional to the number of 8.5"x11" page-images printed. Other factors include the price of the printers themselves, the costs of the maintenance staff, and costs associated with the print management software. Finally, duplex printing reduces printer reliability, causing more paper jams and faster wear on parts.

The best way to make your printing allotment last is through conservation of printing resources. For instance, printing two pages on one side of each sheet of paper counts as only one page against your printing allotment. It also reduces costs for all components of printing.

For more suggestions for conserving paper in the Student Technology Centers (STCs), see ARCHIVED: Conserve paper when printing