Double-Sided Printing: Front and Back, Head-to-Head or Head-to-Foot

Double-sided printing prints both faces of a sheet: the front, called the recto, and the back, the verso. In French it is simply "recto verso". Single-sided printing leaves the back blank.

The only real decision beyond "one side or two" is orientation: which way up the back prints relative to the front, so the reader does not turn the piece over and find the back upside down.

Head-to-head or head-to-foot

Head-to-head means the top of the front and the top of the back are on the same edge: you turn the piece over like a book page, sideways, and both sides read upright. Head-to-foot (also called work-and-tumble or calendar style) puts the top of the back at the bottom edge of the front: you flip the piece up from the bottom, like a wall calendar or a clipboard. Head-to-head is the usual choice for flyers and cards; head-to-foot suits pieces flipped on a clipboard or pinned at the top.

How to prepare a two-page PDF

Send one PDF with two pages: page 1 is the front, page 2 the back. Both pages must be the same size, include 1/8 in of bleed if colour reaches the edge, and be set upright, the way each side should read. If you want head-to-foot rather than the usual head-to-head, mention it to the shop. A landscape front with a portrait back is common on postcards; set each page the way it should read and mention that too, so the back lands the right way.

Where double-sided printing is offered

Our flyers come in single-sided or recto-verso versions in every size, from 3.5 x 8.5 to 8.5 x 11 in, and so do our postcards. Business cards print one or two sided, in colour or black and white, and spot UV business cards print on both sides. Notepads are the exception: a pad sheet prints on the front only.

Which one for your job?

Print double-sided when the back has a job: a map, a price list, contact details, a coupon or a second language. A bilingual piece with English on one side and French on the other is the classic Montreal case. Leave the back blank when people will write on it, or post it on a wall where nobody sees the back.

Common questions

What does recto verso mean?

Recto is the front of a sheet, verso the back. Printing recto verso means printing both sides; recto only means the front alone.

Should my back side be head-to-head or head-to-foot?

Head-to-head for pieces turned over sideways, which is most flyers, cards and brochures. Head-to-foot for pieces flipped from the bottom, like calendars and clipboard sheets. If you are unsure, hold a blank sheet and turn it over the way your reader will.

Do I send one file or two for double-sided printing?

One PDF with two pages: front on page 1, back on page 2, both upright and the same size.

Products where this term matters

See also in the dictionary: Bleed, Collate (collated vs uncollated), Postcard size · full dictionary