The Story Behind DuplexBuddy
The Problem
Like many people, I owned a perfectly functional printer that lacked automatic duplex capabilities. When I was a Windows user, this wasn't an issue - my printer came with specialized software that guided me through the manual duplex process, handling all the complexities of page ordering and orientation.
Then I switched to Mac.
The manufacturer's software wasn't available for macOS, and suddenly I found myself unable to print double-sided documents. Despite being environmentally conscious and wanting to save paper, I was forced to print single-sided or attempt manual duplex printing through trial and error.
Failed Attempts
My occasional attempts at manual duplex printing were frustrating disasters. Without clear guidance on how to reinsert pages, I tried different approaches:
- Flipping the stack along the short edge
- Flipping along the long edge
- Rotating 180 degrees
- Reversing the page order
Each failed attempt resulted in misaligned pages, upside-down text, or content printed on the wrong side. Not only was this a waste of time, but I was burning through paper and toner with nothing to show for it.
The Solution: DuplexBuddy
After one particularly frustrating printing session, I decided there had to be a better way. I created DuplexBuddy to solve this specific problem - enabling manual duplex printing without requiring users to understand the complexities of page orientation.
The key insight was realizing that the software should handle all the complexity, not the user. By creating a one-time calibration process that learns how a specific printer handles paper, DuplexBuddy can generate perfectly ordered and oriented PDFs that enable double-sided printing with minimal handling.
No more flipping pages in complicated ways. No more wasted paper. No more frustration.
DuplexBuddy bridges the gap for those of us with legacy printers, allowing us to print professionally looking documents while saving paper - regardless of which operating system we use.