Updated 25/04/2025

When it comes to printing multiple pages of a document, one of the options that are normally available in the print setup is, ‘do you want your documents to be collated?’, but what does collate when printing mean?

What Does Collate Printing Mean?

Collate printing means when printing more than one copy of a multi-page document, pages are printed in the correct order from the first page to the last page, before the next copy is printed. They are sorted into a correctly assembled order for you from the first to last page – so if you are printing multiple copies to hand them out later, it will print them as sets of documents, not as single pages. 

What does Collated vs Uncollated mean?

The opposite of collated printing is uncollated printing. The difference between collated and uncollated is if the collate function is disabled and you wanted to print three copies of the same 5-page document then it would print the pages in this order: 111, 222, 333, 444 and then 555.

Collating is usually set by default, but it can be deselected when you print a document. If you don’t collate, you may need to put documents in the right order after they have been printed.

When you should print collated:

Collated printing is useful in the following situations:

1. When printing several multi-page A4 documents for a presentation or meeting: collated printing will save time later when you need to combine the pages to hand them out. It will also prevent any human errors or mistakes compared to gathering the pages yourself. For example, it’s frustrating when you need to print a document 20 times so that you can share a copy with 20 people, only for the printer to put 20 pages one’s into a pile, then 20 pages two’s and so on.
2. If you plan to bind pages together manually or use a binding machine: collated printing will output your documents in the correct order, making binding them together much quicker later on, for example, if you have a document that is five pages long and you wanted to print multiple copies, collating enables it to print pages 1,2,3,4 and 5 in the correct order and then repeat this again if you need more than one copy.
3. If your ink or toner is running low: once ink or toner cartridges run out, you won’t completely need to start your print again if you’ve already printed most copies in order. If you had printed uncollated, the later pages wouldn’t have printed yet.
4. If you’re in a hurry: a little obvious but collated printing saves a lot of time compared to combining documents later on!

When to print uncollated:

Whilst collated printing is the default and seems like the most obvious choice, there are occasions when printing uncollated is the best option:

1. When printing booklets: Selecting the uncollated option is useful when a booklet is being printed, or pages aren’t printed in a logical order.
2. When print quality or consistency needs to be checked: its easier to check multiple of the same pages against each other to check print quality.
3. If you have a basic printer: Some older or more basic printers have low memory which can cause issues when printing large collated documents. The memory isn’t large enough to store the full document and so it slows the whole process as the printer processes the document in parts.

The Benefits Of Collated Printouts

Collating before you print means less time sorting and rearranging the paper after documents are printed. It saves time and improves efficiency – great for any business. It’s a great option whether you are printing our leaflets or booklets or just printing out hefty PDF documents or guides.

It also means that if you are printing out a great deal of collated documents to hand out, say for a seminar or informative talk, they will be grouped together – which means you could even forego fastening or binding them to save even more time.

How To Collate On Your Printer

When printing, the collate option is normally ticked by default. To make sure, check that the collate option is ticked or selected in the print preview or dialogue box that appears when you click ‘print document’, before confirming you want to print. It will usually be represented by a symbol featuring three pieces of paper, layered on top of one another.

Select this and the printer should automatically collate your document and print it out in the right order.

The collate option can appear in different places depending on the software you are using to print. On a PDF, when you increase the number of copies you wish to print, the collate tick flag will then appear. This is the same for printing from emails and printing web pages.

Manual Vs. Offline Collation

Offline collation is also possible and can be performed manually or automated. Manual or offline collation refers to putting the printed pages in order by hand.

If pieces within your documents have similar characteristics then you should be able to collate them with automated equipment. However, if you have documents that are dissimilar such as a business card or a product catalogue then this would not be a good fit for an automated collation and it would require you to collate it by hand.

Try collating your printed documents and see how much easier it makes your life, you’ll never have to manually put your papers together again – the printer does all the hard work for you!

Troubleshooting Collation Issues

When you choose to collate prints, you might run into several issues. Below we’ll troubleshoot the most common pitfalls of printing collated, and offer some helpful tips on how to avoid them and get the most out of your prints.

1. You encounter a paper jam during the print of your collated document.

Problem: If you intend to print collated document with a large number of pages and the printer paper gets jammed part way through the print, you may need to start the print run again or spend time working out how many documents have successfully printed so you can pick up where you left off.

Tips – Before printing, make sure that the paper tray is not overfilled as this can cause paper to easily get trapped / jam. Also check that paper is aligned correctly in the paper tray.

Lastly, use high quality paper, as some cheaper paper types can cause multiple sheets to be pulled into the paper feeder at the same time causing a jam or print to be skewed on the page.

2. The quality of the collated document was poor / the print outs had imperfections.

Problem: You’re printing a large document or a large quantity of collated prints and halfway through the print quality deteriorated, meaning you need to start the whole process again.

Tip – Before printing, do a single document test print to ensure there are no issues with the cartridges. It’s also possible that the fuser has overheated / drum unit has developed a fault due to heavy printing. If you are printing a large number of documents, print them in several smaller batches to prevent issues or wasting paper.

Get more tips on troubleshooting faint print issues or solving issues with print missing lines here

4. The collated document had mistakes.

Problem: The collated document printed pages in the wrong order or had mistakes.

Tip – Simple but often overlooked…Make sure the pages are in the correct order and double check all pages for grammatical errors and mistakes before you print so you don’t have to start again.

5. The document failed to print.

Problem: The document didn’t print at all.

Tip – check your print dialogue box on your computer to check if the document is attempting to print or has failed. Clear the print que down and try again. If this fails, reset the print spooler. If you’re still having issues, try to update your printer and the print driver on your computer as software issues can prevent the printer from working correctly.

Finally, if you are collating a document with a large number of pages, it’s possible that your printer doesn’t have enough memory. Clear the printer memory by switching it off and unplugging for 10 minutes. If that doesn’t solve the issue, break the document into 2 smaller documents and print in 2 runs.