What Does Collate Mean When Printing? Simple Explanation

Chances are – you’ve noticed the “collate” option when printing multiple pages. But what exactly does collage mean when printing and why is it beneficial? 

The collate printing feature exists to keep pages organized and assembled properly. In a workplace setting, collating is especially helpful for compiling reports, training materials, client proposals, and more into cohesive document sets. 

Take a look at this guide for everything to know about collate printing – including how to turn collating on or off. 

Reach out to Print Bind Ship if you need a large-scale printing job done right. We’re the leading experts on all things printing – from books, manuals, catalogs, brochures, promotional items, and more! 

Collate Printing Meaning

Collate printing refers to the process of assembling printed pages into ordered sets or groups. 

When collate printing is enabled, the printer will output multiple pages in an ordered, complete set – rather than printing all copies of each page together. 

Collate printing is particularly useful when printing multiple copies of lengthy materials like reports, proposals, or manuals. With collation enabled, each printed set maintains the correct front-to-back page order, allowing the copies to be easily distributed, bound, or kept together. 

How to Understand Collated Printing

Imagine you need to print 5 copies of a 10-page document. Without collate printing, the printer would output all 5 copies of page 1, followed by all 5 copies of page 2, and so on, until you have separate stacks of multiple pages. You’d then have to manually assemble those stacks into 5 complete document sets in the proper sequential order. Sounds tedious doesn’t it?? 

With collated printing enabled, the printer will automatically output the pages in organized document sets. It will print pages 1 through 10 for the first complete copy, then pages 1 through 10 again for the second copy, and so on, until you have all 5 copies printed front-to-back in the correct order. Collate printing makes it easy to prepare your final document for binding and distributing. 

5 Benefits of Collate Printing

When you’ve got an important document to prepare, collate printing is a must. Here are some reasons why:

1. Organization

Collating keeps multi-page printed documents organized by automatically assembling the pages into ordered copies. This ensures pages stay in the proper front-to-back order, eliminating the need to manually sort through them and assemble them.

2. Time Savings

When your printer does the work by assembling your document into their final sets, it can save a significant amount of time compared to sorting through the pages by hand.

3. Professional Appearance

Collated print jobs look neat, tidy, and professional. It is important for things like reports, proposals, training manuals, and other materials.

4. Easy Distribution/Binding

With collated pages already organized into document sets, it’s a seamless process to staple, bind, or distribute the print job as needed.

5. Prevents Mistakes

Collating eliminates the risk of printed pages being missed, skipped over, or assembled out of order when preparing multi-copy print jobs.

5 Top Use Cases For Collated Printing

Take a look at some of the scenarios where it’s helpful to have documents printed as collate pages.

1. Reports and Proposals

When printing multiple copies of reports, whitepapers, or proposals that need to be distributed to colleagues, clients, or leadership – collating ensures each printed set is properly assembled front-to-back.

2. Training and Educational Materials

For classroom handouts, workbooks, or training manuals, collating keeps all the pages organized by printing full document sets instead of loose pages that require sorting. 

3. Contracts

Legal or financial contracts, agreements, and documents often need to be printed in multiple collated copies for all involved parties to have a complete, ordered set.

4. Booklets and Bound Documents

If you plan to bind the printed pages into booklets or use another binding method, collating is crucial for having the pages assembled sequentially.

5. Statements and Records

When bulk printing bank statements, invoices, or other important records that need to be kept together and archived, collated printing organizes the document sets.

How to Enable or Disable Collate Printing

To disable collated printing, you’ll need to access the collation settings in your printer’s software or print driver preferences. The exact steps can vary depending on your operating system and printer model, but generally, you’ll want to open the print settings or print dialog box before sending a job. 

Then, look for an option labeled “Collate” or something similar, and uncheck or deselect that box to turn the collation off. Your printer’s user manual or the manufacturer’s website should provide specific instructions if needed. 

Collated vs Uncollated: Which Is The Right Choice?

In most scenarios, you’ll want to use collate printing. Collating ensures printed pages stay organized into complete, sequential sets ready for distribution, binding, or archiving. However, there are a few instances where uncollated printing may be preferred.

If you’re printing lengthy documents in sections to conserve toner or ink, or if different sections require varying numbers of printed copies, you can opt for uncollated. But for the majority of print jobs, keeping each page in order will save you time and hassle compared to manually sorting and assembling uncollated pages into sets once they finish printing. 

Have a major print job you need done right? Trust the professionals at Print Bind Ship! With over 60 years of experience in printing and binding – we help businesses create custom books, manuals, business cards, catalogs, product packages, and more. Get in touch for a free quote! 

FAQ