We are preparing a textile transfer, an engraving on plexiglass, or a stencil, and the text must come out of the printer backwards. Word does not offer a “mirror print” button in its usual menus, which requires going through roundabout manipulations. This guide covers the concrete methods to print in mirror on Word, from flipping text in the document to printer driver settings.
Double Mirror Trap: Check the Driver Before Touching the Document
Before modifying anything in Word, we open the printer properties. Some drivers, particularly those for label printers or Canon and Brother models, directly include a “Print as Mirror Image” option in the Quality or Layout tab.
If we flip the text in Word and the driver also applies a horizontal flip, the two operations cancel each other out. The result is perfectly readable, exactly the opposite of what we wanted. This mistake often occurs with heat transfer prints, where the problem is discovered once the fabric is marked.
To access the driver properties: File, Print, then click on Printer Properties. We look for a checkbox “Mirror Image,” “Image Mirror,” or “Horizontal Flip” depending on the manufacturer. If this option exists and we activate it, no manipulation in Word is necessary. We can also print in mirror on Word with JD Mag to find the detailed procedure for each version.
Flip Text in Word with a Text Box
When the printer driver does not offer a mirror option, we intervene directly in the document. The most reliable method involves using a text box.
Create and Set Up the Text Box
We insert a text box via Insert, Text Box, then Simple Text Box. We type the desired text inside. To apply the mirror effect, we select the text box, then right-click and choose Shape Format.
In the panel that opens, we look for the 3D Rotation section (sometimes under Effects). We set the X rotation to 180°. The text then appears horizontally reversed, just like in a mirror.
Remove the Outline of the Box
By default, Word displays a black frame around the text box. For printing, we select the box, right-click, Shape Format, then Line: No Line. The mirror text then prints without a visible border.
Mirror Effect on Word with WordArt
WordArt offers an alternative when we want to combine inversion with a specific graphic style (color, shadow, relief). The logic of flipping remains the same.
- Go to Insert, then WordArt, and select a simple style if we want a look close to plain text
- Type the text, then select the WordArt object and open Shape Format via right-click
- Apply a 3D rotation with X at 180° to achieve the horizontal mirror effect
- Adjust the font size and fill color according to the final medium
WordArt generates a graphic object, not standard text. We cannot modify it with the spell checker or copy-paste it like standard text. For a long document, the text box remains more practical.
Invert an Image in Word Before Printing
The need for a mirror does not always concern text. For a logo or a photo to print backwards, Word offers a more direct native tool.
We select the image inserted in the document. In the Picture Format tab (or Format in older versions), we click on Rotate, then Flip Horizontal. The image is instantly reversed in the document, and the print will faithfully follow the preview.
If the document combines text and images to be flipped, we handle each element separately. Image flipping does not apply to text boxes, and vice versa. This is a limitation of Word: there is no global “mirror everything” function.
PDF Export and Check Before Mirror Printing
Before sending a mirror document to the printer, passing through PDF allows us to detect layout errors. We use File, Export, Create PDF/XPS Document rather than “Print to PDF.” The difference is subtle but real: native export better respects Word formatting than virtual printing.
- Check that the paper format is identical in Word, in the PDF, and in the printer driver
- Visually verify that the text appears correctly reversed in the PDF (read backwards or check in front of a physical mirror)
- If the result is correct in the PDF but not when printed, the problem lies with the driver, not the document
On Windows 11, some users find that the mirror option disappears or that the result differs from the preview. In this case, testing the Microsoft IPP Class Driver instead of the manufacturer driver may resolve the issue. We select it in Settings, Printers & Scanners, then Printer Properties, Advanced tab.
Quick Alternative with Paint
When we have a single element to flip and manipulations in Word are problematic, we can capture the relevant area as an image (screenshot), open it in Paint, apply Flip Horizontal, then reinsert the image into Word. The results vary on this point depending on the desired resolution, but for a large textile transfer, the quality is generally sufficient.
The choice between modifying the document or activating the mirror in the driver depends on the context. For occasional use, the setting in the printer driver is the quickest. For a file to share or archive already flipped, the text box or image flipping in Word provides a standalone result, readable on any workstation without depending on the print configuration.
