Flipping horizontally means creating a mirror image of your document or design so that everything appears reversed left to right, as if you were reading it in a mirror. Text that normally reads “HELLO” would print as “OLLEH” (backward), and any images would swap their left and right sides. This is a deliberate setting used in specific printing situations, not a default behavior.
How a Horizontal Flip Changes Your Print
Think of holding a printed page up to a mirror. The reflection you see is exactly what a horizontal flip produces. The content doesn’t rotate or turn upside down. Instead, the left and right sides swap positions along a vertical center line. A photo of someone waving their right hand would show them waving their left hand after flipping. Text becomes unreadable because every letter is reversed.
This is different from flipping vertically, which turns the image upside down while keeping left and right in place. The two are easy to confuse, but horizontal flipping is far more common in printing because of its practical uses with transfer materials.
Why You’d Want to Print a Mirror Image
The most common reason to flip horizontally is printing on iron-on transfer paper for T-shirts. When you press the transfer onto fabric, the image reverses as it makes contact with the surface. If you print normally, your text and graphics end up backward on the shirt. Printing a mirror image first means the final transfer reads correctly. This step trips up a lot of people, and it’s often the most frustrating part of DIY custom printing.
The same principle applies to other transfer-based projects: custom mugs, tote bags, and any surface where the printed side gets pressed face-down onto the final material.
Professional print shops also use horizontal flipping for backlit signs and light box displays. The graphic is printed on the back side of a translucent PVC film, so when light passes through from behind, the image appears correctly on the front. You’ll see this technique in shop windows, supermarkets, and metro stations where illuminated signage is common. Window decals that are meant to be read from outside but applied to the inside of the glass work the same way.
Where to Find the Setting
Different software and printer brands use different names for the same function. In Microsoft Word, you can flip an image by selecting the object, then choosing “Flip Horizontal” from the formatting options. This creates a mirror image of shapes, text boxes, and pictures (though it doesn’t work on WordArt). Epson’s print driver calls the option “Mirror Image” and specifically recommends turning it on when printing on their iron-on transfer paper. Other manufacturers may label it “Mirror Print,” “Reverse Image,” or simply “Flip.”
If you’re working in a design program like Photoshop or Canva, look for a “Flip Horizontal” option in the transform or image menu. For transfer projects, it’s usually easier to flip the entire design in your editing software before printing rather than hunting for the setting in your printer’s dialog box.
Flip Horizontal vs. Flip on Long Edge
A related but completely separate setting causes confusion: “flip on long edge” and “flip on short edge.” These only appear when you’re printing double-sided (duplex) documents, and they control how the paper physically rotates as it feeds back through the printer for the second side. They have nothing to do with mirroring your content.
For a standard portrait document you want to read like a book, choose “flip on long edge.” For a landscape booklet, choose “flip on short edge.” If you pick the wrong one, the back of each page prints upside down relative to the front. It’s an annoying but harmless mistake that just requires reprinting.
Fixing Backward Prints You Didn’t Expect
If your printer is producing mirror-image text and you didn’t ask it to, the mirror printing function is likely toggled on in your printer’s settings. On Brother label printers, for example, this is a dedicated “MIRROR” setting accessible through the function menu. Navigate to the mirror option and switch it to “OFF.” On other printers, check the advanced print settings or preferences dialog for anything labeled mirror, flip, or reverse image, and make sure it’s disabled.
This can also happen if you previously changed the setting for a transfer project and forgot to switch it back. It’s worth checking the software side too: if you flipped your image in Word or a design app, the printer is just faithfully reproducing what you sent it.