What does collate mean?
Quick answer
To collate means to gather and put things in the right order, especially pages or information. On a printer, collated copies come out as complete sets (pages 1, 2, 3, then 1, 2, 3), while uncollated copies come out grouped by page (1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3).
Most people meet the word in a printer dialog box, usually right before printing 20 copies of a handout.
Collated vs uncollated printing
Printing 3 copies of a 3-page document:
| Setting | Order the pages come out | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Collated | 1, 2, 3 · 1, 2, 3 · 1, 2, 3 | Handouts, reports, anything to staple as sets |
| Uncollated | 1, 1, 1 · 2, 2, 2 · 3, 3, 3 | Single-page flyers, or when you’ll sort pages by hand |
Collated is usually the default, and it’s what you want almost every time you print a multi-page document. Uncollated printing can sometimes be slightly faster on older printers.
The everyday meaning
Outside printing, collate means to collect information from different sources and combine it in order:
- “The researcher collated the survey results into one report.”
- “Can you collate everyone’s feedback by Friday?”
Book collectors and editors also use it to mean comparing copies of a text carefully, page by page, to check for differences or missing pages.
Where the word comes from
Collate comes from the Latin collatus, the past form of conferre, meaning “to bring together.” The same root gives us conference, a gathering where people are brought together.
Related words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Compile | Collect into a single list or work |
| Assemble | Put parts together |
| Sort | Arrange by type or order |
| Duplex | Print on both sides of the paper |
Printing a PDF you need to edit first? Here’s how to convert PDF to Word, and how to combine PDF files into one document.
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