Children from kindergarten through grade 2 were asked to copy, then print from memory, each of the 41 reversible letters and numbers administered individually on slides presented in random order. The main findings of an experiment with 179 children drawn from two elementary schools show that mirror-image reversals and other errors (1) take place largely when children print from memory, (2) occur far less often than misalignments, substitutions, and correct reproduction, (3) happen mostly during the final stages of letter/number construction, and (4) occur for the most part at random and primarily among the younger and more distractible children. Focusing children's attention by having them name the letter or number out loud before and during printing reduced reversals and other errors even though the name itself was not important in producing this effect. Together these findings challenge the prevailing accounts given to explain reversals in printing and suggest an alternative proposal. (Author/RH)