In Excel, there are many things you can do to prepare your workbook for printing. Many of these tasks make it easier to
format the spreadsheet
for the printed page.
In this lesson, you will learn how to view the spreadsheet in Print Preview, modify margins, change the page orientation, use the Scale to Fit feature, use the Print Titles command, and insert breaks.
Preparing to print and printing
Download the
example
to work along with the video.
To view the spreadsheet in Print Preview:
Left-click the
Microsoft Office button
.
Select
Print
.
Select
Print Preview
. The spreadsheet will appear in Print Preview view.
Click the
Close Print Preview
button
to return to the Normal View.
To make previewing your spreadsheet easier, add the
Print Preview
command to the Quick Access toolbar.
Exploring Print Preview
Once you are in Print Preview, you can access many of the same features that you can access from the Ribbon; however, in Print Preview you can see how the spreadsheet will appear in printed format.
To modify margins, column width, or row height while in Print Preview:
Click the
Print Preview
command on the Quick Access toolbar, or select Print Preview from the Microsoft Office button menu. The spreadsheet opens in Print Preview mode.
Hover your cursor over one of the
black margin markers
until a
double arrow
appears.
Left-click and drag the marker to the desired location. The change will be reflected in the spreadsheet.
To modify margins:
Select the
Page Layout
tab.
Left-click the
Margins
command.
Choose one of the pre-defined settings, or enter custom margins.
To change page orientation:
Select the
Page Layout
tab.
Left-click the
Orientation
command.
Select either Portrait or Landscape.
Portrait
orients the page
vertically
, while
Landscape
orients the page
horizontally
.
To use Scale to Fit:
Select the
Page Layout
tab.
Locate the Scale to Fit group.
Enter a specific
height
and
width
, or use the percentage field to decrease the spreadsheet by a specific percent.
Scale to Fit is a useful feature that can help you format spreadsheets to fit on a page. However, be careful with how small you scale the information—it can become difficult to read!
To change the paper size:
Select the
Page Layout
tab.
Click the
Size
command.
Select a size option from the list.
To define a print area:
Left-click, then drag your mouse to
select the cells
you wish to print.
Click the
Print Area
command.
Choose
Set Print Area
.
Now, only the selected cells will print. You can confirm this by viewing the spreadsheet in Print Preview.
To return to the default setting, which is the entire worksheet, click the Print Area command, then select Clear Print Area.
To insert a break:
Select a cell
below
where you want the break to appear.
Select the
Breaks
command.
Select
Insert Break
.
Click Print Preview to confirm that the break appears in the correct place in your spreadsheet.
To use the Print Titles command:
This is an important command to be familiar with if you intend to print your worksheets. It allows you to select
specific rows
and/or
columns
that will be repeated on
each
printed sheet. Imagine how difficult it would be to read page 48 of a printed spreadsheet if the column and row headings only appeared on the first page.
Select the
Page Layout
tab.
Click the
Print Titles
command. The Page Setup dialog box appears.
Click the icon at the end of the field.
Select the first row in the spreadsheet that you want to appear on
each printed page
.
Repeat for the column, if necessary.
Click OK.
To print from the Microsoft Office button:
Left-click the
Microsoft Office button
.
Select
Print
Print
. The Print dialog box appears.
Select a printer if you wish to use a printer other than the default setting.
Click
Properties
to change any necessary settings.
Choose whether you want to print specific pages, all of the worksheet, a selected area, the active sheet, or the entire workbook.
Select the number of copies you'd like to print.
Click
OK
.
You can select
Quick Print
to bypass the Print dialog box.
Challenge!
Use the Budget workbook or any Excel workbook you choose to complete this challenge.
View the spreadsheet in Print Preview.
Change a
column width
in Print Preview.
Insert a
break
.
Use the
Print Titles
command to print a specific row or column on each printed page. Use Print Preview to verify how this will appear.