Microsoft Excel 2008
Using Printing Options
There are several ways to customize your printing area, which can help create the exact printouts you desire. For more printing information, refer to Printing Basics (Win | Mac) and Chart Extras: Printing Chart and Worksheet Data.
Using Custom Page Breaks
Page breaks determine the boundaries of printable information. Your Excel sheet will likely be displayed in Page Layout form. In Page Layout form, your Excel sheets will appear as they would be printed. Therefore, all page breaks and margins will appear on the screen.
If you are viewing your Excel sheet in Normal form, then the dotted lines that appear represent the margins of the printer paper. When a document is printed, information on each side of the break will appear on different pages.
NOTE: To change how your Excel sheet is viewed, from the View command tab select either Page Layout or Normal.
WARNING: Excel will print every page designated by a custom page break, including blank pages. Do not create more custom page breaks than you require.
Establishing a Custom Page Break
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Select the cell whose upper left corner is where you want the page break to appear
EXAMPLE: If you want the page break to appear between columns L and M, and between rows 8 and 9, select the the cell M9. -
From the Insert menu, select Page Break
The page break appears in the worksheet.
Removing a Custom Page Break
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Select the cell whose upper left corner is where the page break you want to delete is located
EXAMPLE: If the page break appears between columns L and M, and between rows 8 and 9, select the the cell M9. -
From the Insert menu, select Remove Page Break
The page break is removed.
Printing Formulas
Troubleshooting your worksheets can be easier if you print the formulas. In order to print the formulas, they must first be displayed.
Displaying the Formulas
Formulas are toggled on and off by the SHOW FORMULAS button.
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From the Excel menu, select Preferences...
The Excel Preferences dialog box appears. -
In the Authoring section, click VIEW
The View options are displayed. -
In the Window Options section, select Show Formulas
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Click OK
The changes are saved and View options closes.
Hiding Information
To keep your printouts concise, you may want to hide some parts of the worksheet, including entire columns, rows, and selected cells. For more information, refer to Hiding Columns, Rows, and Cells.
Applying Additional Printing Options
The Page Setup dialog box offers additional printing options. You can print gridlines, headings, and you can print in black and white. You can conserve ink by printing a low-quality draft. You may also edit how you want cell errors to appear in printouts. These options are all available in the Page Setup dialog box.
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From the File menu, select Page Setup...
The Page Setup dialog box appears. -
Select the Sheet tab
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To print gridlines, in the Print section, select Gridlines
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To print your worksheet in shades of black and white, in the Print section, select Black and white
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To print a low-quality draft, in the Print section, select Draft quality
HINT: Be sure to deselect Draft quality when you no longer want to print in this format. -
To print row and column headings, in the Print section, select Row and column headings
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Click OK
The changes are saved and the Page Setup dialog box closes.
