. Introduction: What is Printing in Excel?
Printing in Excel means taking a hard copy (paper output) of your worksheet or workbook data.
Because Excel worksheets can be large and complex, proper printing setup ensures that your data fits neatly and looks professional on paper.
🖨️ 2. Printing Operations in Excel
Printing in Excel involves several steps:
- Setting up the page
- Previewing the output
- Adjusting print settings
- Printing the document
Let’s go through each step in detail 👇
📋 Step 1: Page Setup
Before printing, you must set up the page layout properly.
Go to the Page Layout tab → Here you’ll find several important options:
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Margins | Set top, bottom, left, and right margins of the page |
| Orientation | Choose Portrait (vertical) or Landscape (horizontal) layout |
| Size | Select paper size (A4, Letter, Legal, etc.) |
| Print Area | Define a specific area of the worksheet to print |
| Breaks | Insert or remove page breaks manually |
| Background | Add background image (not printed) |
| Print Titles | Repeat specific rows/columns on every printed page (like headings) |
🧩 Step 2: Setting the Print Area
If you want to print only a selected part of your worksheet:
- Select the range of cells (e.g., A1:D20)
- Go to Page Layout → Print Area → Set Print Area
🧠 Now, only that range will print until you clear it.
📑 Step 3: Print Preview
Before printing, always check how the page will look.
- Go to File → Print (or press Ctrl + P)
- The Print Preview window appears on the right side.
Here you can see:
- Page layout
- Number of pages
- Margins and scaling
- Header and footer placement
You can return and adjust the layout if something doesn’t fit properly.
⚙️ Step 4: Print Settings
In the Print window (File → Print), you can choose:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Printer | Select the desired printer or “Save as PDF” |
| Print Active Sheets / Entire Workbook / Selection | Choose what to print |
| Pages | Print all pages or specific page numbers |
| Copies | Set number of copies |
| Collated / Uncollated | Choose how multiple copies are arranged |
| Orientation | Portrait or Landscape |
| Paper Size | A4, A3, Letter, Legal, etc. |
| Margins | Normal, Wide, or Narrow |
| Scaling | Fit sheet on one page, fit all columns, or fit all rows |
| Headers & Footers | Add page number, date, time, or file name |
📊 Step 5: Adding Headers and Footers
To include page numbers, titles, or file names:
- Go to Insert → Header & Footer
- Add elements like:
&[Page]→ Page number&[Date]→ Date&[File]→ File name
You can also access this from Page Layout → Page Setup → Header/Footer tab.
🖨️ Step 6: Printing the Document
After finalizing all settings:
- Go to File → Print
- Verify the preview
- Click the Print button
Excel will send the output to the selected printer.
⚡ Step 7: Printing Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut Key |
|---|---|
| Open Print Dialog | Ctrl + P |
| Print Preview | Ctrl + F2 |
| Page Setup | Alt + P → S → P |
| Quick Print (default printer) | Ctrl + Shift + F12 |
💡 Tips for Professional Printing
✅ Use Page Break Preview (View tab) to adjust data on one page.
✅ Use Fit Sheet on One Page scaling option for large data.
✅ Use Gridlines and Headings (Page Layout tab) if you want row/column labels printed.
✅ Repeat column headings on every page using Print Titles (Page Layout → Print Titles).
✅ Save as PDF for digital sharing using File → Export → Create PDF/XPS.
✅ Summary Table
| Step | Action | Command / Tab |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Page Setup | Page Layout Tab |
| 2 | Set Print Area | Page Layout → Print Area |
| 3 | Preview Before Printing | File → Print |
| 4 | Adjust Settings | Print window options |
| 5 | Add Header/Footer | Insert → Header & Footer |
| 6 | Ctrl + P | |
| 7 | Save as PDF | File → Export |