Before printing an Excel spreadsheet, you must set the printable area to fit standard paper sizes. This is more difficult than printing from Word, which already has printable areas.
If you frequently need to print one or more specific table selections, you can define one or more print areas. Then, when you print the table, only those areas will be printed, each on a separate page.
You can also add cells to an existing print area and delete one or more print areas if you change your mind. Worksheets can have any number of print areas; each print area represents one page.
These instructions apply to Excel 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007 and Excel for Microsoft 365.
Reasons to set print areas in Excel
Printing a large spreadsheet without defining print areas can result in unformatted, hard-to-read pages. If the sheet is wider or longer than the paper your printer uses, trim off rows and columns at the end. It won’t be a pretty sight. By defining print areas, you can control how each page looks, making it easier to read and understand.
Define one or more Excel print areas
- Open a worksheet and select the cells you want to appear in the print area.
- To define more than one print area, hold down ctrl and select the areas you want to print. Each print area gets a separate page.
- Step aside layout Tab.
- In which layout group, click Zone d’impression and select Set print area in the drop down menu.
- When you save your workbook, it also preserves the print areas.
How to add cells to an Excel print range
Once you’ve defined a print area, you can add adjacent cells if you made a mistake or entered additional data the first time.
If you try to add cells that aren’t adjacent to your print area, Excel creates a new cell for those cells.
- On your worksheet, select the adjacent cells that you want to add to the existing printable area.
- Switch to the Ribbon Layout tab.
- In the Layout section, click Zone d’impression > Add to print area.
How to empty a print area in Excel
You can also edit print areas that you no longer need or that you accidentally created.
- In the print area, click a cell that you want to delete.
- Step aside layout Tab.
- In which layout click on Zone d’impression > Zone d’impression claire.
Look at your Excel print areas
You can see your print areas and preview them before printing your spreadsheet.
To see your print areas:
- Step aside See Tab.
- In which Viewpoints on workbooks click on page break preview.
- Click on Normal in workbook views to return to the table.
- When you are ready to print, click dossier > to print.
- To the right of the print options, you can cycle through each printable page in the document.