Excel sheets can hold a lot of data and it's not always easy to print them all at once. You can print a specific part of a spreadsheet by highlighting the area, going into the print settings, and selecting the 'print selected area' option. A similar process can be used to print the sheet that you select in a workbook. “Print Areas” or “Print Areas” can also be used to adjust the format before entering the print menu.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Printing from Selection
Step 1. Open the Excel sheet
Double-click the worksheet or go to “File > Open” or “File > Open” in Excel.
Step 2. Highlight the cells you want to print
Click and hold the first cell and drag the cursor until you have highlighted the entire section you want to print.
Step 3. Go to the “File” menu and select “Print” or “Print”
It's in the top-left corner of the screen. “Settings” or “Settings” will appear.
Step 4. Click “Print Selected” or “Print selection”
Under the printer device name, there is a dropdown menu to select the section of the workbook you want to print. This option will make the printer print only the area of the spreadsheet that you have highlighted.
Step 5. Press “Print” or “Print”
It's at the top of the menu. Only the portion you have selected will be printed.
Method 2 of 3: Using the Print Area
Step 1. Open an Excel worksheet
Double-click the worksheet or go to “File > Open” or “File > Open” in Excel.
Step 2. Highlight the cells you want to print
Click and press the first cell and drag the cursor until you have highlighted the entire area you want to print.
Step 3. Go to “Page Layout” or “Page Layout”
It's in the top menu bar, to the right of the “File”, “Home”, “Insert” and “Pictures” menus. Here, you can access several settings for formatting the spreadsheet, one of which is “Print Area” or “Print Area”.
Step 4. Set the Print Area
Press “Print Area” or “Print Area” and select “Set Print Area” or “Set Print Area” from the dropdown. The area you highlight will be set as the print area. This area will be saved for future printing and you can continue the job.
- The “Orientation” or “Orientation” button provides portrait and landscape options.
- The “Margin” or “Margins” button sets the margins of the printed page.
- ”Scale to Fit” or “Scale to Fit” gives you a choice of how many pages you want to use to print the selected area.
- You can delete, replace, or add a print area via the same dropdown menu.
Step 5. Go to “File” and select “Print” or “Print”
It's in the top-left corner of the screen. “Settings” or “Settings” will appear.
Step 6. Adjust the print settings
Via the dropdown menu under printer device, make sure “Print Active Sheet” or “Print Active Sheet(s)” is selected and “Ignore Print Area” or “Ignore Print Area” option is NOT selected.
Remember that “Print Selected” or “Print selection” means that the area you just selected will replace the print area that you previously specified
Step 7. Press “Print” or “Print”
This button is at the top of the menu and the page will print according to the print area and page layout that you have set.
Method 3 of 3: Printing Individual Sheets from Workbooks
Step 1. Open an Excel file that has more than one sheet
In a large workbook, it may be only a sheet or two that you want to print. In Excel, go to the “File” menu and select “Open” or “Open” or double-click an Excel file.
Step 2. Select the sheet you want to print
Click the sheet name at the bottom of the bar. Multiple sheets can be selected at once by pressing Ctrl + click (⌘ Cmd + click on Mac).
Step 3. Go to the “File” menu and select “Print” or “Print”
It's in the top-left corner of the screen. “Settings” or “Settings” will appear.
Step 4. Select “Print Active Sheet” or “Print Active Sheet(s)”
The first available option under the selected device name is a dropdown menu to select the area of the workbook to print. By selecting “Print Active Sheet” or “Print Active Sheet(s)”, the device will only print the worksheet you have selected and not the entire workbook.
Step 5. Adjust other print settings
The dropdown menus below the area selection menu can be used to set layout options such as page orientation or margins.
If you have previously set a print area, but do not want to use it, select “Ignore Print Areas” or “Ignore Print Areas” to ignore it
Step 6. Press “Print” or “Print”
It's at the top of the menu and only the sheet you selected is printed.
Tips
- After you set the print area, Print Preview will show you the area you have selected to print.
- To print the document in its entirety after setting the print area, select Page Layout -> Print Area -> Clear Print Area or Page Layout -> Print Area -> Clear Print Area.
Warning
- You can only set one “Print Area” or “Print Area” at a time.
- If you select multiple areas on a worksheet, as a single Print Area, the selections will be printed on separate paper.
