Page Setup and Printing
By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated
Set margins, orientation, and paper size, use print preview and print areas, and print a sheet or the whole workbook.
Spreadsheets do not have pages until you print them, and that is when surprises happen: one column spills onto a second page, or 40 pages print when you wanted one table. A few minutes of page setup prevents that. In this lesson, you'll set margins, orientation, and paper size, use print preview, set a print area, and choose whether to print the active sheet or the whole workbook.
Open the Excel sandbox and follow along.
The sandbox can print through your browser, but it does not have every page setup tool. The steps below show where each setting lives in Excel, mostly on the Page Layout tab and under File > Print. In the sandbox, use File > Print, and set orientation, paper size, and margins in your browser's print window.
Margins
Margins are the empty space around the printed data.
- Excel: Page Layout > Margins > Normal, Wide, or Narrow. Custom Margins lets you type exact values, and you can select Center on page horizontally to center a small table.
- Narrow margins help a wide table fit on one page.
Orientation
- Portrait (tall) works well for long, narrow lists.
- Landscape (wide) works well for tables with many columns.
Excel: Page Layout > Orientation.
Most spreadsheets are wider than they are long. If your columns spill onto a second page, switching to Landscape is often all you need.
Paper size
Match the printer paper: Letter (8.5 × 11 in) in North America, A4 (210 × 297 mm) almost everywhere else.
Excel: Page Layout > Size.
Print preview
Print preview shows exactly what will print, page by page.
- Excel: File > Print (Ctrl + P); the preview appears on the right.
- Sandbox: File > Print opens your browser's print window with a preview.
Check: does everything fit? How many pages are there? Are any columns cut off onto their own page?
Print area
By default, Excel prints every cell that has data. A print area limits printing to just the range you choose, such as a summary table.
Excel:
- Select the range, such as A1:D20.
- Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area.
- To print everything again: Print Area > Clear Print Area.
Use Scaling in File > Print to fix spill-over: Fit All Columns on One Page shrinks the columns just enough to fit the width. And Print Titles on the Page Layout tab repeats the heading row at the top of every printed page.
Print settings
In File > Print, the main settings are:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Copies | How many copies |
| Printer | Which printer, or Microsoft Print to PDF |
| Print what | Active sheets, entire workbook, or selection |
| Pages | A page range, like 1 to 2 |
| Orientation, Paper size, Margins | The same page setup options, available here too |
| Scaling | No scaling, fit sheet / columns / rows on one page |
Print active sheet
Print Active Sheets (the default) prints only the sheet you're on, or every selected sheet if you have grouped several tabs.
Print entire workbook
Print Entire Workbook prints every sheet, one after another. Preview first, because it can be many pages.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping print preview | Dozens of pages, or cut-off columns | Preview first, then adjust |
| Wide table printed in portrait | The last columns print on extra pages | Switch to landscape or fit columns on one page |
| Old print area still set | Only part of the sheet prints | Clear Print Area |
| Printing the entire workbook by mistake | Every sheet prints | Choose Print Active Sheets |
| Expecting gridlines to print | The printout has no lines | Add borders (Lesson 8) |
Exercise
Click Reset in the sandbox header. Type a short table: A1:C1 Name, Team, Score, and three rows of your own data below it. Then do each task and press Check or Mark as done.
What to remember
- Set margins, orientation, and paper size before printing.
- Always check print preview first.
- A print area prints just the range you choose.
- Fit All Columns on One Page and Landscape fix spill-over.
- Choose Print Active Sheets or Print Entire Workbook.
- Gridlines do not print; add borders.
In the next lesson, you'll export to PDF and CSV, share workbooks, and choose the right file format.