Excel is a spreadsheet program, which means that it generally expects the data you enter into it to be organized into rows and columns. You’re not limited to entering just rows and columns of dry figures, of course; you can add images, place text in cells outside of your tables, and format your worksheet so your data looks exactly the way you want it to.

In the spirit of offering you as much control as possible, Excel enables you to choose whether you print your worksheets’ gridlines, column headings, and row headings. If you’ve printed any Microsoft Office documents, you’ve probably noticed that some elements that work very well on your computer screen don’t translate well to the printed page. Gridlines, column headings, and row headings are like that. When you’re looking at data on a computer screen, those three elements usually help you make sense of your data, but those same elements will often clutter your printouts. It’s up to you, however; you can choose to print your headings and gridlines or not.