Using Print Ranges
While we will work some strategies for keeping important information together on a particular printed page, you can choose to print key areas of a spreadsheet using a print range. A print range is simply a range of selected cells that will then be printed. Specifying print ranges allows you to select exactly what information will be sent to the printer. This is especially useful in cases where you have a very large spreadsheet but only need a hard copy of certain key information in a particular range.
To Create a Print Range
You can quickly create a print range in the current sheet.
1. |
Select the range that you want to specify as a print range. |
2. |
Select the Format menu, point at Print Range, and then select Create. A border will be placed around the print range. At the bottom of the print range is an implied page break (see Figure 12.3). Figure 12.3. The print range is enclosed by a thin border.
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3. |
To specify additional print ranges, select the range of cells for the additional print range. |
4. |
Select the Format menu, point at Print Range, and then select Add. The selected range will also be specified as a print range. |
5. |
You can repeat Step 3 to add as many additional print ranges as needed. |
To Edit a Print Range
You can edit print ranges so that certain row or column headings are repeated on the printout. This is particularly useful in cases where you are printing a large print range that will spill onto more than one page and you wish the column headings or row headings to repeat on each page.
1. |
Select the print range you wish to edit. |
2. |
Select the Format menu, point at Print Range, and then select Edit. The Edit Print Areas dialog box will appear (see Figure 12.4). Figure 12.4. You can edit a print range area and select options like repeating row or column headings.
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3. |
The currently selected range will be designated as the print range in the Edit Print Areas dialog box. To change the range, click the drop-down list under Print range and select User-defined. |
4. |
To specify the user-defined print range, click the Shrink button at the right of the Print range box. This will roll up the dialog box. |
5. |
Select the range for the user-defined print range. Click the Shrink button on the rollup to return to the dialog box. |
6. |
To repeat a row or rows (column headings found in a particular row will be repeated on each page of the printout), click the Shrink button at the right of the Row to repeat box. |
7. |
Select the rows (the one containing the column headings) you wish to repeat in the print range and then click the Shrink button to return to the dialog box. |
8. |
To repeat columns in the print range (containing row headings), click the Shrink button at the right of the Repeat column box. |
9. |
Select the column range to repeat (the actual cell range holding the row headings) and then click the Shrink button on the rollup to return to the dialog box. |
10. |
When you have completed configuring the print range settings, click OK. |
You can now use the Page Preview feature to check out how your print range will look when printed.
To Remove a Print Range
1. |
Select the print range. |
2. |
Select the Format menu, point at Print Range, and then select Remove. |
The print range border will be removed from the range.