Excel worksheets can contain and process a large amount of data, so it is not always convenient to print them all at once. To print specific sections of information, simply select them and then access the print settings and choose the "Print selection" option. A very similar procedure can be used to print selected worksheets within a workbook. The "Print Area" option can also be useful for all users who want to change the data formatting before accessing the print menu.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Print a Data Selection
Step 1. Log into your Excel worksheet
Double click on the icon or access the program's "File" menu and choose the "Open" option.
Step 2. Select the cells you want to print
Click the first cell in the set, then, without releasing the left mouse button, drag the cursor until you have highlighted all the cells you want to print.
Step 3. Access the "File" menu, then choose the "Print" item
This menu is located in the upper left corner of the Excel interface. This way you will have access to the print "Settings".
Step 4. Choose the "Print selection" item
Below the printer selected for printing is a drop-down menu called "Settings", which allows you to choose the portion of the workbook to be printed. The "Print Selection" option instructs Excel to print only the currently selected area of the worksheet.
Step 5. Press the "Print" button
This button is located at the top of the menu. All data, except those highlighted, will be excluded from printing.
Method 2 of 3: Use the Print Area Feature
Step 1. Log into your Excel worksheet
Double click on the icon or access the program's "File" menu and choose the "Open" option.
Step 2. Select the cells you want to print
Click the first cell in the set, then, without releasing the left mouse button, drag the cursor until you have highlighted all the cells you want to print.
Step 3. Go to the "Page Layout" menu tab
It is located at the top of the menu bar to the right of the "File" menu. Within this tab there are several settings that are used to control the format of the worksheet. One of these options is called "Print Area".
Step 4. Configure the print area
Press the "Print Area" button, then choose "Set Print Area" from the drop-down menu that appears. The cells highlighted in the previous steps will be set as the print area of the current worksheet. This portion of data will be preserved for future prints and you will be able to continue your work.
- The "Orientation" button changes the orientation of the print allowing you to choose between "Horizontal" and "Vertical".
- The "Margins" button allows you to change the margins of the pages that will be printed.
- Within the "Aspect Ratio" section, there is the "Fit to" option to automatically adapt the content to be printed to the desired number of pages.
- From the same menu it is possible to delete, overwrite or add a print area.
Step 5. Access the "File" menu, then choose the "Print" item
This menu is located in the upper left corner of the Excel interface. This way you will have access to the print "Settings".
Step 6. Change the print settings
In the "Settings" drop-down menu, located under the chosen printer, make sure that "Print active sheets" is selected and that the "Ignore print area" check button is NOT selected.
Note: the "Print selection" option instructs the program to print the currently highlighted portion of data, which means that the configured print area will be ignored
Step 7. Press the "Print" button
This button is located at the top of the menu. The data will be printed according to the selected print area and the chosen settings.
Method 3 of 3: Print a Single Worksheet Present in a Workbook
Step 1. Open an Excel file consisting of multiple worksheets
It may happen that you only need to print a couple of worksheets that make up a large Excel workbook. From the program interface, access the "File" menu, then choose the "Open" option; alternatively, simply select the icon of the desired item with a double click of the mouse.
Step 2. Select the sheets or sheet you want to print
Click on its name, located on the bar available at the bottom of the screen, with the mouse cursor. To select multiple sheets, hold down the Ctrl or ⌘ Command keys (on Windows and OS X systems respectively) while clicking on their name.
Step 3. Access the "File" menu, then choose the "Print" item
This menu is located in the upper left corner of the Excel interface. This way you will have access to the print "Settings".
Step 4. Choose the "Print Active Sheets" option
The "Settings" drop-down menu, located below the selected printer, allows you to choose the area of the workbook to be printed. The "Print Active Sheets" option instructs the printer to print only the currently selected worksheets rather than the entire workbook.
Step 5. Change the other print settings
The following drop-down menus allow you to change the layout of the printout, such as the orientation of the pages or their margins.
If you do not want to use the print area set previously, select the "Ignore print area" button
Step 6. Press the "Print" button
It is placed at the top of the menu. This will print all selected worksheets, excluding all others.
Advice
- After configuring the print area, you can view a preview of what will be printed on the screen by choosing the "Print preview" option.
- To print the entire document, after configuring a specific print area, you need to access the "Page layout" menu, choose the "Print area" item, then select the "Clear print area" option.
Warnings
- You can only set one Print Area at a time.
- If you set up multiple print areas in a worksheet, each will be printed on a separate sheet.
