What Is The Print Area In Excel?
The Print Area in Excel is an option to create a print area covering one or multiple cell ranges that one wants to print instead of the worksheet. And while we can expand the print area by adding cells, we can create multiple print areas, each printed on a separate page.
Users can use the Excel Print Area option when they require to print a specific area in a worksheet repeatedly.
For example, the table below shows US state – capital data.
And the task is to print the cell range A1:B11.
Then, we can define print area in Excel we wish to print using the Print Area option in the Page Layout option and then print the selected cells.
In the above example, we select the cell range A1:B11 and choose the Set Print Area option under the Print Area feature in the Page Layout tab to define print area in Excel.
Now, if we select the cell range A1:B11, the Excel Name Box will show the chosen range name as Print_Area.
Next, press Ctrl + P to print the chosen area. The specified excel keyboard shortcut will open the Print tab in the File tab, showing the print preview, the print settings and the Print option. And once we apply the required print settings and the print preview shows the printed data version fitting the requirements, we can click Print to print the selected print area data.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- The option Print Area in Excel enables us to define sections in the worksheet that we wish to print instead of the whole worksheet. And the print areas are adjustable, and we can clear them if required.
- Users can set the part of a sheet as a print area using the Excel Print Area option, which contains data intended to be printed frequently, such as daily sales reports or test results.
- We can use the Print Area option from the Page Layout tab to create the required print areas in a worksheet.
- We can check the print areas in a spreadsheet using the Page Break Preview option in the View tab.
How To Set & Change Print Area In Excel?
We can set & change the print area in Excel using the following steps.
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Setting One Or Multiple Print Areas
- Choose the cells we aim to set as the required print area.
And if we have to set more than one print area, press Ctrl and select the specific sections. - Select the Page Layout tab – choose the Print Area feature – select the Set Print Area option.
[Alternatively, we can apply the shortcut for Print Area in Excel, Alt + P + R, and then press S to choose the Set Print Area option.]
- While the print area gets saved once we save the file, we can view all the declared print areas by following the path View tab – Excel Page Break Preview option. Also, each print area prints on a different page.
Changing Print Area
We can expand print area in Excel by adding cells to the defined print area.
- Choose the required cells we aim to include in a defined print area.
However, only when the chosen cells are bordering the defined print area will the expand print area in Excel action be feasible on the same page.
On the other hand, when the chosen cells are non-adjacent, a new print area gets defined, which will print on a new page. - Select the Page Layout tab – choose the Print Area feature – select the Add to Print Area option.
Otherwise, we can apply the shortcut for Print Area in Excel, Alt + P + R, and then press A to choose the Add to Print Area option.
[Alternatively, we can click the Page Setup dialog box launcher in the Page Layout tab.
The Page Setup window will open, where we must click the Sheet tab to open it.
And then, update the required print area range in the first field, Print area, in the Sheet tab.
Moreover, we can set the other print settings in the Sheet tab to apply them to the specified print area and click on Print Preview for a print preview. And then, select Print to print the required data.
Otherwise, click OK in the Page Setup window to change the print area and cover the specified cell range.]
Furthermore, we can clear print area in Excel to remove the current print area and define new print areas from scratch.
- Open the worksheet containing the defined print area we aim to clear.
- Choose the Page Layout tab – choose the Print Area feature – select the Clear Print Area option.
[Alternatively, we can apply the Excel Print Area option shortcut, Alt + P + R. And press C to choose the Clear Print Area option and clear print area in Excel.]
- Next, define the required cells as the new print areas using the steps explained in the previous section.
Examples
The following examples show the practical ways to use the Print Area option in Excel.
Example #1
The following image shows a dataset.
And the aim is to print only the given dataset.
Then, the steps to set the required print area are as follows:
Step 1: Select the cell range C3:E13. And then, choose Page Layout – Print Area – Set Print Area.
And now, if we choose the specified cell range, the Name Box shows the range’s name as Print_Area.
Furthermore, we can change the print area name using the Name Manager Excel option in the Formulas tab.
And for that, select Formulas – Name Manager to open the Name Manager window.
The Name Manager window will list all the defined print areas’ names defined in the workbook. And we must click on the required print area name to select it. And as we need to change the print area name in the Print Area_Example1 sheet, we shall select the second entry in the list.
And click Edit.
The Edit Name window opens, where we update the new print area name in the Name field and click OK.
So, the Edit Name window closes, and the Name Manager window displays the updated print area name in the list of print areas.
And click Close to exit from the Name Manager window.
Also, the dataset border will appear different from what we set initially, indicating the required print area is defined.
Step 2: Press Ctrl + P to open the Print tab and preview the print area.
Step 3: Select Print in the Print tab to print only the chosen cells or the defined print area.
Example #2
The image below shows two datasets.
And the aim is to print only the second dataset.
Then, the steps are as follows:
Step 1: Choose the range G1:J6. And then, select Page Layout – Print Area – Set Print Area.
The chosen range becomes a print area.
Step 2: Press Ctrl + P to open the Print tab and check the print preview.
We see only the second dataset in the print preview. And after setting the required print settings, click Print in the Print tab to print the required data.
Example #3
Let us see an example of expanding an Excel print area by adding cells adjacent to a defined print area.
The following image shows a dataset.
First, we shall create a print area with the above data.
Step 1: Select the range A1:B11. And then, choose Page Layout – Print Area – Set Print Area.
The given cell range becomes a print area.
Next, we add new rows of data to the range A12:B16 bordering the defined print area.
Then, here is how to add the new cells to the current print area.
Step 2: Select the cell range A12:B16 and choose Page Layout – Print Area – Add to Print Area.
[Alternatively, click the Page Setup dialog box launcher in the Page Layout tab.
The Page Setup window opens, where we must click the Sheet tab to open it.
The Sheet tab shows the current print area range in the first field, Print area, as A1:B11.
Next, since the new cells extend till cell B16, enter the new print area range A1:B16 in the Print area field in the Sheet tab.
Finally, click OK in the Page Setup window to expand the print area to cover the specified cell range.]
Step 3: Click Ctrl + P to open the Print tab and check the print preview.
The print preview shows the new data is added to the current print area. And it gets printed on the same page as the initial data, as shown above.
Step 4: Finally, after setting the required print settings, click Print in the Print tab to print the required data on the same page.
Example #4
Let us see an example of expanding an Excel print area by adding cells non-adjacent to a defined print area.
The following image shows a dataset.
First, we shall set the given dataset range as a print area.
Step 1: Choose the cell range A1:B11 and select Page Layout – Print Area – Set Print Area.
The chosen range becomes a print area.
Next, assume we update a new dataset non-adjacent to the defined print area.
Then, here is how to add the new cells to the defined print area.
Step 2: Select the cell range E1:F11 and choose Page Layout – Print Area – Add to Print Area.
Step 3: Click Ctrl + P to open the Print tab and check the print preview.
The print preview shows the new data is added to the current print area. And it gets printed on a different page, as shown above.
Step 4: Finally, after setting the required print settings, click Print in the Print tab to print the required data on two pages.
Explanation
The Print Area option in Excel helps print specific parts of a worksheet, which makes the printed data appear more organized, presentable, and readable.
Thus, the users can decide what data to print, the number of print areas and how many pages, and adjust the print area to fit the requirements.
Important Things To Note
- The Print Area in Excel keyboard shortcut is Alt + P + R.
- A print area gets saved once we save the workbook.
- When we add new cells bordering the defined print area, they get printed on the same page as the current print area. But when we add new cells non-adjacent to the current print area, they get printed on different pages.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We can show print area in Excel, whether one or multiple, using the Page Break Preview option.
For example, the image below shows a worksheet containing datasets to print.
Then, here are the steps to check the print areas in the specified worksheet.
Step 1: Open the above worksheet and select View – Page Break Preview.
Otherwise, we can click the Page Break Preview icon at the bottom-right corner of the worksheet.
And once we click the Page Break Preview option, Excel will show the print areas in the specific worksheet within Blue border lines. And we can view the pages where the print areas’ data will get printed.
Furthermore, assume we want to print the two print areas’ data on the same page. Then, in such a scenario, we can hover the mouse on the Blue lines and drag the mouse across the required columns to surround them in the Blue lines. And then, drag the page break dotted line, if visible, to the last column in the cell range to print the entire modified print area on the same page.
The Print Area is greyed out in Excel because multiple sheets in the workbook are selected.
You can set print area in Excel for Mac using the following steps:
1. First, choose the cells you aim to print.
2. Choose the File menu – Print Area – Set Print Area.
3. Finally, select the File menu and click Print to print the data in the defined print area.
Download Template
This article must be helpful to understand the Print Area In Excel, with its formula and examples. You can download the template here to use it instantly.
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