How to Set Printable Area in Excel: A Complete Guide

Excel, a powerful tool used by businesses, educators, and individuals worldwide, not only handles complex data but also offers extensive capabilities for presenting and printing that data effectively. One of Excel’s useful features is the ability to set a printable area, ensuring that only specific parts of your spreadsheet are printed. Understanding how to set printable area in Excel can save you paper, time, and ensure that your printed documents look exactly as you need them to. This comprehensive guide will walk you through how to set printable area in Excel, along with how to manage and modify these settings for optimal results.

How to Set Printable Area in Excel

Setting a printable area in Excel is an essential skill for anyone who needs to present or print specific parts of their spreadsheet efficiently and effectively. This feature is particularly useful when dealing with large datasets or when only a specific range of data needs to be printed. Here’s a detailed guide on how to set printable area in Excel, ensuring that you print exactly what you need, saving both time and resources.

Step 1: Open Your Excel Workbook

Begin by opening the Excel file that contains the data you wish to print. Ensure you are on the worksheet that has the data you want to set as the printable area.

Step 2: Select the Data Range

Click and drag to select the cells that you want to include in the printable area. You can select a contiguous range of cells or multiple ranges by holding the Ctrl key while selecting various areas.

Step 3: Access the Page Layout Tab

Navigate to the ‘Page Layout’ tab in the Excel Ribbon, which provides various options for configuring how your document will appear on printed pages.

Step 4: Set the Print Area

In the ‘Page Setup’ group on the ‘Page Layout’ tab, you’ll find the ‘Print Area’ option. Click on it to reveal a dropdown menu, and then select ‘Set Print Area’. This action defines the selected cells as the print area. Excel will now recognize this range as the only part of your spreadsheet that needs to be printed.

Additional Options and Tips

• Add to Print Area: If you want to add more cells to an existing print area, select the additional cells, click ‘Print Area’ in the ‘Page Layout’ tab again, and choose ‘Add to Print Area’.
• View and Adjust Print Area: You can view the print area highlighted on your sheet once set. If you need to adjust it, you can simply clear the print area and reset it as needed.
• Saving Settings: Excel automatically saves your print area settings with your workbook. This means the print area you set will be saved until you decide to clear or change it.

Printing Your Set Area

To print your set print area:

• Go to ‘File’, then ‘Print’, or use the shortcut Ctrl + P.
• In the print preview, you will see only the print area you have defined. Make sure your printer settings are correct, and then proceed to print.

Setting a printable area in Excel streamlines the printing process and ensures you are only printing the information that is necessary, making your documents look professional and focused. Whether you’re preparing reports for work, academic projects, or personal records, knowing how to set printable area in Excel is a crucial skill that enhances your productivity and reduces wastage.

How to Clear Print Area in Excel

When working with Excel, there may be instances where you need to remove previously set print areas. This could be due to changes in the data that need to be printed or simply because you want to revert to the default setting where the entire worksheet is printable. Clearing the print area in Excel is a straightforward process that restores the ability to print the entire sheet without restrictions. Here’s how to clear the print area in Excel effectively.

Step 1: Open Your Excel Document

Start by opening the Excel workbook that contains the print area you wish to clear. Navigate to the specific worksheet where the print area has been set.

Step 2: Access the Page Layout Tab

Click on the “Page Layout” tab in the Ribbon. This tab contains various options for setting up page layouts, including print areas.

Step 3: Clear the Print Area

In the “Page Setup” group within the Page Layout tab, you will find the “Print Area” dropdown menu. Click on it, and select “Clear Print Area.” This action removes any print area that has been defined on the worksheet.

Additional Tips:

• Check the Entire Sheet: After clearing the print area, it’s a good idea to check that your entire sheet is now set to print as expected. You can do this by going to “File” > “Print” to preview what will be printed.
• Multiple Sheets: If you have set print areas on multiple sheets within the same workbook, you’ll need to repeat this process for each sheet individually, as clearing the print area on one sheet does not affect others.
• Keyboard Shortcut: While there is no direct keyboard shortcut for clearing the print area in Excel, you can quickly access the Page Layout tab by using Alt, P to speed up the process.
• Resetting Print Area: If you clear a print area by mistake, you can immediately press Ctrl + Z to undo the last action and restore the print area. However, once the workbook is closed or other actions are taken, this option will no longer be available.

Why Clear the Print Area?

Clearing the print area can be particularly useful in various scenarios:

• Data Updates: If the data within your sheet has changed significantly, clearing the old print area ensures that no relevant data is accidentally omitted from being printed.
• Printing Full Sheets: For comprehensive reviews or audits, you might need to print entire sheets without any restrictions, making it necessary to clear previously defined areas.
• Error Correction: Sometimes, print areas are set incorrectly, either too large or too small, and clearing them allows you to start fresh and ensure that only the desired data is included in the printout.

Clearing the print area in Excel is a simple yet essential task for managing how your worksheets are printed. By following these steps, you can ensure that your printing settings accurately reflect the needs of your current project or presentation, maintaining flexibility and control over your document outputs.

How to Lock Print Area in Excel

Locking the print area in Excel is a valuable feature when you want to secure a specific section of your worksheet for printing, ensuring that no changes can be made to the defined area, especially in a collaborative environment. While Excel doesn’t provide a direct function to “lock” a print area in the traditional sense, you can achieve a similar effect by protecting the worksheet, which prevents other users from modifying the print area settings along with other specified elements of the sheet. Here’s how to effectively lock the print area in Excel by using worksheet protection:

Step 1: Define Your Print Area

Before you can lock the print area, you need to set it. Follow the standard process to set your print area:

1. Select the Range: Highlight the cells in your worksheet that you want to include in the print area.
2. Set Print Area: Go to the “Page Layout” tab, click on “Print Area” in the Page Setup group, and select “Set Print Area.”

Step 2: Protect the Worksheet

Once your print area is set, you can protect the worksheet to lock the print area:

1. Access Protection Settings: Click on the “Review” tab on the Ribbon, and then click on “Protect Sheet” in the Changes group.
2. Set a Password (Optional): In the Protect Sheet dialog box, you can enter a password to unprotect the sheet in the future. This step is optional; however, adding a password enhances security, especially if you’re sharing the workbook with others.
3. Select Protection Options: Make sure that the option to “Protect worksheet and contents of locked cells” is checked. You can customize further by selecting what actions users can perform, such as formatting cells, sorting data, or using autofilter, among others.
4. Enable All Users to Set Print Area (Optional): If you still want users to adjust the print area, you can uncheck the option that prevents users from modifying the print area in the list of allowed actions.
5. Click ‘OK’: If you’ve set a password, you’ll be prompted to confirm it. After confirming, the sheet will be protected.

Step 3: Confirm the Protection

To ensure that your worksheet protection is active and the print area is locked:

1. Try Modifying the Print Area: Attempt to change or clear the print area by going back to the “Page Layout” tab and using the Print Area options. If the worksheet is protected, you should not be able to make changes.
2. Check for Locked Cells: Try editing the cells in the defined print area. If the protection is set correctly, you won’t be able to modify these cells without unprotecting the sheet first.

Additional Tips

• Documentation: If you’re working in a collaborative environment, document the password and settings used to lock the sheet. This helps maintain accessibility for authorized users who may need to make legitimate changes.
• Backup Your Work: Always keep a backup of your unprotected workbook in case the password is lost or forgotten.
• Regular Reviews: Periodically review your protection settings to ensure they still align with your collaborative needs and security requirements.

By following these steps, you can effectively lock the print area in Excel, safeguarding your data and ensuring that the printing output remains consistent, regardless of other changes that may occur in the worksheet. This approach helps maintain the integrity of your data presentation, particularly in environments where multiple users access and modify Excel documents.

How to Remove the Print Area

Removing the print area in Excel is a straightforward task that is often necessary when you want to reset the printing boundaries of your worksheet. Whether you need to print different sections of your spreadsheet or wish to revert to printing the entire sheet, clearing the previously set print area ensures that no important data is unintentionally excluded from your printouts. Here’s how to remove the print area in Excel, restoring the default setting where the entire worksheet is printable.

Step 1: Open Your Excel Document

Start by opening the Excel workbook that contains the print area you wish to remove. Ensure that you are on the correct worksheet from which you want to remove the print area.

Step 2: Navigate to the Page Layout Tab

Click on the “Page Layout” tab in the Excel Ribbon. This tab contains options for adjusting how your spreadsheet appears on printed pages, including the management of print areas.

Step 3: Clear the Print Area

In the “Page Setup” group on the “Page Layout” tab, you will find the “Print Area” option. Click on the drop-down arrow next to “Print Area” and select “Clear Print Area.” This action removes any predefined print areas set on your current worksheet.

Additional Tips:

• Multiple Sheets: If you have set print areas on multiple sheets within the same workbook, remember that clearing the print area on one sheet does not affect others. You will need to repeat this process for each sheet where you want to remove the print area.
• Verify the Change: To ensure that the print area has been cleared, you can switch to “Print Preview” by going to “File” > “Print.” This allows you to see that the entire sheet is now set to print, as opposed to just the previously defined area.
• Keyboard Shortcut: While there is no direct keyboard shortcut for clearing the print area in Excel, you can customize your Quick Access Toolbar to include the “Clear Print Area” command for faster access in the future.

Step 4: Save Your Changes

After clearing the print area, make sure to save your document to preserve this change. This ensures that the next time you or anyone else opens the spreadsheet, it will print the entire sheet unless a new print area is defined.

Why Remove the Print Area?

There are several reasons you might need to remove the print area in Excel:

• Printing Full Sheets: For comprehensive reviews or presentations, you might need to print entire sheets to provide a complete overview of the data.
• Adjusting Print Selections: Over time, your data or reporting needs might change, requiring different sections of your spreadsheet to be printed.
• Error Correction: If the wrong print area has been set either by mistake or by changes in worksheet data, removing the print area allows you to start fresh and ensure accurate printouts.

Removing the print area in Excel is an essential function for managing how your spreadsheets are printed. By understanding how to perform this task, you can ensure that your printouts are always aligned with your current needs, providing flexibility and control over your document presentations.

Conclusion

Mastering how to set the printable area in Excel is crucial for efficient document management and printing. Whether you’re preparing a report, organizing data, or sharing information, defining the printable area ensures that your printouts are precise and tailored to your specific needs. By following the steps outlined in this guide to set, clear, lock, and remove print areas, you can take full control over what parts of your spreadsheets are printed, optimizing paper use and enhancing the presentation of your printed materials.