| Key to Instructions
To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we use two different typefaces. Boldface type identifies the names of icons, agendas, URLs and application commands. Sans serif type indicates instructions and commands that users should type and file names. |
Q. I work with many large spreadsheets and regularly print several different sections of them that are scattered throughout various workbooks. It’s awkward and time-consuming to format individual areas each time. Is there an easier way to do this?
A.
There are at least two ways. One requires preparing a macro, but
frankly, it hardly seems worth the trouble because the alternative—using
Custom Views
—is easy to set up and both fast and effective. Here’s how to use Custom Views: Select the first print area, select the orientation, margins and other settings, and then go to View, Custom Views and click on Add (see screenshot above).
This triggers another dialog box called
Add View (see screenshot). Pick a descriptive name
for the view you want to define—such as 1st Quarter —being sure to
also click in the Print Settings check box and click
on OK .
You can continue to add more print views, all of which will be saved in your workbook for later use.
When you’re ready to print, go to View, Custom Views , select the view you want, click on Show and then run the print command.
