How do I print my spreadsheets?

How do I print my spreadsheets?

<this should really rather be in a Howto>

In general, the best way to print large spreadsheets is to first preview the print output, then adjust the print settings to arrive at the desired effect. The following mini-procedures explain the main options for printing spreadsheets.

Previewing the print area

1. Select File → Page Preview from the main menu
2. Use the navigation buttons on the toolbar to view the print. If the spreadsheet is too large for one page, some columns may appear on additional pages.
3. Click the Close Preview to the right of the navigation buttons on the toolbar to close the preview
4. Make adjustments to the print settings, then preview again. Repeat until the print displays in the desired format.

* This command will allow you to see the current page number assignments for the data that you want to print. This is especially useful when only a portion of the spreadsheet is to be printed, or when several print ranges are associated with one Calc file.

Formatting the page

1. Select Format → Page… from the main menu
2. Select the Page tab in the dialog that appears
3. Set the paper size
4. Specify the page orientation by click on the checkbox next to Portrait or Landscape
5. Adjust the margins, if needed.
6. Set the table alignment to align the table to the page.
7. Click  OK , or click other tabs in this box to access more formatting options.

Adjusting the page breaks

1. Select View → Page Break Preview from the main menu
2. Place the cursor exactly on top of one of the (blue) page edge lines, then drag each edge to adjust the page boundaries as desired.
3. To toggle this view off, select View → Page Break Preview again

* If everything appears gray, this means that no print ranges are defined. If a print range is defined, the printing area will show up with a white background with a blue outline at the page boundary. A gray 'Page N', where 'N' is the page sequence number for the sheet, will appear in the middle of the print area. If no range is defined for printing, follow the instructions below.

Setting the area to be printed

1. Go to the desired sheet.
2. Click and drag to select (highlight) the area of the sheet to be printed.
3. Select Format → Print Ranges → Add from the main menu
4. Repeat the above steps for each sheet of the file to be printed.

Adjusting the printout to fit onto one a specific number of pages

2.x

1. Select Format → Page… from the main menu
2. Select the Sheet tab in the dialog that appears
3. Select the Scaling Mode and a scale
4. Click  OK 
5. Use Page Preview (instructions above) to see a preview of what will print. Re-adjust if necessary.

Editing the print range

1. Select Format → Print Ranges → Edit from the main menu
2. In the print dialog that appears, look at the Print range setting.
3. Adjust the cell definition in the range of cells, or select None to clear the print range.
4. Click  OK .

Printing a spreadsheet in the center of the page

1. Select Format → Page… from the main menu
2. Select the Page tab
3. In the Table alignment section, select (or deselect as desired) the boxes next to Horizontal and Vertical. A visual of the table alignment settings will show in the small graphic on the same page as these parameters.

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See Also

• How to Set the Printing Settings