Having mastered the principles of Excel to create an impressive worksheet, I would often fall at the final hurdle. I have always found printing Excel worksheets to be challenging. This final stage can often be the most frustrating because you know that the end is in sight and yet you cannot quite seem to make it there. An invaluable ally at this point in your journey is the Print Preview feature. It can save you a great deal of time and paper by accurately show you how your worksheet will be presented on paper. Let us consider some of the other features offered by Excel to improve your efficiency at this final stage.

Worksheet not fitting on one page?

Frustratingly, it is often the case when printing Excel worksheets that the final column spills onto another page. Excel, however, allows you to specify how many pages your printout will occupy. This is done by going to Page Setup. Select Page tab and then choose the Fit To option. Then specify how many pages you wish the final printout to occupy. Continue with printing as usual and hopefully you will achieve the desired result.

Data only in one column?

If you have a worksheet that only has data in the first column (A1:A75 for example), this can prove both inconvenient to print and wasteful of paper. Rather than having many pages with information only on one side, it is possible to move the data around so that it fits onto one page. This can be done by using the camera tool. The idea is to move some of the data into extra columns so all the information can fit onto one page. Snap the camera and then place the resulting image onto the page to be printed.

Unable to clear the Print Area?

Many of you may be familiar with setting the print area so as to define the range you wish to be printed. However, problems can be encountered when it comes to clearing the print area. One solution is to select File and then Print Area. From the submenu choose Clear Print Area. If you are using Excel 2007, select Page Setup as your fist step and then proceed as before.

The tips discussed above are simple ways to improve your final result and apply to all versions of Excel. However, there are more advanced tips that can be mastered. It should also be noted that different versions of Excel have different methods of achieving the same results. By attending Excel courses in London, for example, these skills can be mastered and ensure that you are able to display your work in the best possible way.