In Microsoft Excel, we don’t just use data on the screen, many times we need to print it and share it with others. But if we print without checking, the result may look messy, some columns may get cut off, some pages may be blank or the data may not fit well on paper.
That’s why Excel gives us a helpful tool called Print Preview. It helps us check how everything will look before printing.
What is Print Preview in Excel?
Print Preview is a feature in Excel that allows you to view exactly how your Excel sheet will appear when printed. It helps you verify page layout, alignment, margins, headers, footers and overall content before printing.
By using Print Preview, you avoid printing unnecessary pages and wasting paper or ink. It helps you get a professional and neat output.
Shortcut Key for Print Preview:
To quickly open the Print Preview window in Excel, you can use the keyboard shortcut:
Ctrl + P
This shortcut opens the Print Settings screen, where you will see:
- A preview of how your sheet will look when printed
- Options to choose a printer
- Settings like number of copies, orientation (portrait or landscape), margins, scaling, and more
This feature is very useful for saving time and improving printing accuracy.
Why Use Print Preview?
Here’s why using Print Preview is a good idea before printing:
- You can check the layout and fix mistakes.
- You avoid printing extra pages or blank spaces.
- Adjust margins, size and direction of the page.
- Check for formatting issues like hidden rows or cut-off columns.
How to Use Print Preview (Step-by-Step):
- Open your Excel file.
- Press Ctrl + P
- The Print Preview screen will open.
- On the right side, you’ll see how the page will look.
- On the left side, you can:
- Choose a printer,
- Set number of copies,
- Change page orientation (Portrait or Landscape),
- Change margins and page size,
- Use scaling options to fit your data.
- If everything looks good, click Print.
Tips for Better Printing in Excel:
- Use Page Break Preview from the View tab to adjust how data splits across pages
- Set a Print Area to print only a specific part of your worksheet
- Convert wide data into Landscape Mode for better visibility.
- Add Headers and Footers for titles, page numbers, or dates.
Print Preview in Excel is a very useful feature. It helps you make sure everything is correct before you print. You can open it quickly by pressing Ctrl + P. From there, you can check how the page looks, and adjust the settings to make your printout clean and clear.
Using Print Preview will save your time, paper and ink also help you avoid mistakes.