If you print an Excel spreadsheet without changing any of the default settings then you may end up with a spreadsheet that has no gridlines, is in the wrong orientation, and contains columns of data on multiple pages that are difficult to identify.
You may also have twice as many pages as you were expecting (or even more) if all of the columns weren’t able to fit on one page. It’s possible to fix this by changing the width of your columns or adjusting the scale, but there is a simple setting that can automatically resize the spreadsheet so that you can fit all of the columns on one page.
It is very common for printed Excel spreadsheets to have a column or two of data that spills over onto extra pages. This has the unfortunate effect of doubling the number of printed pages, while also making the spreadsheet difficult to read. You may have attempted some manual fixes to solve this issue, but there is a simple way to fit all of your columns on one page in Excel 2013. Our guide below will show you how to make this adjustment from the Print Preview screen.
How to Fit All Columns on One Page in Excel 2013
- Open your spreadsheet.
- Choose the File tab.
- Select the Print tab.
- Click the Scaling button.
- Choose Fit All Columns on One Page.
- Click Print.
Our article continues below with more information on how to fit to page in Excel 2013, including pictures of these steps.
How to Fit Excel Sheet on One Page in Excel 2013 (Guide with Pictures)
The steps in this article were performed in the Microsoft Excel 2013 version of the application. However, these steps will also work in most other versions of the Microsoft Office applications.
Step 1: Open your spreadsheet in Excel 2013.
Step 2: Click the File tab at the top-left corner of the window.
Step 3: Click the Print option in the left column.
Step 4: Click the No Scaling button under Settings in the center column.
Step 5: Click the Fit All Columns on One Page option. You can then print your document by clicking the Print button.
You will notice that there are other options on that menu as well, including Fit Sheet on One Page, and Fit All Rows on One Page. You can elect to use one of those options instead if they are more appropriate to your current Excel spreadsheet-printing needs.
More Information on How to Print All Columns on One Page – Excel 2013
Note that there isn’t really a limit to the number of columns that you can have in your spreadsheet when you are doing this. If you choose to fit an Excel sheet on one page, then the application is going to ensure that all of the columns, all of the rows, or even the entire spreadsheet fit on that page. Even if the data becomes so small that it’s impossible to read, Excel will prioritize that layout.
I typically find that I use the Fit All Columns on One Page or Fit All Rows on One Page options more than I use the one that will fit the entire spreadsheet on one page. But if you are uncertain about which one is best for your situation you can always try out each setting and wait for the Print Preview to update so you can see how it will look.
One other way that you can fix this printing problem is to select the Page Layout tab at the top of the window, then click the small Page Setup button in the Page Setup group on the ribbon. This is going to open a Page Setup dialog box where you can choose between a Page tab, Margins tab, Header/Footer tab and Sheet tab. If you select the Page tab you will be able to change the page orientation, specify the number of pages wide by the number of pages tall, and you can even select the paper size. You can click the Print Preview button to open the Print Preview window and see how your spreadsheet will look in the Print window once you have made your changes.
If there are any manual page breaks in your spreadsheet then this can affect the way that your worksheet data prints, and it will typically create an additional printed page for each page break instead of the single page that you would have without any of those page breaks.
Is your spreadsheet difficult to understand because there are no column labels after the first page? Learn how to repeat the top row on every page in Excel and minimize the confusion that can be caused when people are unsure about which column a cell belongs in.
Additional Reading
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop and more.
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