Incrementing Copy Numbers for Printouts

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 21, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

1

Henry would like a cell to contain a number that increments every time a copy of the worksheet is printed. Thus, if the cell contains the number 9 and he prints 13 copies of the worksheet, each copy would contain, in that cell, the numbers 9, 10, 11, and on through 21.

This, as you might guess, is best done with a macro. All that needs to be done is to print the worksheet however many times is desired, incrementing the value of the cell after each print. In this case, I'm going to assume that the cell to be incremented is B7. The following macro will handle the process:

Sub PrintNumberedCopies()
    Dim iCopies As Integer
    Dim J As Integer
    Dim r As Range

    ' Specify the cell to modify
    Set r = Range("B7")

    ' Get the number of copies.
    iCopies = Val(InputBox("Number of copies to print:"))

    If iCopies > 0 Then
        ' Loop iCopies times, printing once per loop
        For J = 1 to iCopies
            ActiveSheet.PrintOut
            r.Value = r.Value + 1
        Next J
    End If
End Sub

Note that the macro asks the user how many copies to print, and then it goes about printing each one, individually. After each printout, it increments the value stored in cell B7. If the user enters something that does not translate to a number of copies, then nothing is printed.

Remember that if you want the value number in B7 to always be up to date, you'll need to save the workbook sometime after your last printing. In addition, if you print using some method other than this macro, then the value in B7 will not reflect the number of actual copies printed.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the ExcelTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12135) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Making Sure Cells are Filled In before Saving

When creating a workbook that will be used by others, you may wish to ensure that the user fills in some cells before ...

Discover More

Deriving High and Low Non-Zero Values

When analyzing your numeric data, you may need to figure out the largest and smallest numbers in a set of values. If you ...

Discover More

Using the MROUND Worksheet Function

If you want to round a value to some multiple of a whole number, you'll want to become familiar with the MROUND function. ...

Discover More

Program Successfully in Excel! This guide will provide you with all the information you need to automate any task in Excel and save time and effort. Learn how to extend Excel's functionality with VBA to create solutions not possible with the standard features. Includes latest information for Excel 2024 and Microsoft 365. Check out Mastering Excel VBA Programming today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Repeating Columns at the Right

You can design your worksheet so you can repeat rows at the top of a printout or columns at the left. Repeating columns ...

Discover More

Printing a Number of Different Pages

If you don't need to print an entire workbook, it can be confusing to figure out how to print just certain pages. This ...

Discover More

Preventing Changes to Multiple Selected Worksheets

It is common to select a group of worksheets and then print them. When done, any edits you make may affect the entire ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 1 + 5?

2023-08-08 15:06:55

Marc

Thanks, Allan. Works great.

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2026 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.