Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Printing a Chart Across Multiple Pages.

Printing a Chart Across Multiple Pages

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 1, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


2

If you are using Excel to chart very large amounts of data, the charts you create can end up being very large, as well. This leads to a problem when printing the chart: Do you print it so it fits on one piece of paper, thereby losing detail, or do you try to maintain the detail and print the chart on multiple pieces of paper?

Unfortunately, the answer to what could otherwise be a simple question is complicated by the fact that Excel doesn't easily allow you to print a single chart across multiple pieces of papers. Instead you are left to work around the problem. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do.

First of all, you could simply break the data range you are charting into smaller "chunks" of data that would be printed on different charts. Thus, the amount of detail on each chart would depend on the amount of data you are assigning to that chart. For instance, if the data range you want to actually chart is in A1:B2000, you might create 20 charts, with each chart made up of the data from 100 rows.

Another potential solution involves how you create the chart itself. Instead of creating the chart as a chart sheet, create it as an object on a worksheet. This results in a chart that floats over the top of the worksheet. You can then size the chart to be as wide as you want, thereby revealing as much data as you want. When you print the worksheet, Excel splits the chart across multiple pages, as desired.

There are two things to remember in this approach: First, you must make sure that you select a workbook cell when printing. If you select the chart before printing, Excel will print just the chart and shrink it to fit on a single page. Second, Excel will also try to print your large data range in the printout. To overcome this, you can play with the settings in the Print dialog box to get just the pages printed that you need.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9817) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Printing a Chart Across Multiple Pages.

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

Excel Stops Recalculating

Virtually everyone depends on Excel to automatically recalculate a workbook as edits are made. If it isn't done ...

Discover More

Running a Macro when a Worksheet is Deactivated

When you change from one worksheet to another, you may want to have Excel automatically run a macro for the worksheet you ...

Discover More

Resetting a Function Key

Function keys are often used, in Word, for common operations. You can, if desired, change the way in which a function key ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Easily Changing Chart Data Ranges

Want a handy way to make the data ranges for your chart more dynamic? Here are some great ideas you can put to work right ...

Discover More

X-Axis Dates Lose Formatting

Excel makes it easy to copy charts from one workbook to another. Even so, copying may produce some surprising results for ...

Discover More

Creating a Year-to-Date Comparison Chart

Excel is an excellent tool for keeping track of data over time. If you have information you are keeping by year, you may ...

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.

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 four more than 7?

2020-08-01 18:04:37

Henry Noble

After setting up the chart you want using small sheets, sometimes the best next step is to go big.

Check around for a printer that handles ledger-size sheets. Maybe that size will show enough detail. If not, perhaps your organization has a drum plotter able to produce very large drawings. If such hardware is not readily available, a local print shop should be able to produce what you need for a very modest price.

A large plot with plentiful detail gets viewers' attention.


2020-08-01 16:05:15

Allan

Another approach is to use the Snipping Tool to capture a 'bite' of each chart. Continuing with bites until you have all you want.


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.