Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. 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: Adding the Set Print Area Tool.

Adding the Set Print Area Tool

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated February 3, 2020)

1

If you have the need to define different areas of a worksheet to print, you know that you can do so by simply defining different print areas in your worksheet. The normal way you do this is to select the range of cells you want in the print area, display the Page Layout tab of the ribbon, click the Print Area tool (in the Page Setup group), and then choose Set Print Area.

If you need to change print areas quite often, these steps may get tiresome. You may be interested in speeding things up a bit by adding a tool to the Quick Access toolbar that defines the print area. Follow these steps:

  1. Display the Excel Options dialog box. (In Excel 2007 click the Office button and then click Excel Options. In Excel 2010 or a later version display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. At the left side of the dialog box click Customize (Excel 2007) or Quick Access Toolbar (Excel 2010 or a later version). (See Figure 1.)

    3. Figure 1. The Customize area of the Excel Options dialog box.

  3. Use the Choose Commands From drop-down list to choose All Commands.
  4. In the list of Commands, scroll down until you see the Set Print Area command. Select the command.
  5. Click the Add button. The command is now listed in the box at the right side of the dialog box.
  6. Click on OK.

Now, when you need to set a print area, you simply choose the area on the screen and click on the Set Print Area button.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (9842) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Excel in Office 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Adding the Set Print Area Tool.

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

Quickly Entering Data

Excel includes a handy shortcut for entering data that is similar to whatever you entered in the cell above your entry ...

Discover More

Tables within Tables

Inserting a table in a document is easy. Did you know that you can also insert a table within another table? Word allows ...

Discover More

Dates Updating when Converting

Word allows you to convert documents from WordPerfect format to Word. In doing so, you may notice that some dates in the ...

Discover More

Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Using a Macro to Set a Print Range

Excel allows you to specify a print range that defines what should be printed from a given worksheet. This tip shows how ...

Discover More

Setting Print Ranges for Multiple Worksheets

Need the same print range set for different worksheets in the same workbook? It can't be done in one step manually, but ...

Discover More

Printing Multiple Selections

Need to print several portions of a worksheet all on a single piece of paper? Here's an easy way you can get what you ...

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}] 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 3 - 0?

2015-05-02 16:13:28

Sheryl

To save a bit of time, instead of scrolling down to the desired command make sure the cursor is anywhere in the command list and press the key with the letter corresponding to the first letter in the command. In this example, press "s" and you'll see the first command starting with "s". Scroll down from there to the command you want to add to the quick access toolbar.

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 AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2021 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.