Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 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: Massive Printouts.

Massive Printouts

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 3, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365


1

Ever had this happen to you? You run a print job and are surprised to get 22 pages of output. That would have been fine, except you were expecting one or two at the most. Problem is, most of the pages that came out of the printer are empty!

The problem is most likely that you mistakenly selected a cell at a distant column and row and bumped into your Space Bar. That leaves no visible signs, but Excel thinks you want to print this space.

The solution is as simple as this:

  1. Press Ctrl+End. Excel moves to the cell it thinks is at the lower-right corner of your data.
  2. If there is nothing else in that column, delete the column.
  3. If there is something in the column, but nothing else in that row, delete the row.
  4. Use Print Preview to check how many pages Excel will print. Hopefully you are back to your expected number of pages.
  5. Print your worksheet as normal.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11945) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Massive Printouts.

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

Using Drag-and-Drop to Create a Hyperlink

If you open workbooks in two instances of Excel, you can use drag-and-drop techniques to create hyperlinks from one ...

Discover More

Tracing Precedents and Dependents Clears Undo Stack

Excel normally allows you to undo actions you take so that you can "step back" through what you may have been doing. ...

Discover More

Replacing the Last Comma

When you need to perform certain editing tasks over and over again, you start to look for ways to make your work faster ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Printing without Opening

Want to print one or more workbooks without the need of actually opening the file? It's easy to do when you rely on ...

Discover More

Setting the Active Printer in VBA

Your macros can control where printed output is directed, but sometimes it can be difficult to get the settings correct. ...

Discover More

Printing Only Non-Blank Worksheets

If you have a workbook containing many worksheets, you might want to print only those worksheets that have some sort of ...

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 seven less than 7?

2022-09-03 15:27:02

J. Woolley

Also, see https://excelribbon.tips.net/T012970_Jumping_to_the_Last_Possible_Cell.html


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.