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: Collating Copies.

Collating Copies

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021

If you work where there is a good size copy machine, you already know what it means to collate something. With a copier, it means the pages you are copying are placed in complete sets that can be used right away. It is the same in Excel. If you have a worksheet that, when printed, occupies five pages, and you are printing multiple copies, you can either print them collated or uncollated. When they are collated, they are in page 1-5 order for each of the five sets. If they are not collated, five copies of the first page are printed, then five of the second, and so on.

To control collating in Excel 2007, follow these steps:

  1. Press Ctrl+P to display the Print dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

    2. Figure 1. The Print dialog box.

  2. Specify the number of copies you wish to print.
  3. Click on the Collate Copies check box. A check mark in the box indicates the copies will be collated.
  4. Click on OK. Your worksheet is printed.

If you are using Excel 2010 or a later version of Word, the steps are a bit different because Microsoft got rid of the Print dialog box. Follow these steps, instead:

  1. Press Ctrl+P. Excel displays the Print options on the File tab of the ribbon.
  2. Using the Copies control, specify the number of copies you wish to print.
  3. Examine the controls in the Settings area. You'll find one that controls collation.
  4. Change the collation setting as desired. (You can select either Collated or Uncollated.)
  5. Click on the Print button. Your worksheet is printed.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (12551) 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: Collating Copies.

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. ...

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