How to Fix Wavy Lines and Distorted Text When Printing from Excel
Question details
The user needs to resolve an issue where printing Excel spreadsheets results in wavy lines and distorted text, whereas other document formats print correctly.
- Product
- Microsoft Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Printing an Excel spreadsheet to a physical printer.
- Observed behavior
- The printed output shows wavy lines and distorted text, despite Word and PDF documents printing perfectly fine on the same printer.
Before adjusting Excel settings, perform a quick nozzle check or test print from your printer's control panel to rule out hardware-level ink alignment issues. Ensure your printer has enough ink and the paper is loaded correctly.
Export Excel to PDF Before Printing
Saving your Excel file as a PDF and printing the PDF bypasses Excel's specific rendering engine, which often resolves software-related distortion issues.
This diagnostic workaround is highly effective because PDF readers process print data differently than spreadsheet applications. If the PDF prints flawlessly, it confirms the issue is a rendering glitch between Excel and the printer driver, rather than a hardware malfunction.
Open the problematic workbook in Microsoft Excel.
Navigate to 'File' > 'Save As' or 'Export' and choose the 'PDF' format from the dropdown menu.
Save the generated PDF to your desktop or a designated folder.
Open the newly created PDF with a PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat or WPS PDF) and click the 'Print' icon to print the document.
Adjust Excel Advanced Print Settings
Disabling certain advanced display and background printing options in Excel can prevent graphical glitches like wavy lines.
Reinstall or Update the Printer Driver
Corrupted or outdated printer drivers can cause specific programs like Excel to misinterpret layout data, resulting in distorted text.
Print Spreadsheets Flawlessly with WPS Office
If Microsoft Excel continues to produce distorted prints or recent upgrades have disrupted your workflow, consider switching to WPS Office. It is a free, lightweight alternative that offers perfect compatibility with Excel formats and reliable printing capabilities without the rendering glitches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Word print fine but Excel prints with wavy lines?
Excel uses a different rendering engine tailored for grid-based data and precise cell scaling. If the printer driver struggles to interpret Excel's specific graphics device interface (GDI) commands, it can cause text distortion and wavy lines that do not appear in word processing applications.
Can page scaling cause distorted text in Excel?
Yes. If you have 'Fit to Page' or heavy scaling applied in Excel's Page Setup, the printer may distort the text while attempting to shrink the spreadsheet to fit the physical paper limits. Try setting the scaling to 100% to see if the issue persists.
How do I fix print quality issues on a Mac using Excel?
On a macOS device, try resetting the printing system. Go to System Settings > Printers & Scanners, right-click your printer list, and select 'Reset printing system'. Afterwards, re-add your printer using the plus (+) icon.
What should I do if updating my printer driver doesn't fix the Excel printing issue?
If a driver update fails, try changing the default printer to 'Microsoft Print to PDF' to test if the issue is software-related. If it prints to PDF correctly, you may need to completely uninstall the current printer driver and install a generic PCL or PostScript driver provided by your printer manufacturer.
