Printing Problems

How to Print Excel Table Rows in Two Page Columns

Aamir Naveed Akram Sep 27, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to format and print a long list of Excel table rows into a two-column layout on a single printed page to save paper and space.

How to Print Excel Table Rows in Two Page Columns

Product: Microsoft Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to print a narrow but very long table of data continuously across multiple vertical columns on a single sheet of paper.
Observed behavior: Excel prints the rows vertically down a single column, leaving excessive blank space on the right side of the page because it lacks a native auto-flowing page-column layout like Microsoft Word.

Before you start

Before you begin, use Print Preview to determine exactly how many rows can comfortably fit vertically on a single printed page based on your current paper size and margins.

Solution 1Recommended

Manually Move Rows and Set a New Print Area

Because Excel lacks a native multi-column document layout, the most reliable workaround is moving the lower half of your rows next to the top half and manually designating a new print area.

This method involves taking the rows that would normally spill over onto a second page and pasting them in the empty columns to the right of your first page's data.

Identify and Copy Overflow Rows

Highlight the lower rows that you want to move to the second column (for example, rows 51 to 100). Right-click the selection and choose Copy.

Paste Data into an Adjacent Column

Click an empty cell to the right of your top rows (for example, cell E1). Right-click and choose Paste. To ensure data stays updated, choose Paste Special > Paste Link instead.

Select the Combined Range

Highlight both the original left-side table section and your newly pasted right-side table section so that all desired printing data is selected.

Set the Print Area

Navigate to the Page Layout tab on the Excel ribbon, click on Print Area, and select Set Print Area from the dropdown menu.

Adjust Scaling Settings

Under the Page Layout tab, locate the Scale to Fit group. Adjust the Width to '1 page' and Height to '1 page' (or Automatic) so the new two-column layout fits neatly on a single sheet.

Manually Move Rows and Set a New Print Area

Use Paste Link for Dynamic Updates: Using the 'Paste Link' feature instead of a standard paste ensures that any future changes you make to the original lower rows will automatically reflect in your new multi-column print layout.

Solution 2

Copy the Excel Table to Microsoft Word

If you are printing a simple text or data list and do not want to alter your Excel spreadsheet, copying the data into Word is a fast alternative because Word natively supports multi-column page layouts.

Efficient Printing with WPS Office

Easily Manage Multi-Column Print Layouts in WPS Spreadsheet

WPS Spreadsheet provides highly intuitive page layout and scaling tools, making it exceptionally easy to rearrange long lists of data, set specific print boundaries, and scale your worksheets to save paper without losing quality.

1. Rearrange the Data Layout: Select the lower half of your data rows, copy them, and paste them into a blank column adjacent to the top half of your data.
2. Highlight the Print Region: Click and drag your cursor to select the newly formed two-column data block.
3. Access Page Layout Settings: Click on the Page Layout tab located on the top navigation ribbon in WPS Spreadsheet.
4. Set the Print Area: Click on the Print Area button and select 'Set Print Area' to restrict printing to your selected two-column range.
5. Preview and Scale: Click the Print Preview icon. If the content falls outside the page, use the 'Fit Sheet on One Page' scaling option in the print settings before clicking Print.

Seamless compatibility with Microsoft Excel formats (.xlsx and .xls)Intuitive Page Layout ribbon with quick access to Print Area and Scaling featuresBuilt-in Print Preview drag-and-drop margin adjustmentsFree to download with a lightweight installation footprint

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't Excel auto-flow rows into columns like Microsoft Word?

Excel is engineered as an infinite grid for data processing and calculation rather than a traditional word processor bounded by physical paper sizes. Consequently, it does not possess a native feature to automatically snake or flow rows into multiple print columns on a single page.

Can I hide the original overflow rows after pasting them into the new column?

Yes. Once you have used 'Paste Link' to mirror the bottom rows into a new right-side column, you can select the original row numbers on the left, right-click, and choose 'Hide'. Ensure your Print Area is updated to cover only the visible columns you intend to print.

Will the 'Scale to Fit' option make my data too small to read?

Scaling shrinks the entire selected area uniformly to fit within the designated page dimensions. If you fit too many columns or rows onto a single page, the text size will reduce significantly. Always use Print Preview to check readability before printing.

Is there a formula to automatically split a single column into multiple columns?

Yes, in modern spreadsheet versions, you can use dynamic array formulas like the WRAPROWS or WRAPCOLS functions to take a single long column of data and automatically wrap it into a specified number of columns.

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