How to Print Only Part of an Excel Sheet with Gridlines
Question details
The user needs to print a specific portion of an Excel spreadsheet and display gridlines only for that selected area, excluding the rest of the sheet.
- Product
- Excel
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Preparing a spreadsheet document for printing where only a designated section requires gridlines for readability, while the rest of the sheet should remain blank without gridlines.
- Observed behavior
- By default, the 'Print Gridlines' setting applies to the entire printed sheet. Excel does not have a native feature to enable printed gridlines for only a specific fraction of a page.
Ensure your printer is correctly connected and perform a quick Print Preview to verify your current page layout and gridline settings before making formatting adjustments.
Simulate Gridlines Using Cell Borders
Since Excel cannot print gridlines for only a portion of a sheet, you can turn off the global printed gridlines setting and apply light-gray borders to the specific area you want to print.
The most effective workaround for this limitation is disabling the global print setting for gridlines and manually applying cell borders to your target area. By choosing a light gray color, the applied borders will identically mimic the appearance of standard Excel gridlines.
Go to the 'Page Layout' tab on the top ribbon. Locate the 'Sheet Options' group and uncheck the 'Print' box under the 'Gridlines' heading.
Highlight the specific cells you want to print. Navigate to 'Page Layout', click on 'Print Area', and select 'Set Print Area' from the drop-down menu.
Select the cells within your defined print area. Go to the 'Home' tab, click the 'Borders' dropdown icon in the Font group, and choose 'More Borders' at the bottom of the list.
In the Format Cells dialog box, open the 'Color' drop-down and select a light gray color. Choose the standard solid line style, then click the 'Outline' and 'Inside' buttons to apply the borders. Click 'OK'.
Press 'Ctrl + P' (or go to File > Print) to open the Print Preview screen. Verify that only the selected area displays the simulated gridlines, then click 'Print'.
Easily Manage Print Areas and Gridlines in WPS Office
WPS Spreadsheet offers an intuitive interface for managing print settings, cell formatting, and page layouts. You can easily select specific print areas and customize borders to print exactly the document you need.
- 1. Open your workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the file you wish to print.
- 2. Disable default print gridlines: Navigate to the 'Page Layout' tab and uncheck the 'Print' box under 'Gridlines'.
- 3. Set the Print Area: Highlight the cells for your top portion, then click 'Print Area' > 'Set Print Area'.
- 4. Add light gray borders: Go to the 'Home' tab, click the Borders icon, select 'Line Color' to choose light gray, and then select 'All Borders'.
- 5. Preview and Print: Click 'Menu' > 'Print' > 'Print Preview' to review your layout, then execute the print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Excel print gridlines on the whole sheet when I only selected a small area?
The 'Print Gridlines' option in Page Setup is a sheet-level setting. If enabled, Excel automatically draws gridlines around any cell containing data or formatting within the defined print bounds, regardless of what you highlighted.
Can I hide the gridlines on my screen but still print them out?
Yes. Under the 'Page Layout' tab in the 'Sheet Options' group, you can uncheck the 'View' box under Gridlines to hide them on your monitor, while keeping the 'Print' box checked to ensure they appear on the final printed paper.
How do I remove a print area once I am done printing?
To remove a previously set print area, go to the 'Page Layout' tab, click on 'Print Area', and select 'Clear Print Area'. This will revert the worksheet to printing all active cells containing data.
