How to Remove Extra Space in Excel Print Preview on Mac
Question details
The user needs to troubleshoot and eliminate unwanted blank spaces appearing at the top or right side of an Excel print preview when using a specific printer on Mac.
- Product
- Excel
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Previewing and printing a spreadsheet using a specific printer.
- Observed behavior
- Extra blank spaces are visible along the top or right edge of the document in the print preview window.
Before making page setup adjustments, verify that your Mac printer drivers are fully up to date and check if the extra space issue occurs with all documents or just one specific file.
Adjust Page Setup and Margin Settings
Modifying the worksheet's page setup settings is the most direct way to eliminate unwanted blank margins in your printout.
Unwanted blank spaces are often caused by default margin settings that are too large or scaling options that shrink the content too much for the selected paper size.
Navigate to the 'File' menu at the top of your Mac screen and select 'Page Setup'.
Click on the 'Margins' tab in the dialog box. Reduce the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right margin values to decrease the blank space.
Switch to the 'Page' tab. Ensure the scaling is set appropriately, such as 'Fit to 1 page(s) wide by 1 tall', to prevent the content from shrinking and leaving empty space on the right.
Back in the 'Margins' tab, you can check the boxes for 'Horizontally' and 'Vertically' under the 'Center on page' section to distribute remaining space evenly.
Verify Printer-Specific Settings
If the extra space appears only when printing to one specific printer, the printer's driver or default printable-area settings may be responsible.
Print Spreadsheets Flawlessly on Mac with WPS Office
WPS Office for Mac offers a highly compatible and user-friendly spreadsheet tool that makes adjusting print layouts, margins, and scaling completely effortless with visual drag-and-drop tools.
- 1. Open Your Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office for Mac and open the spreadsheet that has printing issues.
- 2. Enter Print Preview: Click on the 'Print Preview' icon in the top toolbar, or press Cmd + P.
- 3. Visually Adjust Margins: Click the 'Margins' button in the preview window to reveal the margin guidelines. Click and drag the lines to eliminate the extra space manually.
- 4. Apply Smart Scaling: Use the scaling dropdown directly in the preview window to select 'Fit Sheet on One Page' for an optimized print layout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Excel add a large blank space on the right side of my print preview?
This usually happens when the print area accidentally includes blank columns that have background formatting, or when the scaling percentage is set too small for the selected paper size.
How do I clear the print area to fix weird spacing?
Go to the 'Page Layout' tab, click 'Print Area', and choose 'Clear Print Area'. After doing this, highlight only the cells you actually want to print, click 'Print Area' again, and choose 'Set Print Area'.
How do I force Excel on Mac to print everything on one page?
Navigate to File > Page Setup, select the 'Page' tab, and choose the 'Fit to 1 page(s) wide by 1 tall' option. This automatically shrinks your data to fit within the printable area without leaving large extra spaces.
Can a printer driver cause margin issues in Excel?
Yes. Different printers have varying minimum printable margins defined by their hardware. If your document margins conflict with the printer's hard limits, the driver may force extra blank space. Updating the driver or selecting a 'borderless' paper size can resolve this.
