Printing Problems

How to Scale an Excel Spreadsheet to 70 Percent for Printing

Ayan Masood Oct 15, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to set a custom print scaling percentage (70%) for a spreadsheet because the default print menu only offers preset options.

How to Scale an Excel Spreadsheet to 70 Percent for Printing

Product: Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Preparing an overly large spreadsheet for printing where standard preset scaling options do not yield the desired layout.
Observed behavior: The standard print menu lacks an obvious input for custom percentages, requiring the user to navigate to the advanced Page Setup dialog to manually adjust the scale.

Before you start

Ensure your printer is properly connected and that you have previewed your spreadsheet's print layout to confirm that a 70% scale will fit your data effectively.

Solution 1Recommended

Set Custom Scaling via the Page Setup Dialog Box

Bypass the limited preset options in the default print menu by using the Page Setup dialog to enter an exact scaling percentage.

While the quick print menu provides standard scaling options like 'Fit Sheet on One Page', entering a precise custom percentage requires accessing the full Page Setup dialog. This allows for granular control over how your spreadsheet aligns on the physical paper.

Navigate to the Page Layout Tab

Open your Excel spreadsheet and click on the 'Page Layout' tab located on the top ribbon.

Open Page Setup

Locate the 'Page Setup' group and click the small dialog launcher arrow in the bottom-right corner to open the Page Setup dialog box.

Adjust Scaling

In the dialog box, make sure you are on the 'Page' tab. Look under the 'Scaling' section and select the 'Adjust to' radio button.

Enter the Percentage

Type '70' (or your desired custom percentage) into the '% normal size' input box and click 'OK' to apply the changes.

Print the Document

Go to File > Print to verify the new layout in the Print Preview window, then click Print to finish the process.

Set Custom Scaling via the Page Setup Dialog Box

Check Print Preview: Always verify your custom scale in the Print Preview window to ensure your columns and rows fit the page exactly as intended before using your printer ink.

Efficient Printing with WPS Spreadsheet

Easily Scale and Print Spreadsheets with WPS Office

WPS Office offers highly intuitive page layout and printing tools, allowing you to seamlessly scale spreadsheets to 70% or any exact custom size for flawless printing results.

1. Open your Workbook: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the file you wish to print.
2. Access Page Layout: Click on the 'Page Layout' tab located on the top menu ribbon.
3. Open Settings: Click the 'Page Setup' dialog launcher icon to access the detailed settings window.
4. Set Custom Scale: Under the Page tab, select 'Adjust to', input '70%', and click OK.
5. Preview and Print: Use the Print Preview feature to verify your document fits the page perfectly, then proceed to print.

Easily set custom print scaling percentages with a few clicksFully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) file formatsBuilt-in Print Preview for highly accurate layout adjustmentsFree, lightweight, and fast alternative for seamless productivity

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't the normal print menu let me type in 70%?

The quick Print menu usually offers common preset scaling options designed for fast selection (like 'Fit Sheet on One Page' or 'Fit All Columns'). To manually enter a specific numerical percentage like 70%, you must access the advanced Page Setup dialog box.

Will scaling my spreadsheet to 70% affect the actual cell sizes on my screen?

No, print scaling only affects how the document is sized when sent to the printer or exported as a PDF. Your on-screen row heights, column widths, and font sizes will remain unchanged while editing.

Can I automatically scale a spreadsheet to fit exactly one page instead of guessing percentages?

Yes. In the same Page Setup dialog box under the Scaling section, you can select the 'Fit to' option and enter '1 page(s) wide by 1 tall'. The software will automatically calculate the necessary percentage to make your entire data range fit perfectly onto a single printed page.

Document & File Issues