Forum Discussion

Murph87's avatar
Murph87
Copper Contributor
May 13, 2026

Excel Documents printing an extra border around the outside of all of my documents

I have been printing and previewing my excel documents recently.  I am not sure when this issue started.

Any time I preview and/or print an Excel spreadsheet this extra border shows up AROUND the entire document.  It is not the cells within the document.  Also, it shrinks my entire document to fit it within this border.

I have done all the things the website has recommended:  turning off "print gridlines", gridlines are off when in print preview, checking margins, turning on/off borderless printing, set the correct print area, etc.

Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with anything I have done within the spreadsheet.  It is outside of the spreadsheet.  It is almost like I took a picture of the spreadsheet, saved it, and now a border image shows up.

I have gone back and looked at all of my OLD documents that I have saved for years and those documents, like Invoices, now have this extra border around them that were never there before.

I have even changed the printers in the pull down box.  I tried changing it to my old printer which I never uninstalled the software and I get the same thing regardless.

Does anyone have any ideas?

excel

2 Replies

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Platinum Contributor
    May 13, 2026

    Since you've already tackled the common cell-formatting fixes, this is almost certainly a system or application-level setting that's changed. Let's walk through the most likely culprits in order, from quickest check to more thorough fix.

    Phase 1: Quick Checks (30 seconds)

    First, let's rule out the simplest, most overlooked settings.

     1. Check your View Mode: Look at the bottom-right of the Excel window. Make sure you are in Normal view, not Page Layout view (which can render a page frame that sneaks into print). A quick click can fix this instantly.

     2. Test with a brand new workbook: Press Ctrl+N for a fresh, blank file, type a test word in cell A1, and go to File > Print. Do you see the border?

    • If NO: Great! The issue is likely in a template or header/footer in your existing files. Skip straight to Step 3.
    • If YES: The problem is application-wide. Jump to Step 4.

    Phase 2: File-Specific Fixes (If the new workbook was clean)

     3. Scrub your Headers & Footers: This is a very common culprit. In one of your problem files, go to Insert > Header & Footer. Carefully clear out everything (text, lines, spaces, tiny images) from the left, center, and right sections of both the header and footer. Check your print preview again.

    Phase 3: Application & System Fixes (If the new workbook also has the border)

    Now we need to find out if Excel or your printer driver is the source.

     4. The Decisive "Print to PDF" Test: In your new test workbook, go to File > Print and change the printer to "Microsoft Print to PDF". Click Print and save the file.

    • If the PDF is clean: We've found the culprit—it’s your printer driver software, not Excel. Please skip to Step 6.
    • If the PDF HAS the border: The problem lives inside Excel or a Windows setting. Proceed to Step5

     5. Repair Excel/Windows Settings:

    • Check High Contrast: Type "Contrast themes" in your Windows Start menu. Ensure the top drop-down is set to "None." If it was on, turn it off and test.
    • Repair Office: If the High Contrast setting wasn't the issue, let's fix Office itself. Close all Office programs, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, find Microsoft Office, and click Change > Quick Repair. If the border persists, repeat this step and run the Online Repair.

     6. Fix the Printer Driver (Only if the PDF Test was clean):

    • A recent Windows update has likely corrupted the driver. Please visit your printer manufacturer's official website (HP, Canon, etc.), search for your exact printer model, and download the latest full driver package. Installing this fresh should overwrite the problematic setting.

     

    Please give these a try in order…. I hope this helps you.

    • Murph87's avatar
      Murph87
      Copper Contributor
      May 21, 2026

      Thank you for your time.

      After everything, there is still that box around the print area.  I decided to look at Word and see if the issue was there and, unfortunately, the same thing is happening there.

      All was good in "Phase 1" so I jumped to Step 4.

      Followed step 4 and converted to a Microsoft .pdf and the border still remained.

      Step 5 regarding Contrast Themes, it was already set to "None."

      Also in Step 5, I did the  Quick Repair followed by Online Repair.  Still the border was there.

       

      Heck, I even downloaded the Driver for my printer even though I knew it wasn't that and it still remains.  It is there for whichever printer I choose, even the old printer which I have downstairs not being used.