Forum Discussion
Weird Printing in Excel
Hello knowledgable peeps!
I have an excel spreadsheet - been using for years - its 6 sheets printed double sided from within a larger sheet so I know how to do all the page margin stuff, scaling etc - however looking at this document in page break preview, it shows the 6 highlighted pages with breaks correctly and says which each page number will be they are but page two is printing the first few rows on page two then the rest of the sheet on page three. Print preview says its only printing 6 pages yet it keeps printing seven. I have checked that errors are NOT set to print as blank but cant see any reason why the results are contradicting what the preview says will happen. Many TIA :)
1 Reply
Below may cause the issue:
- Hidden Content Beyond the Break
Even if it’s not visible, Excel may detect:
- A stray cell with formatting
- A formula or comment
- A non-empty cell far down or far right
Try this:
- Press Ctrl + End to jump to the last cell Excel thinks is “active.”
- If it’s beyond your expected range, clear all rows/columns past your intended print area:
Select rows/columns → Right-click → Delete- Print Area Not Explicitly Set
If the print area isn’t locked down, Excel may default to printing the entire used range—even if it’s just one rogue cell.
To fix:
- Go to Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area
- Select only the range you want printed
- Manual Page Breaks vs. Automatic
Sometimes manual page breaks conflict with scaling or margin settings, causing Excel to split content unexpectedly.
Try:
- Removing all manual breaks:
Page Layout > Breaks > Reset All Page Breaks - Then reapply scaling and margins
- Printer-Specific Quirks
Different printers interpret margins and scaling differently.
- Try printing to PDF first to see if the issue persists
- Or test on a different printer
