Create a cell style that clears its display formatting prior to printing

[Ewing89]

Hi,

I would like to create a cell style that displays a certain way when working on the spreadsheet but clears that formatting when printed or saved to PDF.

For example, I'm creating a template to be used by others and would like to highlight the cells that require manual input but when these sheets are printed for clients etc. those input cells appear as a regular cell as opposed to the input cell style. Essentially would like to set a "display" cell style and a "print" cell style.

Is there a setting within Excel that achieves this without needing macros?

[#2]

@Ewing89 

Who is doing the printing? The folks for whom you're creating it, or you? How automated do you want it to be?

It would be a fairly simple matter to have a cell off to the side, not part of the active and printable spreadsheet, with instructions that just say, before printing, check this box (or enter "Ready to Print" or some such. Make it a Drop-down selection box. Then use conditional formatting to highlight the cells to a yellow background when not ready to print, and a clear back ground when "Ready to Print."

[#3]

@mathetes 

Hi, 

It will be others doing the printing so I'd like it as automated as possible. Ideally they'd just fill in the required info and hit print. Then the input cells show up on the pdf as normal cells.

Cheers

[#4]

@Ewing89 

Well, I'm not sure that can be done -- "Hit print" in the normal fashion, and have that action in-and-of-itself cause the cells to change format.   But I am not a VBA/macro person at all..so I'll defer to those who are.

In the meantime, assuming these people are able to follow simple instructions (which must be true if they're filling in an Excel spreadsheet in the first place), the method I was suggesting would work.

Come to think of it, to print to PDF requires its own separate step beyond "Hit print" doesn't it? Again, maybe there's a VBA/macro routine that could incorporate all of it, but if I were in your spot, I'd worry that we might be making a simple task more complicated and, potentially, error prone.

[#5]

What I was hoping for is something similar to AutoCAD where you have a printing style set in the document so you can draft in one way but have it print in a way that is easier to read for clients etc. This would be useful in Excel for people making a lot of templates or forms so it is user friendly for the people filling out the form but then prints in an organized and clear fashion.

Thanks for your suggestions though. I will take them on board for now.