Print gridlines and headings in Excel

Printing gridlines can help you track data; printing column and row headings can help you identify and find data. Learn how to include both when printing an Excel spreadsheet.

A printout of data can be more useful if you print gridlines and column and row headings. The gridlines help keep you on track. The headings help you identify and find specific values. You can print both with your spreadsheet data, but neither is automatic. Enable both when printing as follows (versions 2003 and earlier):

Choose Page Setup from the Print menu or choose Print Preview and click Setup.
Click the Sheet tab.
In the Print section, check Gridlines and Row And Column Headings.
Click OK.

In Excel 2007, do the following:

Click the Page Layout tab.
Check Print And Headings under Gridlines.

The next time you print, Excel will print gridlines and headings. You can see the difference in Print Preview. The dotted lines represent the gridlines, and the row numbers and column letters are also visible.

About Susan Harkins

Susan Sales Harkins is an IT consultant, specializing in desktop solutions. Previously, she was editor in chief for The Cobb Group, the world's largest publisher of technical journals.