One common frustration for Excel users is when worksheet gridlines don’t appear in printed documents by default. These faint lines are incredibly helpful for visually separating data and improving readability. If you’ve ever printed an Excel sheet only to find a block of data without clear cell boundaries, you’re not alone. This guide will show you exactly How To Get The Lines To Print On Excel, and even how to make them more prominent on paper by changing their color.
Many users resort to manually adding borders to cells to ensure lines are printed. While effective, this can be time-consuming. Thankfully, Excel offers a much quicker solution to print gridlines, saving you valuable time and effort. Let’s explore the simple methods to ensure those helpful gridlines appear in your printed spreadsheets.
Method 1: Enabling Print Gridlines from the Page Layout Tab
This is the fastest and most straightforward way to make Excel print gridlines. It takes just a few clicks within the Excel ribbon:
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Navigate to the Page Layout tab in the Excel ribbon.
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Locate the Sheet Options group.
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Under the Gridlines section, check the Print box.
Check the Print option under Gridlines in the Sheet Options group on the Page Layout tab to enable printing gridlines in Excel
That’s all there is to it! With this simple setting enabled, Excel will now include gridlines when you print your worksheet.
To confirm that gridlines will be printed, you can preview your document before printing. Go to File > Print or press Ctrl + P. The Print Preview pane will display exactly how your worksheet will appear on paper, including the gridlines.
Method 2: Using Page Setup to Print Gridlines
If you’re already in the Print Preview screen and realize you forgot to enable gridlines, you can easily do it through the Page Setup options without leaving the print interface. Here’s how:
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Go to File > Print or press Ctrl + P to access the Print Preview pane.
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Click the Page Setup link located under the Settings options. This will open the Page Setup dialog box.
Click on the Page Setup link in the Print settings to access the Page Setup dialog in Excel
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In the Page Setup dialog, click on the Sheet tab.
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Within the Print section, find and check the Gridlines checkbox.
Enable the Gridlines option in the Print section of the Sheet tab within Page Setup to print gridlines in Excel
- Click OK.
Excel will immediately update the Print Preview to show the gridlines in your worksheet. Now you can proceed with printing, confident that the gridlines will be included.
Important Note: Excel only prints gridlines for cells that contain data. Empty cells will not have gridlines printed around them by default. If you need gridlines to appear around blank rows or columns in your printed output, you should define a Print Area that includes those blank cells using the Print Area option under the Page Layout tab.
Bonus Tip: Making Gridlines More Visible by Changing the Color
The default gridline color in Excel is light gray, which can sometimes be faint when printed. If you want to make the gridlines darker or use a different color for better visibility on your printouts, you can easily customize the gridline color:
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Click the File tab in the ribbon.
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Select Options from the File menu. This will open the Excel Options dialog window.
Select Options from the File menu to open the Excel Options dialog in Excel
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In the Excel Options dialog, choose the Advanced category from the left-hand menu.
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Scroll down to the Display options for this worksheet section.
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Use the dropdown menu labeled “Sheet:” to select the specific worksheet where you want to change the gridline color.
Navigate to the Display options for this worksheet section in Advanced Excel Options to change gridline color
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Ensure that the Show gridlines checkbox is checked. This makes the gridline color option available.
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Click the dropdown arrow next to Gridline color. This will display a color palette.
Open the Gridline color dropdown to select a new color for gridlines in Excel
- Choose your desired color from the palette. For bolder lines on paper, consider darker shades like black or dark gray. Click OK to apply the changes.
Click OK to apply the selected gridline color to the worksheet in Excel
The gridlines in your Excel worksheet will now display in the color you selected, and this color will also be reflected in your printed documents, making your data even easier to read.
By mastering these simple techniques, you can effectively print lines in Excel and customize them for optimal readability. Whether you choose to simply enable the print gridlines option or adjust the color for better visibility, these methods ensure your printed spreadsheets are clear, organized, and easy to understand for anyone viewing them.
