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How to create a dynamic print area in Excel?

Normally, the print area is constant after setting in your worksheet. In some cases, you would like the print area adjusting with the print content you deleted or added any time. How to achieve it? In this article, we are going to show you a method of creating a dynamic print area in Excel.

Creating a dynamic print area in Excel

arrow blue right bubble Creating a dynamic print area in Excel

As below screenshot shown, assuming your normal print area is A1:E5, but the range data may grow until row 10 and column G. You can create a dynamic print area with the following steps.

1. You need to create a dynamic named range at first. Click Formulas > Name Manager. See screenshot:

2. In the Name Manager dialog box, click the New button to open the New Name dialog box. And in the New Name dialog box, enter Print_Area_Formula into the Name box, and enter formula =OFFSET($A$1,0,0,COUNTA($A$1:$A$10),COUNTA($A$1:$G$1)) into the Refers to box, and finally click the OK button. See screenshot:

Note: in the formula, $A$10 and $G$1 mean the print area will not grow bigger than row 10 and column G. You can change them as you need.

3. When it returns to the Name Manager dialog box, please close it.

4. Select the range with data you will set as print area (in this case, we select A1:E5), then click Page Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area. See screenshot:

5. Click Formulas > Name Manager to open the Name Manager dialog box.

6. In the Name Manager dialog box, select the Print_Area in the Name box, then replace the original formula with = Print_Area_Formula (the name of the dynamic range you created above) in the Refers to box, and then click the button to save the change. Finally close the Name Manager dialog box.

Now the dynamic print area is created. You can see the print area is adjusting with the data you added or deleted until it reaches the specified row and column. See screenshot:

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Comments (10)
Rated 5 out of 5 · 1 ratings
John Edwards
John Edwards
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Plain and simple, I've tried it a dozen times, made adjustments and still doesn't work. It won't take the formula. It keeps reverting, which means its reading the formula as an error. Don't get it. The name of my sheet is Contract Invoice. I don't see where you put that in the formula. I've tried replacine the COUNTA with the name of the sheet, tried putting it before and after COUNTA, but still nothing. My email is obviously listed above. If anyone has any suggestions, I'll try them.
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Chris Swan
Chris Swan     John Edwards
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Hi John,
If you wanted a print area for all non-blank rows, you might have something like
=OFFSET('Contract Invoice'!$A$1:$S$1,0,0,MAX(IF('Contract Invoice'!$A$1:$A$1005<>"",ROW('Contract Invoice'!$A$1:$A$1005),0)))

or whatever you like. The sheet name in the formula shouldn't matter.

You'd then define this name (say =my_print_area) as above mentioned above and set the "scope" to the workbook.

Then define your Print_Area to link to this formula and set the Scope to "Contract Invoice".

Hope that helps.
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Chris Swan
Chris Swan
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This was the best solution to this problem I found, after hours of searching
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Rated 5 out of 5
juan
juan
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this is definitely super usefull. However, each time I close and reopen the file, the Print_Area name configuration is gone. So each time I have to go to Define Names, and say Print_Area = Print_Area_Formula. Someone else with the same issue?? Thx!
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Chris Swan
Chris Swan     juan
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Yeah, this is the only problem, but it only seems to happen when you open the Page Layout settings. Otherwise, it seems to be fine.
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Laurent
Laurent     juan
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Ca ne fonctionne pas. A chaque fois qu'on faire le gestionnaire de noms et qu'on rentre dedans, il a remplacé la formule par la zone area de départ
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Gary
Gary
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Hi, just one thing, is your formula dynamic?. Would this be better =OFFSET($A$1,0,0,COUNTA($A:$A),COUNTA($1:$1))?

Then when the pivot changes or cells or columns are added the formula does not need to change.
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GGa
GGa
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First of all, thanks a lot!


Secondly: you don't need to define two "names" in the Mame Manager. As a simpler alternative, just select some random cells and set the print area (on those random cells), then open the Name Manager: it will have the print_area already in: here you can replace the content with the formula you want.
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Mike
Mike
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hi
thank you, it is great.

is there any way to have a conditional reference for the offset? I mean use the offset from the first cell in column A that contains a letter A, or equal to number 3 or filled by the color yellow.

I tried the following formula but it doesn't work.

offset(indirect(CELL("address",INDEX(A:A,MATCH("A",A:A,0)))),0,1,COUNTA(Sheet1!$b+Sheet1!$b:$b),7)

thanks

Mike
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mahmoud
mahmoud
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Hello,Its useful &exciting.
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