Hi Greg,
Another important option to be aware of is the use of a RANGE NAME to define the area you wish to print. This becomes especially important if your sheet happens to be one on which you have PURPOSELY entered additional information which you have considered relevant and important to have on the same sheet.
If this is the case, or if you will in the future want to add additional data to a sheet, and NOT have it automatically included in the print range, you will benefit from developing a habit of creating a RANGE NAME for your print range(s). On one sheet, there could indeed be more than one range a user would like to CHOOSE from to print. Here again, the EASY option is to use RANGE NAMES.
If you are manually specifying the print area by using a RANGE NAME, you simply have to enter the RANGE NAME opposite "Print Area" (which is in the "Page-Setup" window under "Sheet"
.
If you have an application where you are using VBA code, again it is FAR EASIER to use a RANGE NAME. The code would be: ActiveSheet.PageSetup.PrintArea = "PR" (where "PR" is an arbitrary RANGE NAME). You can assign whatever name you wish, with the exception that there are a small number of names which are considered by Excel as "reserved names". Refer to Excel's Help function for a list of these names.
Assignment of and use of RANGE NAMES can be EXTREMELY useful - not just for printing, but also for NAVIGATION around a larger size workbook. You can simply hit the GoTo key (F5) followed by the RANGE NAME. Another example would be where you have VBA code which performs functions such as "Filtering" data, either by "filtering in place", or by extracting data to a separate sheet or a separate RANGE (NAME) on a particular sheet.
Assigning a RANGE NAME is quite simple. First highlight the range, then use Control-F3, Type the name, and hit Enter. There are a couple of limitations: 1) You are not permitted to use spaces. 2) You cannot use a RANGE NAME which BEGINS with a NUMBER, but you could use a number so long as it is preceeded by a permissable character ...e.g. _123456.
Unfortunately, from what I have gathered from working with graduates from Microsoft Office computer courses, there is an obvious lack of attention given to the importance of using RANGE NAMES.
This needs to change, and I'm sure it will. The question is HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE. I hope that by "voicing my concern" in this forum, word will spread amongst Microsoft Excel instructors, and they will come to appreciate the SIGNICANT IMPORTANCE of stressing the use of RANGE NAMES in future courses.
I hope this has been helpful and informative.
Regards, ...Dale Watson dwatson@bsi.gov.mb.ca
