You see your spreadsheet correctly in Excel’s Print Preview, but the printed page looks different. This mismatch is a common frustration for business users. The gap occurs because different software components handle the display and printing processes. This article explains the causes and provides steps to align your preview with your final printout.
Key Takeaways: Aligning Print Preview with Your Printer
- Page Layout > Scale to Fit settings: Override manual scaling to ensure the sheet prints on the correct number of pages.
- File > Print > Page Setup > Margins: Verify printer-specific minimum margins that Print Preview may not show.
- File > Options > Advanced > Ignore DPI settings: Forces Excel to use the application’s scaling instead of the printer driver’s.
Why Print Preview and Printed Pages Differ
Excel’s Print Preview is a simulation based on generic printer drivers and application settings. Your actual printer uses its own specific driver software and hardware limitations. This difference is the main source of the gap. The printer driver can enforce minimum margin requirements that Excel’s preview does not account for. It can also interpret scaling and graphic rendering commands differently.
Another common cause is incorrect page scaling. If you manually adjust the print area or scaling in the Page Layout tab, but your printer driver has a different default DPI setting, the output will shift. Printers with outdated or incorrect drivers are particularly prone to this problem. The driver acts as a translator between Excel and the printer, and a faulty translation leads to mismatched results.
How Printer Drivers Affect Output
Every printer model has a unique driver. This software tells Windows and applications like Excel how to communicate with the hardware. The driver controls the exact placement of ink or toner on the page. If the driver is outdated, corrupted, or designed for a different Windows version, it may not process Excel’s print commands accurately. Print Preview uses a standard Windows system driver for its simulation, which often does not match the specific behavior of your installed printer driver.
Steps to Synchronize Print Preview and Print Output
Follow these steps in order to resolve the discrepancy between what you see and what prints.
- Check and Set Scaling in Page Layout
Go to the Page Layout tab. In the Scale to Fit group, ensure the Width and Height boxes are set to ‘Automatic’. If they are set to a specific number of pages, Excel will force scaling that your printer may not handle identically. Click the dialog launcher in the bottom-right of the Page Setup group. On the Page tab, verify the scaling is set to ‘Adjust to: 100% normal size’. - Verify Printer-Specific Margins
Click File > Print. In the print settings pane, click the ‘Page Setup’ link at the bottom. Go to the Margins tab. Here, you may see that your printer has enforced larger minimum margins than you set. Adjust the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right margins within the printer’s allowed range. Click OK and check the preview again. - Update Your Printer Driver
Press the Windows key, type ‘Device Manager’, and open it. Expand the ‘Print queues’ section. Right-click your printer and select ‘Update driver’. Choose ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’. Follow the prompts. After updating, restart your computer and test the print again from Excel. - Use Excel’s Ignore DPI Setting
In Excel, go to File > Options. Select the Advanced category. Scroll down to the ‘General’ section. Check the box for ‘Ignore DPI scaling for this application only’. This setting tells Excel to use its own internal scaling logic for Print Preview, making it more consistent with the final output on some systems. Click OK. - Set a Clear Print Area
On your worksheet, select only the cells you want to print. Go to the Page Layout tab and click Print Area > Set Print Area. This prevents Excel from guessing which parts of the sheet to include, which can change between preview and print. Go to View > Page Break Preview to see blue lines around your defined area and adjust if necessary.
If the Print Gap Persists
Excel Prints Blank Pages After the Data
This happens when the print area is incorrectly defined or there is formatting in distant columns or rows. Press Ctrl + End to see where Excel thinks the last cell is. Delete all content and formatting in rows and columns beyond your actual data. Clear the print area via Page Layout > Print Area > Clear Print Area, then set it again.
Borders or Gridlines Are Missing from the Printout
Print Preview may show cell borders, but they fail to print. First, ensure gridlines or borders are set to print. Go to Page Layout > Sheet Options and check the ‘Print’ box under Gridlines. For borders, select the cells, go to the Home tab, and use the Borders button to apply ‘All Borders’. If the issue continues, your printer driver may be compressing thin lines. In Page Setup, try setting print quality to a higher DPI or switch the printer to a ‘Text’ or ‘Fine Print’ mode.
Charts or Images Print in Low Resolution
High-quality graphics in Print Preview can print pixelated. In Excel, right-click the chart or image and select ‘Format’. Look for a ‘Properties’ or ‘Size & Properties’ option. Ensure ‘Print object’ is checked. For charts, right-click the chart area, select ‘Format Chart Area’. Go to the ‘Size & Properties’ icon (the square), then Properties, and select ‘Print with sheet’. For a system-wide fix, in File > Options > Advanced, under ‘When printing this workbook’, ensure ‘Draft quality printing’ is NOT checked.
Print Preview vs. Printer Driver: Key Differences
| Item | Excel Print Preview | Actual Printer Driver |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | On-screen simulation for layout checking | Software that controls physical printer hardware |
| Scaling Control | Uses Excel’s internal math and generic drivers | Applies its own DPI and scaling algorithms |
| Margin Enforcement | Shows user-set margins | Can enforce larger hardware minimum margins |
| Graphic Rendering | Displays high-quality screen graphics | May compress or downgrade images to save ink or memory |
| Update Frequency | Tied to Excel updates | Requires manual download from manufacturer |
You can now diagnose and fix most discrepancies between Excel’s Print Preview and your printed pages. Start by adjusting the Scale to Fit settings and verifying margins in Page Setup. For a persistent issue, updating your printer driver is the most effective next step. Remember to use the ‘Ignore DPI scaling’ option in Excel’s advanced settings if graphics alignment is your main problem.