the MOST

More than once I’ve talked to people who clicked the Print Preview button before printing an Excel worksheet that should fit on one or two pages, only to discover that 100+ pages were slated to print, and all but the first few were going to be blank.

In my experience, this usually happens because you have something (data or sometimes just formatting) in an unused area of the spreadsheet that you are not aware of.

To keep from accidentally printing extra pages, it’s a good idea to set up a Print Area.  The Print Area tells Excel exactly what you want to print.  Once you set a Print Area, Excel will only print that area, until you clear it.

Set a Print Area

Excel 2007

1. Select the data you want to print.
2. Go to the Page Layout tab.
3. Click on the Print Area button.
4. Select Set Print Area.

Later, if you need to clear the print area, you can click on the Print Area button and select Clear Print Area. 

Excel 2003

1. Select the data you want to print.
2. Go to the File menu.
3. Hover your mouse over Print Area.
4. Select Set Print Area.

Later, if you need to clear the print area, you can go back and select Clear Print Area from the Print Area section of the File menu.

Print Only Selected Cells

Occasionally, you may want to only print certain cells.  I found a good post on Excel Tips for You, on how to print only certain cells, without having to change a print area.