How to print multiple double sided sheets from Microsoft Excel

[Holly Dayin]

We publish an annual publication of detailed tables. Each section of the book is created in a single Excel workbook - each page of the book is one Excel sheet. We have tried selecting all sheets and formatting the printer to print double sided, but each sheet still prints on a separate page. Also, when trying to number the pages, you can select all sheets, select the first number, but the same number shows up on all sheets. Is this a limitation of Excel.

[AnitG]

I think what you need to do is set the print area on each sheet of the work book so that you have one page on each sheet, do this for each sheet. Then this is the annoying part and the only way I have managed to make this work. Click on each sheet then click File > Print. Go into the properties and click double sided as I'm sure you have already done then instead if clicking ok to start printing click close. Then repeat this process for each individual sheet by tabbing across to each one clicking print and then changing the property. Once you have done this for all sheets go back to the first sheet, click print then select entire workbook and then press ok. I believe this should then print each sheet back to back across the entire workbook. At least I have got it to do this anyway after much faffing around.

[Koman]

For the page numbering part, you might try this after selecting all sheets: File > Page setup > Page and put "Auto" (without quotes) in the "First page number" field. Then print the "Entire workbook" at once. For the double-sided part, I’ve done it this way. It’s not elegant, admittedly. Print the workbook to the “Microsoft Office Document Image Writer.” This opens several “Microsoft Office Document Imaging” windows. Next, combine the worksheets into a single document. To do this, notice that each of the “Imaging” windows has a left pane with thumbnails of the page(s). Using right-click, “Copy” one or more thumbnails from the left pane of one window and “Paste” it into the left pane of another. (Drag-and- drop works.) Repeating this, the entire document can be merged into a single window. Finally, print from that window.

[Leanne]

I am trying to pick the print area to be the same on all sheets and I am trying to avoid going into each sheet because I have 50 sheets. There has to be a way to save time. Using VBA code you can set the same print range and rows to repeat at top on each sheet in grouped sheets.

[Hollyn]

I a m also finding any long-term solution for this problem. You may use this method to print as one file on the printing dialogue:

• Select "Page(s) From __ to __"
• Select "Active sheet(s)"
• Press "OK"

[QUENBY]

Here is how to get multiple worksheets in one workbook printed with true double sided printing (to prevent each worksheet from starting a new page):

• Open each worksheet that you are going to print individually
• Go to the File / Page Setup menu and click on the Print button (you are not going to print at this time, but you need to set each of the worksheets to the double sided option)
• When the print window comes up, click on the Properties button
• Under the 2 sided print, change the drop down menu to 2 sided printing
• Click on the OK button
• This takes you back to the print window - DO NOT click on the OK button (it will print the sheet) - instead click on the Close button
• You have now reset that individual worksheet to double sided printing. You need to do that for every other individual worksheet that you intend to print from the workbook.

Then when you are ready to print, click on the first tab of the worksheet you want to print. Then hold down the control key (Ctrl) and click on each other worksheet tab that you want to print (they will all change from gray to white as you select them to show you which ones you have picked). Then go to the File / Print menu, make sure that under "Print What" the button for Active Sheets is selected. Then go to the Properties button and make sure that it is set for double sided printing. Then print a copy.

Hopefully you will now have a true double sided copy of the multiple worksheets in your Excel workbook without each tab starting a new page. One note of caution. When you have multiple worksheets selected in this manner, if you make changes to the page setup (margins, etc.) the changes will be applied to every once of the worksheets that are in the selected group. It is easy to forget that they are all selected and to change what you think is just the worksheet that is showing, and mistakenly change all of the others. Also, if you save with multiple worksheets selected, when you open the workbook again, they will still be selected. Learned this one the hard way.