Over a decade ago I was working on a very large and complex budget model, come to think of it I still am?
It involved 4 linked Excel workbooks, about 30 worksheets, all different, and multiple views of each worksheet.
There were regular Worksheets and Chart Sheets interspersed throughout.
Some of the Ranges had Outlined/Grouped Totals that were indented on some reports, but not on others depending on whom the various reports were going to.
It was a great budget model until you had to print a copy of it.
And of course the different levels of Managers all want different reports etc, etc.
The Solution
To solve this I developed a simple VBA routine which has evolved over the years to what is presented here.
The basic idea is to add a Printing Control sheet to your workbook.
This sheet has a list of print views, not Excel views, of various pages within the current workbook.
Each page can be setup as you wish and allows for a number of common parameters for each printed page.
Pages can be listed, multiple times if required, with different ranges or outlining selected each time
The Code handles Worksheets and Chartsheets, Normal and Named Ranges, Page Orientation, Page Size, Page Grouping and Headers/Footers.
As a user you setup the sheets as a list in the order you want them, with appropriate parameters.
The code then:
- Loops through the list,
- Obtain the parameters,
- Sets up the print page and
- Prints it.
You just need to sit back and wait for the printer to jam.
HOW DO I USE IT
Download the sample file here Excel 97-03, Excel 2007/10
You can use the sample file as is, for demo purposes or read on later where I describe how to use this in your workbooks.
Open the workbook and Goto the “Print_Control” worksheet.
Browse through the various Headings in Row 4 and field values below them.
Note that some of the Row 4 cells have comments in which explain what options are available.
Each field is described below:
No.
The Row No. in the list of page layouts available.
This has no use except when someone says the 5th page should be…
Description/Header
A text field that is used as a Reminder of the layout of the Page Setup also serves as a Centred Header.
Status
Print = On
Don’t Print = Off
The code only prints the pages marked as On.
Sheet
The name of the Worksheet or Chartsheet you want to print
Area
The Range on the Sheet that you want printed
Ignored for Chartsheets.
Land/Port
Specify if the page should be printed Landscape or Portrait
Ignored for Chartsheets.
Chartsheets are printed in Landscape.
Pages Wide
How many pages wide should the Range be printed on
This is fixed at 1 for Chartsheets.
Pages Tall
How many pages tall should the Range be printed out on
This is fixed at 1 for Chartsheets.
Copies
How Many Copies do you want of that individual page.
Rows & Columns
If outline/grouping is used specify what level of Indentation should be used for the Rows and Columns.
0 – Leave as is
1 – Indent 1 level
8 – Indent 8 levels
The maximum indentation is 8
Ignored for Chartsheets.
Footer (Left)
A description field printed as lower left footer.
No. of Copies
This specifies the Number of Copies of the Whole Report you want
Print All “On” Areas
The Print All “On” Areas Button executes the code and prints out a number of copies of the report as specified in the various page setups.
The printing is done on the default printer on your PC,
Important: Ensure that the printer you want to use for the job is set as the default before you start Excel.
You can print to a PDF file by specifying your Adobe or other PDF Printer as the Default Printer.
I’m sorry, This doesn’t fix the printing multiple pages to multiple files when printing to PDF issue.
Warning ! I maybe old school but I still recommend saving before printing !
HELP
There is limited help built into the system, That’s what this Post is doing.
Some of the field headings have comments which show what values are acceptable in those fields.
HOW DO I ADD THIS TO MY WORKBOOK ?
To add this to your workbook, copy the Print_Control worksheet to your workbook
- Open your workbook.
- Open the Demo File
- Copy the Print_Control worksheet by Right Clicking on the Print_Control tab, and copy to your workbook.
- Run the VBA Code using the “Setup Print Control Named Formula” Button
That’s it.
All the code required for the printing is part of the Print_Control page.
HOW DOES THE VBA WORK ?
The following describes the VBA Code driving this worksheet.
To examine this goto VBA (Alt F11)
Select the workbook and double click on Sheet0 (Print_Control)
The code should appear in the right hand window
If you are unfamiliar with VBA it may be worth going through Chandoo’s Crash Course in VBA
There are 2 Subroutines and a Function in this system which are documented below
Print_Reports
This is the main subroutine that drives the printing
It is called by the Print All On Button and when finished returns the user to the Print_Control worksheet.
All the VBA code is in RED,
Comments and notes are in BLACK before the line or section they refer to.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
At the start of the Print_Reports subroutine, setup variables for later use
Option Explicit
Public Sub Print_Reports()
Dim PrintArea As Variant
Dim i As Integer
Dim j As Integer
Dim sht As Long
Dim Orientation As String
Dim NCopies As Integer
Dim PWide As Integer
Dim PTall As Integer
Dim Footer As String
Dim Header As String
Dim Sheets As String
Dim gRow As Integer
Dim gCol As Integer
Dim PaperSize As String
Dim msg As String
Dim tmp As String
Turn off the Automatic Calculation so that it is faster and isn’t as jerky
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual
This loads the entire array of the Print_Control page into an array called PrintArea
PrintArea = Worksheets(“Print_Control”).Range(“Print_Control”).Value
This sets up a loop for the No of Total Copies of the Whole report
For j = 1 To [Copies].Value ‘Loop through the No of Copies
This sets up a loop for the to check each line of the Print Control area
For i = 1 To UBound(PrintArea, 1) ‘Loop through the print area
If the Column Status is On print using that line of settings
If UCase(PrintArea(i, 3)) = “ON” Then ‘When On is enabled Print using the settings
Extract the settings from the stored array, row i
Header = PrintArea(i, 2) ‘Set Header variable
Orientation = PrintArea(i, 6) ‘Set Orientation variable
PWide = PrintArea(i, 8 ) ‘Set Pages Wide variable
PTall = PrintArea(i, 9) ‘Set Pages Tall variable
NCopies = PrintArea(i, 10) ‘Set No Copies variable
gRow = PrintArea(i, 11) ‘Set Row Group Expansion
gCol = PrintArea(i, 12) ‘Set Column Group Expansion
Footer = PrintArea(i, 13) ‘Set Footer variable
Check paper sizes against the built in page sizes
If PrintArea(i, 7) = “A4” Then
PaperSize = 9
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “A3” Then
PaperSize = 8
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “A5” Then
PaperSize = 11
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “Legal” Then
PaperSize = 5
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “Letter” Then
PaperSize = 1
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “Quarto” Then
PaperSize = 15
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “Executive” Then
PaperSize = 7
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “B4” Then
PaperSize = 12
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “B5” Then
PaperSize = 13
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “10×14” Then
PaperSize = 16
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “11×17” Then
PaperSize = 17
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “Csheet” Then
PaperSize = 24
ElseIf PrintArea(i, 7) = “Dsheet” Then
PaperSize = 25
Else
PaperSize = 9 ‘Defaults to A4
End If
Activate the relevant sheet
This checks that the sheet exists first
tmp = PrintArea(i, 4)
SheetExists(tmp) is a UDF that’s checks if the sheet exists and returns True or False
If Not SheetExists(tmp) Then
msg = “Sheet ‘” + PrintArea(i, 4) + “‘ not found.” + vbCrLf + “Check the sheets Name.”
msg = msg + vbCrLf + vbCrLf + “Processing will continue for remaining sheets.”
tmp = MsgBox(msg, vbExclamation, “Sheet not Found”)
Else
The sheet exists now process
Select the sheet
Application.Sheets(PrintArea(i, 4)).Select
Check if it is a Worksheet or a Chartsheet
If ActiveSheet.Type = -4167 Then ‘Its a worksheet
Turn off screen updating
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Select the relevnt area of the sheet
ActiveSheet.PageSetup.PrintArea = PrintArea(i, 5) ‘Select the relevent Print Area of the Sheet
Set Outline levels
ActiveSheet.Outline.ShowLevels RowLevels:=gRow, ColumnLevels:=gCol ‘Set Outline Grouping
Apply print settings
With ActiveSheet.PageSetup ‘Set print settings
.PrintTitleRows = “”
.PrintTitleColumns = “”
.LeftHeader = “”
.CenterHeader = Header ‘User Defined Header (Shift to Left or Right as required)
.RightHeader = “”
.LeftFooter = Footer ‘User Defined Footer (Shift to Left or Right as required)
.CenterFooter = “”
.RightFooter = “”
.LeftMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.1)
.RightMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.1)
.TopMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(1.0)
.BottomMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.4)
.HeaderMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.1)
.FooterMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.3)
.PrintHeadings = False
.PrintGridlines = False
.PrintComments = xlPrintNoComments
.CenterHorizontally = False
.CenterVertically = False
.Draft = False
.PaperSize = PaperSize ‘ User Defined Paper Size
.FirstPageNumber = xlAutomatic
.Order = xlDownThenOver
.BlackAndWhite = False
.Zoom = False
.FitToPagesWide = PWide ‘User Defined No Pages Wide
.FitToPagesTall = PTall ‘User Defined No Pages Tall
.PrintErrors = xlPrintErrorsDisplayed
End With
Apply page orientation settings
If Orientation = “L” Then ‘User Defined Page Orientation
ActiveSheet.PageSetup.Orientation = xlLandscape
Else
ActiveSheet.PageSetup.Orientation = xlPortrait
End If
Turn Screen updating back on
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
Finished setting up Worksheet goto the Printing area
Else ‘Its a Chart page
Turn Screen updating off
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Apply print settings
With ActiveChart.PageSetup
.LeftHeader = “”
.CenterHeader = Header
.RightHeader = “”
.LeftFooter = Footer
.CenterFooter = “”
.RightFooter = “”
.LeftMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.1)
.RightMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.1)
.TopMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(1#)
.BottomMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.4)
.HeaderMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.1)
.FooterMargin = Application.InchesToPoints(0.3)
.ChartSize = xlScreenSize
.PrintQuality = 600 ‘Change to 300 for Excel 97-03
.CenterHorizontally = True
.CenterVertically = True
.Orientation = xlLandscape
.Draft = False
.OddAndEvenPagesHeaderFooter = False ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.DifferentFirstPageHeaderFooter = False ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.EvenPage.LeftHeader.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.EvenPage.CenterHeader.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.EvenPage.RightHeader.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.EvenPage.LeftFooter.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.EvenPage.CenterFooter.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.EvenPage.RightFooter.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.FirstPage.LeftHeader.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.FirstPage.CenterHeader.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.FirstPage.RightHeader.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.FirstPage.LeftFooter.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.FirstPage.CenterFooter.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.FirstPage.RightFooter.Text = “” ‘Removed from 97/03 Ver
.PaperSize = PaperSize
.FirstPageNumber = xlAutomatic
.BlackAndWhite = False
.Zoom = 100
End With
Turn Screen Updating back on
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End If
Now Print the active sheet using user defined No. Copies
ActiveWindow.SelectedSheets.PrintOut Copies:=NCopies, Collate:=True
End If
End If
Next i
Next j
Clear PrintArea array, just in case
PrintArea = Null
Turn Auto Calculation back on
Application.Calculation = xlCalculationAutomatic
Go back to the Print Control sheet
Application.Sheets(“Print_Control”).Select
End Sub
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The SheetExists Function
This is a Function that is used by the Print_Reports subroutine to check if a sheet exists.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Function SheetExists(SheetName As String) As Boolean
‘ This function Returns TRUE if the sheet exists in the active workbook
SheetExists = False ‘Set default value of SheetExists
On Error GoTo NoSuchSheet ‘Set error trapping such that if the sheet doesn’t exist it will exit
Check length of sheet name, if the sheet exists it will return a value, otherwise an error
If Len(Sheets(SheetName).Name) > 0 Then
The sheet exists so set SheetExists = True and exit
SheetExists = True
Exit Function
End If
NoSuchSheet:
The sheet doesn’t exists so use default SheetExists = False and exit
End Function
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The Setup_Print_Control_Named_Formula Subroutine
This is a simple subroutine that sets up the 2 named formula for use the first time a sheet is used.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Sub Setup_Print_Control_Named_Formula()
Setup Named Formula “Print_Control” which is the table of settings
ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add Name:=”Print_Control”, RefersToR1C1:= _
“=OFFSET(Print_Control!R4C2,1,,COUNTA(Print_Control!R5C2:R24C2),COUNTA(Print_Control!R4))”
ActiveWorkbook.Names(“Print_Control”).Comment = _
“Used by the Print_Reports Subroutine”
Setup Named Formula “Copies” which is the No of Copies of the Whole Report
ActiveWorkbook.Names.Add Name:=”Copies”, RefersToR1C1:= _
“=Print_Control!R26C13”
ActiveWorkbook.Names(“Copies”).Comment = “Specifies the No. of Copies for the Print_Reports Subroutine”
End Sub
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
NAMED FORMULA
The code relies on two Named Formulas
Copies:
=Print_Control!$L$27
Print_Control:
=OFFSET(Print_Control!$B$4,1,,COUNTA(Print_Control!$B$5:$B$24),COUNTA(Print_Control!$4:$4))
Automatically adjusts the Print_Control Named Formula for the number of Page Setup lines and Fields to be processed
If you have queries about how any of the above code works, please let me know in the comments below:
WHAT DOES THE ARRAY “PrintArea” DO ?
The print area array stores the values of the Print_Control range in a 2 dimensional array which represents the Print_Control range.
This is done for a few reasons, but simply it is faster as it results in less reading of the worksheet
It also allows more flexibility in the subsequent processing as all the data is in one area.
DOWNLOADS
Download the sample file here Excel 97-03, Excel 2007/10
WHAT’S NEXT
There are a number of parameters used in the Print Setup area which are not used or not used in the 97/03 version.
The code above is easily extended to include these if you desire.
One day when I have a spare moment (Most likely in 2025!) I will add the option for automatic incremental Page Numbers.
CLOSING
This code has saved, my staff and I, hundreds and hundreds of hours over the past decade whilst printing complex Excel workbooks.
This functionality was also one of the more requested issues from our poll of 3 months ago We Want Your Ideas!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have ?
Updates
I will be extending the functionality of this in the future and so if you have any suggestions, lets hear them in the comments below:
How have you tackled large print jobs ?
I look forward to your comments below:
Hui…
For a list of my other contributions at Chandoo.org please visit; Hui.
24 Responses
I’d suggest simply using the subtotal function and filtering the data using the Win/Loss column. You get the same results and the formula is more comprehensible.
@John
That is one option.
There are times however when you want to see the whole data table or a filtered subset and still want to produce summary reports against an unfiltered field.
Is there a particular reason why you are using a comma and the unary (–) operator for the second array in the SUMPRODUCT formula? It seems to work the same if you were to string the arrays together using the asterisk (*). The advantage is that SUMPRODUCT treats the entire string of arrays as a single array.
@Mathew
Your correct, There is no difference.
I thought it may have been easier to explain this method.
Is there a way to do this on a large set of data? As in ~100,000 rows? When I try I get an error because the formula becomes too long. It says the max length of a formula is 8,192 characters. Excel 2010.
How do I incorporate a specific text within a cell for the second array. For instance, – -(C7:C13=”Apple”)
when I chose a specific text the formula does not work.
@RB
I am not sure what is the issue as if I use the sample data in the post the following work fine
Count:
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET(C7:C13,ROW(C7:C13)-MIN(ROW(C7:C13)),,1)), –(C7:C13=”L”))
Sum:
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET(C7:C13,ROW(C7:C13)-MIN(ROW(C7:C13)),,1)),(C7:C13=”L”)*(D7:D13))
You may want to check that there are no leading or trailing spaces in your list of Apples
I should have given a better explanation. Heres my situation. I have a column with cells filled with names like Column 1, Column 2, Pier 1, Pier 2, etc. If the cell just contained Pier and searched for that it works. But because it has other characters in the cell its not recognizing the pier. So how can I extract specific characters of a string of text in this formula?
Hopefully this was a better explanation
Hello-
This formula works pretty well for me except that it slow down excel and prevents some of my macros from working. I was wondering if there was a way to program this in VBA so that excel isn’t always trying to recalculate it. I would like to use a push of a button to get it to run then paste in a cell.
Thanks!
I am trying to sum filtered data in a column, but would want to ignore the negative values in the column. How to go about doing this?
@Akshay
Why not just add a filter to that column to only show the values greater than zero?
The negative values are required for reporting purposes, but their effect on the total is distorting the required output. Please advise.
@Akshay
I’d suggest making a post in the Chandoo.org Forums
http://forum.chandoo.org/
Attach a sample file to simplify the task
I have this working for counting and summing, however, I have a list and for the second array, I need a criteria. That is, I’m looking for b13:b200=”01.??.??” or =left((a1,2) or something like that. These types of criteria matches do not appear to work as I get a blank as a result.
Thanks!
@Bob
As your formula b13:b200=”01.??.??” looks like you are trying to check the first day of the month of the range
What about trying Day(B13:B200)=1
Hai Experts,
i understood this formula well and working fine in MS Excel 2013
but when the same am trying to place in google Spreadsheet it shows error as
“SUMPRODUCT has mismatched range sizes. Expected row count: 1. column count: 1. Actual row count: 2014, column count: 1.” and as a result #VALUE! Appears in cell.
Can anyone please help me how would i get it done in Google Spread sheet
or is there any other formula as a substitute for this.
Thank you very much.
thanks for providing this.. but why does excel keeps on prompting Circular referencing in cell D3?
@Vivek
I don’t know
I just downloaded the file and it is working fine and not showing that error
Goto the Formulas, Calculation Options Tab and check that Calculation is set to Automatic
What version of Excel and Windows are you using ?
I know that this forum is for MS Excel, but I am trying to help someone who is working in Google Sheets. The below formula works in Excel but Google Sheets returns:
“SUMPRODUCT has mismatched range sizes. Expected row count: 1. column count: 1. Actual row count: 39000, column count: 1.” and as a result #VALUE! Appears in cell.
This is the same problem asked by Srichirin above. Does anyone know if there is a formula for Google Sheets that will replicate what MS Excel does?
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET($C$6:$C$39500,ROW($C$6:$C$39500)-MIN(ROW($C$6:$C$39500)),,1)),- -($C$6:$C$39500=H1),($D$6:$D$39500))
Trying to find a SUMPRODUCT formula that counts the word Closed by date for the last 7 days in a filtered list.
=COUNTIF(M:M,”>”&TODAY()-7) works ok for unfiltered count Column M contains Closure dates (blank if open) and Column L is Status Open or Closed
@ Terry
Please ask the question at the Chandoo.org Forums
https://chandoo.org/forum/
Please attach a sample file to ensure a quicker more accurate answer
I used this formula and worked like a charm! But, now I’ve been requested to use it but adding not one but two criteria in the same formula. For instance the sum I was doing added negative and positive numbers. I’ve been asked to use the exact same formula but adding that only positive numbers were considered… any idea on how to do this?
How exactly do you do sum filtered cells when two criteria are need not just one?
Thank you so much brother literally I have been struggling since morning to get the sum of the filtered category, however, after reading your blog attentively i got my solution, so thanks a lot once again.