Software Tips & Tricks Printing a Selection in Excel vs. Printing the Entire Active Worksheet

By Laura Noble

At times you may need to print only a portion of a spreadsheet rather than the entire sheet. You could hide rows and columns and then unhide the data after printing, however, this method is best to use when data is non-contiguous. (Refer to article Copying Hidden Cells that includes tips on how to hide data.) The most efficient method, when data is contiguous, is to select/highlight the area of the spreadsheet and print.

Print a selection versus the entire sheet:

• Select the portion of the sheet to print. In sample spreadsheet below, A2:C9 have been selected to print.
  

  

  
  
• From the File menu, select Print to open the Print dialog box. ü In the Print what section, select Selection.
  
  
  
• To print multiple copies of workbook, select the appropriate number in the Copies section of the dialog box.
  
  
• To Preview print job: click the Preview button in bottom left hand corner of dialog box (refer below for more information on Print Preview) of if in Print Preview, click the Print button.
  
  
• Click OK button when ready to print. Using this method, data does not need to be manipulated in any manner before or after printing. Print Preview Icon
  

Print Preview: Open Print Preview dialog by clicking the Print Preview icon or within the Print dialog box clicking the Preview button as described above

• Mouse Pointer will change to a magnifying glass as mouse is moved over preview. Mouse click once and the view will enlarge, click again and view will return to original view.
  
  
• To view Next or Previous page click the appropriate button on the toolbar.
  
  
• To check the total number of pages of the current print selection, look in the bottom left hand corner of box.
  
  
• To view exact locations of page breaks, click the Page Break Preview button. To return to “normal” view, select from the View menu, Normal (refer to below for more information on Page Break Preview).
  
  
• To Print… from Print Preview, click the appropriate button on the toolbar.
  
  
• To change page setup, click the Setup… button on the toolbar.
  
  
• To return to “normal” view and make revisions, click the Close button on the toolbar.

Page Break Preview

Page Break Preview displays the location of page breaks. This view is helpful as it is a quick method to check if certain columns do not fit on a page width. Blue lines separate each page. Clicking and left-dragging these blue lines can adjust location of Page breaks.

Method One: Select from the View menu, Page Break Preview.

To close Page Break Preview, select from the View menu, Normal.


Stay tuned to Networking Today in the coming months for more Software Tips & Tricks from Noble Software Solutions.

Laura Noble is the owner of Noble Software Solutions. Laura can be contacted at 519-680-2689 or by e-mail at lnoble@noblesoftwaresolutions.com. www.noblesoftwaresolutions.com

Published in Networking Today, November 2001.

Tips for Effective Writing

By Susan Regier

In the competitive world of business today it is imperative that all your written work be accurate and concise. Whether it’s sales letters, brochures, newsletters, or daily correspondence, clients and prospects will measure your company’s professionalism by the quality of your marketing material.

• Keep your writing simple and easy to read.
  
  
• Vary sentence length and structure.
  
  
• Use active voice whenever possible. A passive voice slows the pace and the reader.
  Active voice: Our company produces ten thousand widgets each month.
  Passive voice: Ten thousand widgets are produced each month by our company.
  
  
• Use positive statements.
  
  Positive: As a leader in total home security, Trusty Alarms can protect your investment.
  Negative: No other security company can protect your investment like Trusty Alarms.
  
  
• Keep verb tenses consistent and understandable. Common verb tense errors: I should have went to their office yesterday. [should have gone] The dog has bit the boy seriously. [has bitten]
  
  
• Use strong nouns and verbs to eliminate as many adjectives and adverbs as possible. Write to "express," not "impress" the reader. If the right word is long, use it, but if a shorter word will do, use the shorter word.
  
  
• Ensure that your words can’t be misinterpreted; e.g., The senior citizens were reluctant to book their holiday to the "hot" destination described by the travel agent.
  
  
• Get to the point and finish. Never state the obvious as it wastes words; e.g., never begin a sentence with "I am writing you…" of course you are, start right in.
  
  
• Avoid wishy-washy openings; e.g., Do you like…
  
  
• Avoid cliches. Tired expressions such as "a good time was had by all" are annoying and lack creativity.
  
  
• Write the way you talk. Keep the tone conversational, but grammatical. Read everything out loud.
  
  
• If you stumble over a word or phrase – revise it.
  
  
• Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors.
  

Susan Regier is the publisher/editor of Networking Today and owner of Vantage One Writing, a professional writing service for businesses. (519) 471-8726 E-mail: regiers@vantageone.ca Web site: www.vantageone.ca

E-Mail Etiquette. Tips for Communicating More Effectively

By Michael Lerner

When we talk, we expect other people to observe certain rules of behavior. The same is true online. Here are a few pointers to help you communicate more effectively.

1. Clearly summarize the contents of your message in the subject line. Properly titled messages help people organize and prioritize their e-mail.
   
   
2. Don't use CC (Carbon Copy) to copy your message to everyone. This is particularly true at work. These days everyone receives too many e-mails. Unnecessary messages are annoying. If only a few people really need to receive your message, only direct it to them.
   
   Similarly, when responding to e-mail, do not respond to all recipients. By choosing Reply to All or a similar button when responding to a message, you may end up broadcasting your response to your entire company.
   
   
3. Use BCCs (Blind Carbon Copies) when addressing a message that will go to a large group of people who don't necessarily know each other. Just as it is not polite to give out a person's telephone number without his or her knowledge, it is not polite to give out someone's e-mail address. For instance, when you send an e-mail message to 30 people and use To or CC to address the message, all 30 people will see each other's e-mail address. By using BCC, each recipient will see only two--theirs and yours.
   
   
4. Keep your messages short and focused. Few people enjoy reading on their computer screens; fewer still on the tiny screens in cell phones, pagers and other mobile devices that are becoming increasingly popular. Recipients tend to ignore these long messages. Sending Attachments Users of most wireless devices don't have the software required to open an attachment such as a Word document or photo file.
   
   
5. Avoid using all capital letters. USING ALL CAPS MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING! IT'S ALSO MORE DIFFICULT TO READ.
   
   
6. Don't write anything you wouldn't say in public. Anyone can easily forward your message, even when done accidentally. This could leave you in an embarrassing position if you divulge personal or confidential information. If you don't want to potentially share something you write, consider using the telephone.
   
   
7. Use a smiley to make sure that a statement is not misunderstood. Smileys are typically used in personal e-mail and are not considered appropriate for business. They should rarely be used in the office. If what you are writing needs a smiley for better understanding, most likely you should not be delivering this message via e-mail. Even with a smiley, someone may misunderstand you.
   
   Smileys should be used to support a statement. It's rude to write something mean or derogatory, then place a happy smiley at the end of the sentence. Refer to the Smiley article for a list of commonly used ones.
   
   
8. Avoid sending e-mails to large numbers of people unless you have a serious reason to do it. E-mail broadcast to many recipients may be considered spam.
   
   
9. Nasty e-mails should also be avoided. These messages have their own term: flame. Flame e-mail is an insulting message designed to cause pain, as when someone "gets burned."
   
   
10. As a courtesy to your recipient, include your name at the bottom of the message. The message contains your e-mail address (in the header), but the recipient may not know that the return address belongs to you, especially if it is different from your real name.
    

Check Your Spelling

To make sure your message isn't compromised by misspelled words, use your e-mail software's built-in spell checker. E-mail etiquette may take time to learn. Don't let your fear of making mistakes inhibit you. All Internet users were beginners at one time, so most people are quite forgiving.

Reprinted with permission from http://www.learnthenet.com.
Published in Networking Today, November 2001.