Wide spreadsheets often get cut off when printed in the default portrait orientation, with columns spilling onto extra pages. Switching to landscape in Google Sheets’ print settings turns the page sideways so more columns fit, and combining it with Fit to width usually gets everything onto one page across. This guide shows how, plus other print settings that help.
Quick Answer
Press Ctrl + P (Command + P on Mac) or choose File > Print. In the print settings panel, under Page orientation, select Landscape. Set Scale to Fit to width if columns still don’t fit, then click Next and print.
Change the Orientation
- Open the spreadsheet and select the cells to print (optional).
- Press Ctrl + P or go to File > Print.
- Under Print, choose Current sheet, Workbook, or Selected cells.
- Under Page orientation, choose Landscape (or Portrait for tall, narrow data).
- Check the preview on the left, then click Next and print from your browser’s print dialog.
Google Sheets remembers your print settings for that spreadsheet, so you don’t need to change them each time.
Fit Everything on the Page
- Scale: Choose Fit to width (all columns on one page wide), Fit to height, or Fit to page. Custom number lets you set an exact percentage.
- Margins: Choose Narrow for more room.
- Paper size: Choose Legal or Tabloid for very wide sheets if your printer supports them.
- Hide unneeded columns before printing (right-click the column letter > Hide column).
Other Helpful Print Settings
- Repeat header rows: Freeze row 1 (View > Freeze > 1 row), then in the print settings open Headers & footers and check Repeat frozen rows, so column titles appear on every page.
- Gridlines: Open Formatting and check Show gridlines. See our guide on printing with gridlines in Google Sheets.
- Page numbers and titles: Add them in Headers & footers.
- Custom page breaks: Click Set custom page breaks to drag where pages split.
Save as PDF in Landscape
Use the same print settings, click Next, and choose Save as PDF as the destination in the browser dialog. Or choose File > Download > PDF, which opens the same export settings with orientation options.
On Phones and Tablets
In the Google Sheets app, tap the three dots > Share & export > Print. Orientation options depend on your device’s print dialog; for full control, print from a computer.
Summary
- Press Ctrl + P.
- Set Page orientation to Landscape.
- Use Scale > Fit to width and narrow margins if needed.
- Click Next to print or save as PDF.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.