Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Setting Print Titles.

Setting Print Titles

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 2, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Often it is helpful to repeat a certain number of rows at the top of the your worksheet printout, or a certain number of columns at the left of the printout. This is particularly useful if you are using the rows or columns as titles for the information in your worksheet. To set print titles, follow these steps:

  1. Select the worksheet whose titles you want to set.
  2. Choose Page Setup from the File menu. Excel displays the Page Setup dialog box.
  3. Make sure the Sheet tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Sheet tab of the Page Setup dialog box.

  5. In the Rows to Repeat at Top field specify the rows you want to repeat (if any).
  6. In the Columns to Repeat at Left field specify the columns you want to repeat (if any).
  7. Click on OK.

When specifying rows or columns in steps 4 and 5, you only need to provide the row or column names (such as $1:$3 or $A:$B); actual cell coordinates are not acceptable. You can also use the mouse to specify the columns or rows to be used. First click your mouse in the field you want to set and then select the rows or columns you want repeated.

You should note that titles are not started until they are actually encountered when printing. Thus, if you select titles that would appear on page 3 of your printout, they will not begin repeating until page 4 is printed.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2847) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Setting Print Titles.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Locating Locked Fields

A field can be locked or unlocked, and its condition controls whether it is updated automatically or not. If you want to ...

Discover More

Changing What Is Pasted in a Dialog Box

When you record a macro, Word very literally records what you do. This includes filling in various settings in dialog ...

Discover More

ExcelTips Ribbon 2022 Archive (Table of Contents)

ExcelTips is a weekly newsletter that provides tips on how to best use Microsoft's spreadsheet program. At the ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Selecting a Paper Size

Excel can print your worksheet on just about any paper size you can imagine. How you select the paper size you want used ...

Discover More

Specifying an Order for Page Printing

When the data on a worksheet occupies more than one printed page, Excel can easily determine where the first page of data ...

Discover More

Printing a Number of Different Pages

If you don't need to print an entire workbook, it can be confusing to figure out how to print just certain pages. This ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six more than 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.