How to make a single PDF or print from multiple sheets

When you need to print or export several sheets or a whole workbook, it can be tricky to get the page numbers to look right. Here’s how to do it:

Let’s examine the first step in more detail.

Add the page number to the header or footer

In the Page Setup dialog, click the “Header/Footer” tab.

You can then select “Page 1 of ?” from the dropdown list of presets for either the header or footer.

To customize the page numbers further, click “Customize Header” or “Customize Footer”.

The syntax to get the above page number format in the customize dialog is:

Page &[Page] of &[Pages]

Where:

&[Page] represents the page number of the current page; and

&[Pages] represents the total page numbers in the print or export.

You can reach the Page Setup dialog from the Page Layout tab of the ribbon toolbar.

How to make the page numbers look correct

The trick with page numbers is to make sure you select all of the relevant sheets before you print or export.

If you just try one sheet at a time, then a page number format “Page X of Y” will always show the Y value the same as the X value.

After you print or export, don’t forget to select just a single sheet again. Otherwise any changes you make will apply to all selected sheets, which can ruin your workbook if done accidentally!