XL: Left/Right-Aligned Header/Footer Text Ignores Margins

ID: Q124751

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you print your worksheet, headers and footers that you have applied to the worksheet may print outside of the margins that you have set for the worksheet.

CAUSE

In Microsoft Excel, the header and footer on your worksheet always use a left and right margin of 0.75 inch. Because of this, left-aligned text in the header or footer always begins 0.75 inches from the left edge of the page, regardless of the left margin setting. Similarly, right-aligned text will always print 0.75 inches from the right side of the page.

WORKAROUND

Although you cannot change these margins, you can create wider margins by adding extra spaces to the header or footer ("padding").

To pad the left header or footer, you can add spaces before the text. However, because the right header or footer ignores trailing spaces, you must use a nonbreaking space to allow the spaces to be maintained when you add them to the end of your footer.

To pad the right header or footer with spaces, use the appropriate following method.

Microsoft Excel Version 7.0 and Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.

2. Click the Header/Footer tab, and then click Custom Header or Custom 

   Footer.
3. Type in the text or control codes that you want to appear in theheader 
   or footer followed by space characters to pad the text on the right.
   (Note that the spaces will not appear at the end of the text.)
4. To enter a nonbreaking space, press and hold down the ALT key and type 
   0160 on the numeric keypad. Note that NUM LOCK must be turned on in
   order for this procedure to work.
Typing 0160 will insert a nonbreaking space at the end of the right header or footer.

The spaces at the end of the text string should now appear and will be applied to the printed output.

Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Windows

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup, click the Header/Footer tab, and 

   click the Customize button.
2. Click the Right Section.

3. Type in the text or control codes that you want to appear in the header, 

   followed by space characters to pad the text on the right. Note that
   the spaces will not appear at the end of the text.
4. To enter a nonbreaking space, press and hold down the ALT key and type 
   0160 On the numeric keypad. Note that NUM LOCK must be turned on in
   order for this procedure to work.
Typing 0160 will insert a nonbreaking space at the end of the right header or footer.

The spaces at the end of the text string appear and are applied to the printed output.

Microsoft Excel 4.0 for Windows

1. From the File menu, choose Page Setup.

2. Click the Header or Footer button.

3. Select the Right Section.

4. Type in the text or control codes that you want to appear in the header 

   or footer.
5. To enter a nonbreaking space, press and hold down the ALT key and type 
   0160 on the numeric keypad. Note that NUM LOCK must be turned on in
   order for this procedure to work.
The spaces at the end of the text string appear on the printout.

Microsoft Excel 5.0 for the Macintosh

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup, click the Header/Footer tab, and 

   then click Custom Header or Custom Footer.
2. Select the Right Section.

3. Type the text or control codes that you want to appear in the header.

4. Press OPTION+SHIFT+SPACEBAR to enter nonbreaking spaces (press this key 

   combination as many times as necessary to insert the number of
   spaces you want).
The spaces at the end of the text string are applied to the printed output.

MORE INFORMATION

Note that when you print to legal size paper, left-aligned text in the header or footer prints approximately one inch from the left side of the page. This is to allow for the limitations of the LaserWriter when printing to legal size paper.

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide," version 5.0, page 243

"Microsoft Excel User's Guide," version 4.0, page 535

Additional query words: 3.00 4.00 5.00 5.00a 5.00c 7.0 7.0a 97 XL97 XL7 XL5 XL4 XL3 

Keywords          : kbprint kbualink97 kbdta xlformat xlprint 
Version           : WINDOWS:3.0,4.0,5.0,5.0c,7.0,7.0a,97; MACINTOSH:3.0,4.0,5.0,5.0a
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: January 8, 1999