Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 98183
Calc cannot print column A and C on the same page when using defined print ranges
Last modified: 2013-01-29 21:44:34 UTC
From the Ubuntu bug: When I try to preview the attached spreadsheet (3 columns, 3 rows), all fits on one page. So far, so good. When I define the print area to be $A$1:$A$3;$C$1:$C$3, then the preview puts column A on a first page and column C on a second one (same problem when exporting to PDF or printing) --- I would have expected both columns to be on the same page. -- Yes, I verified this occurs on the official version of OOo as well.
this is not a bug - it's a feature ;-) every print range will be printed on a single page. you can use the cell protection from the cell properties to prevent cells from being printed or hide row/columns Oliver
??? feature ??? Of course, EVERYONE needs to print each zone on a separate page ??? The spec for this function (in ooo 2) does not mention that each zone would be printed on a separate page. This problem also exists in Official OOo 3.1.0 (ooo310m11 build 9399, Linux) Considering the existance of this functionality in the cell protection tab, this becomes largely a bug in program text/description and documentation. 1) The print zones description should specify that each zone will be on a separate page. (Somewhat bizarre behavior, to say the least.) If it exists only to emulate Ms-excel, the program text should say so. And refer to the cell protection tab, for conversion to normal Openoffice formats. 2) The title of the cell "protection" tab would be better as "protection/printing" or "protection/hiding" or similar. Also, as well as "not-printing-individual-cells", it would be useful to have the options of "not-printing-rows" and "not-printing-columns". (Extremely useful enhancement. My personal usage would be almost all not-printing-rows.) 3) In the help, there is no apparent reference to the cell protection tab for hiding cells in printing. This is an important lack, especially for those new to openoffice. (Personally, I've been using Openoffice since the beginning, coming from a Wordperfect environment, and had no idea that this option existed, and in that location.)
Verification of cell "protection" tab print hiding option : It does not suppress the printing of lines or columns (only the content). Thus it is not a useful replacement for print zones. Print zones : If one wishes to print each zone on a separate page, one could have an Ms-excel compatibility mode (which should probably just add page breaks at the end of each zone), but by default each zone should be printed contiguous to adjacent zones. The work-around of hiding rows or columns for printing, then unhiding the same rows/columns after is an awkward, time-consuming and error-prone activity. Note that print zones are necessarily rectangles. In correcting the bug, it would greatly increase ease-of-use to allow selecting a larger bloc, then eliminating selected rows and/or columns in that bloc. Automatic page breaks should follow the usual rules for the remaining cells.