How do I make a 0.5cm square plotting paper

[Guest]

I am trying to create some plotting paper for my daughter's homework and do
not understand how to make the row and coumn heights in excel fit to 0.5cm in
each case. What do I do? Also if I could do this, how can I make sure that it
will fit an A4 sheet of paper when printing so that the dimensions stay the
same?

 

[Guest]

Height is measured in points (72 points to the inch)
Width is measured in points (12 points to the inch)

An inch is 2.54 cm

So set row height to 14.17323
Set column width to 2.343305

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Height is measured in points (72 points to the inch)
Width is measured in points (12 points to the inch)

Not quite. Width is set as the number of standard font numeric character
(e.g., 0) that will fit in the cell. You may have a standard font and
size that make that character exactly 12 points wide. That will
certainly not universally be the case.

MaxXL04 uses inches/cm directly to set cell heights and widths. AFAIK,
the only reliable way to do the same thing with WinXL is to use a macro
like

http://www.erlandsendata.no/english/index.php?d=envbawssetrowcol

or perhaps the Microsoft Graph paper template:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT063455571033.aspx

 

[Guest]

I checked both solutions, and both do NOT make square cells. When I start to
draw a rectangle in the top left corner (using the ALT-key to snap it to the
corner), and pull it towards the lower right corner using the SHIFT-key to
make a square rectangle, it does not end up in the corner.

Still no real way to making a cell exactly square.

TH6.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Don't know what to tell you. Both solutions I gave work for me, but I'm
primarily using MacXL. I've never had a need for precision cell sizes,
either.

What happens if you use a different printer/driver?

 

[Guest]

I don't realy need it, but there should be a way to do it, and I think that's
a challenge.
Row and column size depends on the default font Excel uses when starting up.
When using Arial, a column size of 10 is 75 pixels, when using Arial Narrow
it is only 65 pixels. Row size stays the same.

Now, if I make both row and column size, say, 80 pixels, I get a square
cell. Or not? When drawing a rectangel from one corner to the other using the
ALT-key, the square is NOT square!

How is this possible?

Thijs.

 

[David McRitchie]

Excel is not designed for this and you may be disappointed as
any slight change or change of printer may cause additional
frustration. You will also not be able to print to each edge of
the paper.

 

[Guest]

I tried to do something like that, and concluded just measuring in pixels,
keeping in mind that 1cm is about 38 pixels. Anyway It a Microsoft product,
you will always find ridiculous details like this. What am I supose to do?
capture the screen and paste it in paint?

 

[protonLeah]

From the DRAWING TOOLBAR, insert a rectangle.
Format its size as 0.196" for height and width.
Drag it to the upper left most corner of cell A1.
Select the entire worksheet, then drag the rightedge of column A1 to
overlap the right side of the rect. Do the same with the bottom of the
cell.
Delete the rectangle.
Select a border color of your choice for all lines

 

[Gord Dibben]

If you want to use VBA to set height and width in mm.

Ole Erlandson has code for setting row and column dimensions.

http://www.erlandsendata.no/english/index.php?d=envbawssetrowcol


Gord Dibben Excel MVP

I tried to do something like that, and concluded just measuring in pixels,
keeping in mind that 1cm is about 38 pixels. Anyway It a Microsoft product,
you will always find ridiculous details like this. What am I supose to do?
capture the screen and paste it in paint?

Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP