For Excel with text size 11, with the printout then scaled to 85%, ......

Question

is the result simply text size 9.35? That is, I know that may not be exact, I just mean is the printout text size essentially as straightforward as: original text size * scaling, or does font size not work that way.

Answer 1

Hi Richard Tillman,

Yes, for regular worksheet cell text, it’s generally reasonable to think of the printed size as:

original font size × scaling percentage

So if the font is 11 pt and the worksheet is printed at 85% scaling, the effective printed size is about 9.35 pt.

This works because a point is a physical print unit (1/72 of an inch), and Excel’s print scaling reduces or enlarges the physical output proportionally.

That said, the result should be treated as an approximation, not an exact value. At smaller scaling percentages, some fonts can lose a bit of clarity because stroke thickness and font hinting don’t always scale perfectly. Differences in printers and printer drivers can also affect how the text ultimately appears on paper.

A helpful practical check is to review Print Preview at 100% zoom, which usually gives a more accurate sense of the effective printed text size before printing.

Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

Excel’s print scaling does not work as a simple “font size × scaling percentage” calculation.

When setting text to size 11 in Excel and then printing with the worksheet scaled to 85%, the printed text will appear smaller, but it is not guaranteed to be exactly equivalent to a 9.35‑point font. Several factors affect the final printed size:

• Print scaling in Excel adjusts the entire worksheet (including columns, rows, and graphics), not just the font size.
• Printer resolution and rendering differ from on‑screen display; fonts may use fractional pixel values that are rounded differently on screen vs. printer, which affects how text and column widths appear when printed.
• When scaling or using options like Fit Sheet on One Page, Excel adjusts the layout to fit the target page size and printer settings, which can further change how large the text appears on paper.

So, while 85% of 11 (≈9.35) is a rough visual approximation, the actual printed font size is not defined or guaranteed by Excel as “9.35 pt” and may not match that value exactly.

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References:

• Scale a worksheet
• The column width is not the same when printed in Excel