It is nice being an expert, the go-to guy when technology puzzles people. But that reputation has its downside. My clients and friends often query me for answers to simple questions. They must be ignorant of the power of Google or think that I will save them the time and effort of searching. Of course, they do not think I should charge for answering their queries. It only takes me a moment, perhaps a few minutes, or maybe no more than half-an-hour, well maybe an hour or two to answer them.
Yesterday, while doing a home theater installation, I received an email on my BlackBerry from a friend and client with the subject “can you print a large spreadsheet and get it to reduce to fit 8 1/2 x 11 paper?”
I have used electronic spreadsheets since 1981 and paper versions long before that. Once, I was an expert in using and programming Microsoft Excel. My Excel chops have withered but I still remember how to set up a worksheet to print the way I want.
If you have Excel 2007 you click on the Office button, select Print > Print Preview and then click on the Page Setup control in the Ribbon. If you have Excel 2003 or earlier you click on the menu items File > Page Setup…
The Page Setup dialog appears and one would then select the Scaling options they want on the Page tab.
I am sure he needed to do something in a rush and did not want to spend the time looking for the answer to his question. I did not have the time to shift gears in the middle of the late day installation and walk him through this, especially typing this out on my BlackBerry. I needed to finish the job at hand.
But I try to always promptly respond to these types of questions. I diverted my attention and took the time to respond to his exact question, “can you print a large spreadsheet and get it to reduce to fit 8 1/2 x 11 paper?” My answer was “Yup.”
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