Look at the projector image: a messy multi-page preview beside a clean one-page landscape budget. That is the gap you close today.
Your {{code:05_project_budget}} now has real data, formulas and cleaner formatting. Today you make it print-ready: one clear landscape A4 page a supervisor, club treasurer or Work Experience mentor could actually open and read. A tidy PDF is often what people share when the editable sheet stays with you.
Before you start: open your {{code:05_budget}} folder and check that {{code:05_project_budget}} opens. If the file is missing, tell the teacher straight away. Use the class practice copy named {{code:05_project_budget_practice}} for the guided steps only.
Rebuild checkpoint: if you used the practice copy, copy or rebuild your real budget into {{code:05_budget}} as {{code:05_project_budget}} before Independent Practice. Do not export a portfolio PDF from the practice file alone.
Picture printing your budget right now with no setup. What would go wrong first: columns cut off the edge, tiny unreadably small text, or the header row vanishing on page 2?
Printing a spreadsheet is not the same as printing a letter. Wide tables spill off the page unless you set them up on purpose. Today’s three must-haves control what lands on paper or in a PDF.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Print Preview — full-page view of how the sheet will print or save as PDF, before you commit | You catch cut-off columns and tiny text before you hand a messy file to a real person | Preview shows the Notes column sliced off page 2 — fix selection before export |
| Print area (web apps) — select only the budget block, then Print selection (Excel Online) or Selected cells (Google Sheets) | Stakeholders need the budget table, not scratch notes or empty side columns | Select Item through your last real cost column; leave rough workings off the treasurer PDF |
| Page setup — paper size, orientation (portrait or landscape), margins, and scale where the app offers it | Budgets are usually wider than tall; landscape A4 plus a tight selection keeps one readable sheet | A Work Experience kit list with six columns often fits one landscape A4 once spare columns are hidden |
On your app (short version):
Stretch tip only: freeze the top row so headings stay on screen while you edit (prep click, not print titles). If Print Preview ever shows 2+ pages, Google Sheets can tick Repeat frozen rows in Headers and footers. Today’s main goal is still one readable page.
Paper A4, orientation landscape, only the real budget block, euro amounts readable without zooming, borders or gridlines visible, and a PDF saved beside the editable sheet in {{code:05_budget}}.
Follow the teacher on the projected sample (or open {{code:05_project_budget_practice}} if you need your own practice copy). Must-pass path: select the real budget block, open Print Preview, set A4 landscape, and check that euro amounts are readable on one page. You will also see where PDF export lives. Freeze is a quick optional prep click; repeating headers are a Google stretch tip only if preview shows 2+ pages.
Checkpoint: stop when the preview looks shareable. Do not bank the portfolio PDF yet. Independent Practice is when you apply this path to your own {{code:05_project_budget}} and save {{code:05_project_budget.pdf}}.
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| The preview shows two or three pages with almost empty second pages | Print only the selected budget range so empty columns are not included. In Google Sheets, try Fit to page or Fit to width. In Excel Online, hide helpers and tighten the selection (the web app cannot scale a whole sheet down to one page) |
| Text on the PDF is too small to read | Do not force every unused column onto the page. Narrow the print selection, hide helper columns, then try again. If you must zoom to read euro amounts, go back — do not export yet |
| Headings disappear when the sheet is longer than one page | First aim for one page by tightening the selection. In Google Sheets, freeze 1 row and tick Repeat frozen rows under Headers and footers if you still need two pages. In Excel Online, freeze only helps while scrolling; multi-page print titles need desktop Excel if you truly need them |
| I only have a screenshot, not a real PDF | Stay in File then Print and choose Save as PDF (or Download as PDF in Sheets, or Microsoft Print to PDF on Windows) so you get a proper PDF file in your portfolio folder |
| Download is blocked on the school browser | Ask the teacher to export from the teacher machine, or use the system dialog Print then Save as PDF, then move the file into {{code:05_budget}} as {{code:05_project_budget.pdf}} |
| The euro amounts look fine on screen but print with #### or cut-off text | Widen the Cost column slightly in the live sheet, re-open Print Preview, and check margins are not set overly narrow |
If you used the practice copy earlier, rebuild or copy your real budget into {{code:05_budget}} as {{code:05_project_budget}} first. Do not export the portfolio PDF until that live file is in place.
If you get stuck on any click, reopen the Step-by-step task for your app (Excel Online or Google Sheets) and mirror that path.
Quick path reminder: File then Print, then Selected cells or Print selection, then A4, then Landscape, then Save or Download as PDF. Keep both evidence files in {{code:05_budget}}.
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