Last Updated: 20/05/2026
If you’ve ever printed a LibreOffice Calc spreadsheet and found the results hard to read, you’re not alone. By default, LibreOffice Calc cells have no visible borders when printed – even though you can see faint gridlines on-screen while editing. Without borders, your printed data can look cluttered and disorganised, making it difficult for anyone to follow along.
In this tutorial, we’ll walk through exactly how to add borders (also known as gridlines) to your spreadsheet so your printed reports look clean, professional, and easy to read.
Step 1: Set Up Your Sample Data
Start by opening a new LibreOffice Calc spreadsheet and entering some sample data. For this example, we’ll create simple columns for:
- Month
- Cost
- Staff Name
- Staff ID
You can use the Series Fill feature to quickly populate a column – for example, typing “January” and dragging the small black box in the bottom-right corner of the cell down to auto-fill the following months.
For the cost column, right-click and select Format Cells to apply a currency format, giving your numbers a polished, professional look.
Step 2: Preview the Default (Borderless) Print Layout
Before making any changes, go to File > Print Preview to see how your spreadsheet will look once printed. You’ll notice there are no lines separating your data – everything blends together, making the sheet hard to read.
This is the core problem we’re solving: LibreOffice Calc does not print gridlines or borders by default.
Step 3: Clean Up Your Sheet Name
Before adding borders, it’s worth tidying up the presentation. The default tab name – “Sheet1” – doesn’t mean anything to anyone reading the printed page.
To fix this:
- Double-click the sheet tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Rename it to something descriptive, like “Staff Overview.”
Now when you check Print Preview again, the new title will appear at the top of your printed page, giving your report proper context.
Step 4: Adjust Column Width and Alignment
Next, improve readability by:
- Widening columns so text and numbers aren’t cramped.
- Selecting the entire spreadsheet (click the small square in the top-left corner where the row and column headers meet) and left-aligning all the data for a consistent, tidy look.
Step 5: Understand the Page Break Lines
While in Print Preview, you may notice faint dotted lines running across the page. These represent page breaks – indicating where one printed A4 page ends and the next begins. If your data extends beyond these lines, it will spill onto a separate printed page, so it’s useful to keep this in mind as your spreadsheet grows.
Step 6: Add Borders to Your Cells
Now for the main event – adding borders. Here’s how:
- Select the cells or range you want to add borders to (or select the entire spreadsheet).
- Click the Borders dropdown in the toolbar.
- Choose the “Box” style – this draws a border around every individual cell in your selection.
Once applied, go back to Print Preview to confirm: your data now has clean lines separating every row and column, dramatically improving readability.
Note: Borders only appear on cells that contain data. Empty cells with no values won’t display a border unless you add a bordered range regardless of content.
Step 7: Explore Different Border Styles
LibreOffice Calc gives you several border style options to customise the look of your spreadsheet:
- Solid lines – The classic, clean choice most people prefer for readability.
- Dotted lines – A subtler option, though generally less clear when printed.
- Thicker or double lines – Useful for emphasis, but can look heavier than needed for standard reports.
You can also apply borders selectively:
- Left and right borders only – Draws lines down the sides of a selection.
- Bottom border only (underline each row) – Highlights row separation without boxing in every cell.
- Full box around the entire selection – Outlines only the outer edge of your selected range.
Experiment with these using the Borders dropdown menu to see which best suits your data.
Step 8: Choose the Best Option for Print Clarity
After testing various styles, the most effective and commonly used option is the full box border applied to every cell in your data range. This creates a clean grid structure when printed, making the spreadsheet significantly easier to read and interpret – ideal for reports, staff overviews, budgets, or any data you plan to share in printed form.
Quick Recap
To add borders/gridlines to your LibreOffice Calc spreadsheet:
- Enter and format your data.
- Check the default (borderless) print preview.
- Rename your sheet tab for clarity.
- Adjust column widths and alignment.
- Select your data and apply the Box border style from the toolbar.
- Preview your final printed layout.
Final Thoughts
Adding borders – sometimes called gridlines – to your LibreOffice Calc spreadsheet is a simple but powerful way to make your printed reports far more professional and readable. With just a few clicks, you can transform a plain, hard-to-read spreadsheet into a polished document ready for sharing or printing.
Try it out on your own spreadsheet today, and check back for more LibreOffice Calc tips and tutorials.
