Every invoice I export from Excel comes out with an extra blank page. Should I delete it each time or fix the spreadsheet?
If the blank page appears on every export, fix the spreadsheet once, by setting the print area or the page breaks, so you stop producing it. For invoices you have already exported or received from someone else, delete the last page with the tool, and the summary confirms one page is going before you download.
Why Excel adds a blank page
Excel prints everything it considers 'used' on the sheet, not what you see. A cell holding a space, border formatting that runs down to a distant row, or a column slightly wider than the paper is enough to create an extra page that looks empty. Because the same template serves every invoice, the page repeats on every export.
Deleting every time versus fixing the source
- Deleting every time: quick for one invoice, but an extra step on each one, and sooner or later you will forget and send a two-page invoice with a blank second page.
- Fixing the source: a few minutes once, and every invoice after that comes out right with no extra step.
- Deleting is the only option when you do not have the spreadsheet: an invoice from a supplier, or old invoices exported before the fix.
Fixing the spreadsheet
- Select only the invoice cells, from the logo down to the total.
- Set them as the print area in the page layout settings.
- Open the page break preview and drag any break outside the invoice back into place, or choose to fit the sheet to one page wide.
- Export a test invoice and confirm it is a single page.
Removing the page from a finished invoice
- Open Delete PDF pages and choose the invoice.
- Click the blank page, or type its number in the field.
- Check the summary, then download the new file and send it instead of the original.
A two-page invoice where page 2 is blank. You select page 2.
Summary: Pages to delete: 2 (1 of 2). Pages that will remain: 1.
If the file has only one page and you select it, the tool refuses to export, because a PDF cannot be left with no pages.
Watch for a tricky case: sometimes the second page is not quite empty, and the total line or the payment note has slipped onto it. Look at its thumbnail closely before deleting. If anything is on it, do not delete it; fix the source so the invoice fits on one page.
An alternative if you are starting fresh
If you only use Excel for invoices because it is there, the Basic invoice generator gives you a basic PDF invoice template and shows the page count before you download. It is a simple template, not certified e-invoicing, so if you are required to issue e-invoices, use a certified system.
Common questions
Does deleting change anything on the first page?
No. The first page is copied as it is, with its text, figures and logo.
Can I remove the blank page from ten invoices at once?
The tool works on one file at a time. That is one more reason to fix the source if you send many invoices.