I know it is annoying when you need an extra page to fit in the last line, or are compelled to print the signature line on the next page. It is not unusual to have page limits or print everything within a single page while in different situations. It can be a legal document, a marketing brochure, or something, where using a new page to print just the last line is not the option. So, you have to use all your available resources to fit your whole subject on one page.
If your weapon for editing text documents is Google Docs, and you don’t want to reduce the word count in Google Docs even with the endeavor to reduce the number of pages or fit in the last line of the document on the previous page, there are certain things you can do. So, today I will talk about how to fit in the entire document without using an extra page for just a few lines, without the need to reduce the word count on Google Docs.
So, without any further delay, let’s get started with how to shrink a document on Google Docs by a single page.
But, before we proceed, here are a few things you should know.
Word Counter on Google Docs. How to count the number of words and characters?
Here’s a complete guide on how to see the word count in Google Docs. In short, you can use the ‘Ctrl + Shift + C’ shortcut key to see the word count on Google Docs.
Besides the word count in Google Docs, you can also see additional information like the number of characters, including and excluding spaces, number of pages, etc. There’s also the option to see the information persistently on Google Docs.
What is the function of word count in Google Docs?
The word count function is simple. It displays the number of words in the document, along with some extra information. If there's some sort of restriction on the number of words that you can write, for a project or a document, you can find it here.
Additionally, if you find the number of words is more than that you need for the project, or there’s unnecessary information, you can review the article to find out those elements that you can delete. This way, you can reduce the size of your document, and hence require fewer pages.
How to reduce the page requirement without reducing the word count on Google Docs?
Adjusting margins on Google Docs
One great way to reduce the number of pages without reducing word count in Google Docs is to adjust the margins to utilize the printable area on the page more efficiently. If you are printing a brochure, or a marketing document, changing the margins is not going to make it less effective.
If you can’t see the margins, simply, click on ‘View’, and then click on ‘Show ruler’.
Now, drag the horizontal ruler of the left indent to the left, and the right indent to the right.
Similarly, drag the vertical ruler to the top to increase the available vertical area of the page. Here’s a screenshot if you are confused.
By changing the horizontal area, you can fit more words in a single line, and you can have more lines per page, by changing the vertical margins within the document. Both can help you accommodate more text within a page, hence reducing the page requirements without reducing the word count on Google Docs.
However, there’s one problem that you can face. Most printers might fail printing elements at the extreme edges of a sheet. The printer head, due to physical limitations, might fail to reach the extreme edge of the sheet, and you might end up getting a faulty hard copy. So, adjust the margins with caution. You might have to sacrifice a few sheets of paper for the very first time, and can do the necessary adjustments the next time you adjust margins while printing.
Reducing the font size
It is normal to have different elements on a page to have a different font size and style. Selecting every piece of text, and adjusting the font size isn’t a productive solution. Instead, you can select the whole document, using ‘Ctrl + A’ hotkey, and then use the ‘Ctrl + Shift + ,’ hotkey to reduce the font size of the selected text by 1. So, if the font size of some elements is 12, the new size will be 11, and if the font size of some other element is 15, it will turn into 14, and so on.
You can keep reducing the font size until you don’t need an extra page to print the entire document. This way, there will be a uniformity in the text elements, and after printing, you will end up needing fewer pages, without reducing the word count in Google Docs.
Unlike Microsoft Word, there isn’t a one-click solution to shrink a document by one page on Google Docs. Here’s how you can do that on Microsoft Word. Google Docs is pretty mature these days, and several useful features are added now and then. I hope this feature is available soon.
So, those were the two ways to print an entire document within one page or discard the last page for printing a few extra lines, without reducing the word count on Google Docs. Do you have any questions? Feel free to comment on the same below.
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