I want to create a worksheet that I can use to design a garden.

The "for-real" garden measures 23 feet wide and 17 feet long.

How do I convert those measurements so the worksheet can be printed on a sheet of legal-size paper?

How do I make each cell equivalent to one foot square?

I want to create a worksheet that I can use to design a garden.

The "for-real" garden measures 23 feet wide and 17 feet long.

How do I convert those measurements so the worksheet can be printed
on a sheet of legal-size paper?

How do I make each cell equivalent to one foot square?

Try scaling! Set up your sheet like graph paper (small square cells)
and decide what dims each cell represents on the x/y grid. If you
determine you have n cells on the 14" length, and n cells on the 8.5"
width then just assign a value to the height/width of a cell.

FYI:
You'd have better luck using Tabloid size (11x17) if your
width-to-length ratio on legal size doesn't jive with your actual
garden dims.

--
Garry

Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Classic VB Users Regroup!
comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion

How do I make small square cells?

How do I make small square cells?

That would be matching row height with col width to result the size of
each cell. Note that this is font dependant as to how your row sizes by
default. I use Arial 8 as my default and it seems to work fairly well
for me!

--
Garry

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When is set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Height = 12

the cell is about 10 times longer than it is tall.

When I set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Height = 12

the cell looks about 10 times longer than it is tall.

When I set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Height = 12

the cell looks about 10 times longer than it is tall.

When I set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Height = 12

the cell looks about 10 times longer than it is tall.

The same result occurs when I set the row height = 8 and the column height = 8.

When I set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Width = 12

the cell looks about 10 times longer than it is tall.

Note: Same result when I set the row height = 8 and the column width = 8.

hi,

the column width may be set to a different number depending on the font used in
the Normal style.
for example, with a Normal style font of Arial,
if you attempt to change the width of a column to 8.5, the column is set to 8.57
or 65 pixels

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/214123

isabelle

Le 2015-05-03 18:33, GWC a écrit :
When I set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Width = 12

the cell looks about 10 times longer than it is tall.

Note: Same result when I set the row height = 8 and the column width = 8.

Using Font = Arial, to get square cells:

the row height must = 23
the column width must = 4.56

There should be an easier way to compute those numbers than "experimenting" with various numbers until square cells result.

also see the discussion he
http://superuser.com/questions/16573...uares-in-excel

isabelle

Le 2015-05-03 19:19, isabelle a écrit :
hi,

the column width may be set to a different number depending on the font used in
the Normal style.
for example, with a Normal style font of Arial,
if you attempt to change the width of a column to 8.5, the column is set to 8.57
or 65 pixels

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/214123

isabelle

Le 2015-05-03 18:33, GWC a écrit :
When I set:
Font = Arial
Font Size = 8
Row Height = 12
Column Width = 12

the cell looks about 10 times longer than it is tall.

Note: Same result when I set the row height = 8 and the column width = 8.

Using Font = Arial, to get square cells:

the row height must = 23
the column width must = 4.56

There should be an easier way to compute those numbers than
"experimenting" with various numbers until square cells result.

Not a prerequisite for a spreadsheet to be able to automatically
convert to cell sizes representative of graph paper! Thus "should not"
be an easier way to 'compute' those numbers.

I just drag a col width until it looks right for the row height, then
set the whole sheet that way OR just a specific area.

On my Dell portable workstation..,

Arial 8 at 1920x1200 res requires a col width of approximately 2 for
a default row height of 10.20 to produce square cells.

--
Garry

Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Classic VB Users Regroup!
comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion

Actually, a row height of 10.2 is 17 pixels. A col width of 1.71 is 17
pixels. It's usually easiest to set row height 1st, then drag col width
to match row pixels!

I don't care much for odd row sizes and so I usually use multiples of 3
to set size when using Arial 8 (ie: 3,6,9,12...)! I mostly use 'graph
paper' layouts for designing forms. I'd use my SolidWorks 3D modelling
software for what you're trying to do because (besides familiarity with
using it for 18 years) I can define its grid spacing! (I expect just
about any drawing software would do same. LibreOffice Draw is one
example.)

--
Garry

Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Classic VB Users Regroup!
comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion

also, the correspondence between the dimensions on the screen and those at
printing vary depending on the printer!
no alternative but to proceed by trial and error and unfortunately this will be
to rebuild if you change your printer.
isabelle

also, the correspondence between the dimensions on the screen and
those at printing vary depending on the printer!
no alternative but to proceed by trial and error and unfortunately
this will be to rebuild if you change your printer.
isabelle

FWIW
It helps to print to PDF 1st, then print from there to any printer
since PDF is pretty much WYSIWYG.

n terms of the 'graph paper' grid.., it need not be shown if you want a
clean printout...

--
Garry

Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Classic VB Users Regroup!
comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion

with these conditions it is worth buying a tablet of gridded pages ;-)
isabelle

Le 2015-05-03 21:33, GS a écrit :

FWIW
It helps to print to PDF 1st, then print from there to any printer since PDF is
pretty much WYSIWYG.

n terms of the 'graph paper' grid.., it need not be shown if you want a clean
printout...

with these conditions it is worth buying a tablet of gridded pages
;-)
isabelle

Le 2015-05-03 21:33, GS a écrit :

FWIW
It helps to print to PDF 1st, then print from there to any printer
since PDF is
pretty much WYSIWYG.

n terms of the 'graph paper' grid.., it need not be shown if you
want a clean
printout...

Or just use a drawing app like MS Paint or Libre Draw!

--
Garry

Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Classic VB Users Regroup!
comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion

but still, if I been established that each square is measuring 6 x 6 inches, the
plan is good even if it seems flared on sheet printing
isabelle

Le 2015-05-03 22:30, GS a écrit :

Or just use a drawing app like MS Paint or Libre Draw!

but still, if I been established that each square is measuring 6 x 6
inches, the plan is good even if it seems flared on sheet printing

True enough! A good drawing app will provide scaling for printing so
that it doesn't distort for any given size of paper. For example, OP's
layout is 23 ft. by 17 ft. On a 1:1 scale the printout sheet size would
have to be at least "C" to get 1"=1' scaling. So scaling that down
further to 8.5 x 14 would result a lot of waste space on the sheet
given default margins are .25" even if you set them to zero.

It used to be that a plotter gave the best printouts, but apps most now
convert vector output to suit the printer being used. I put my plotter
in storage after I bought my 1st HP wide format printer. This vector
conversion is especially true now that 3D printing has become so much
more affordable!

Most of the problems, as you say, will manifest using Excel instead of
a drawing app. Heck, you can probably download an app from Home Depot
(or use one online) for designing just about anything!

--
Garry

Free usenet access at http://www.eternal-september.org
Classic VB Users Regroup!
comp.lang.basic.visual.misc
microsoft.public.vb.general.discussion

Thanks to all responders.

I've created a worksheet with square cells; added borders to define the shape of my garden; and added round, oval and rectangular shapes representing the existing trees and shrubs.

Now I need to use additional shapes to identify where bushes should be planted so they will not crowd each other when mature.