creating a chart using excel?

Question

hi, I'm trying to create a chart using excel. i know excel has the chart wizard, but i'm not sure if it fits the parameters that i'm using. I have a description axis and a timeline axis. the timeline axis has an early start and a finish date. the chart i created by filling in the colors by cell doesn't show up well because then the fonts print small as well to fit all on one page. can anyone help me with this. thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Try not showing all the numbers on the timeline - so it shows, say, every fifth one.
1. Right click on the timeline axis and select Format Axis.
2. On the Scale tab, put, say, 5 in the "Number of categories between tick-mark labels" field.
3. Click OK.

You may also change your Chart Type to a line chart.
Or, if your description axis has groups, like Apple Sales, Banana Sales, etc. you can setup your bars using these groups.
On the second page of the wizard - Series tab, Add a series for each group (Apple, Banana, Cherry, etc) and put the data in the Values field. This will allow you to use the Stacked Column chart type to show group volumes on fewer X-axis entries.

Answer 2

If you are having readability problems then it is a situation of trying to cram too much in a single page. In that case, get hold of a free print to PDF utility. They allow readers to zoon in for details. You can also print it easily to A3 size too.