Numeric Data May Be Lost When Saving File in PRN Format

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the "Formatted Text (Space delimited)(*.prn)" file format does not support the number formats in the Accounting formatting category.

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

WORKAROUNDS

To work around this behavior, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

To work around this behavior, change the number format for cells to a number format that is not in the Accounting category. A good alternative is a number format in the Currency category. To change to a number format in Currency category, follow these steps:

1. Select the cells that are formatted in an Accounting number format.
2. Click Cells on the Format menu, and then click the Number tab.
3. Click Currency in the Category list. Make option changes that you want and click OK.

Method 2

To workaround this behavior, format all of the data with a monospace (nonproportional) font, such as Courier New. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Select the cells that are formatted in an Accounting number format.
2. Click Cells on the Format menu, and then click the Font tab.
3. Click Courier New in the Font list and click OK.