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### 3.3 Printer functions

Printer functions convert binary cell values into the print forms that Emacs will display on the screen.

A printer can be a format string, like ‘`"$%.2f"`’. The result string is right-aligned within the print cell. To get left-alignment, use parentheses: ‘`("$%.2f")`’. A printer can also be a one-argument function (a symbol or a lambda), whose result is a string (right-aligned) or list of one string (left-aligned). While typing in a lambda, you can use `M-TAB` to complete the names of symbols.

Each cell has a printer. If `nil`, the column-printer for the cell’s column is used. If that is also `nil`, the default-printer for the spreadsheet is used.

`p`

  Enter a printer for current cell or range (`ses-read-cell-printer`).

`M-p`

  Enter a printer for the current column (`ses-read-column-printer`).

`C-c C-p`

  Enter the default printer for the spreadsheet (`ses-read-default-printer`).

The `ses-read-XXX-printer` commands have their own minibuffer history, which is preloaded with the set of all printers used in this spreadsheet, plus the standard printers.

The standard printers are suitable only for cells, not columns or default, because they format the value using the column-printer (or default-printer if `nil`) and then center the result:

`ses-center`

  Just centering.

`ses-center-span`

  Centering with spill-over to following blank cells.

`ses-dashfill`

  Centering using dashes (-) instead of spaces.

`ses-dashfill-span`

  Centering with dashes and spill-over.

`ses-tildefill-span`

  Centering with tildes (~) and spill-over.

You can define printer function local to a sheet with the command `ses-define-local-printer`. For instance, define a printer ‘`foo`’ to `"%.2f"`, and then use symbol ‘`foo`’ as a printer function. Then, if you call again `ses-define-local-printer` on ‘`foo`’ to redefine it as `"%.3f"`, all the cells using printer ‘`foo`’ will be reprinted accordingly.

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