macros (or python?) for process automation

[Sam Steingold <sds gnu org>]

I need to do some pretty automatable things:
1 create 6 new columns from some existing ones (write a formula, then 
copy it down the sheet)
2 regress each of these new columns against two sets of existing columns 
(total: 12 new regression sheets)
3 fix formatting of these new regression sheets (decrease precision, 
turn P-values into %, reduce column width to fit the page)
4 copy the name of the dependent variable to the regression sheet (work 
around bug http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=400019)
5 fix the printer settings (work around the bug 
http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=400018)
6 print the sheet
what is the best way to automate this process?
thanks!
Sam.