MS Word - entire text shifted left; no clue

[stargazer777]

Hi all,

This should be easy, but I can't find the reason for this problem to save my neck.

As a preface, I am using my PC at work . . . a Dell Optiplex GX-120 running WinXP Pro SP 2. I am working on the document in question using MS Word 2002 SP3.

Basically, it appears that the entire contents of my document is (are) shifted far to the left side of the "page" ... I am viewing in View > Print Layout, which I always use. I have also tried looking at it in File > Print Preview and everything still appears shifted left.

I had the margins set at 0.7" all around . . . but while troubleshooting, I have gone back into File > Page Setup > Margins and changed the margin settings . . . I even put the left margin at 2.50" and it didn't change a thing, everything was still way over to the left.

As I also indicated, under the View menu, I always have it set to Print Layout, so the Print Preview is not affected.

Going back to viewing under "Print Layout" . . . obviously, the (default) single-column contents (7.1") plus the right and left margins at 0.7" total 8.5" -- the width of a standard letter-size page (which is what is selected). However, the contents plus the margins together appear narrower than the total "white page" width . . . i.e., the white "paper" area looks like it's more like 9.25" wide.

Can someone please advise what might be the cause of this very strange problem, and how to fix it ??

Thank you in advance,
Dave G.

[puterfixer]

Dave, did you check if your document is divided into sections? The easiest way for this is to click the button with a big "Pi"-like symbol on it. This toggles displaying the non-printing characters. Find a horizontal line marked "Section Break", click on it and hit Delete to elliminate all sections from the document. This way, the page formatting you select in "Page Setup" will apply to the entire document.

Second, check the paragraph spacing. Select all text, go to Format menu > Paragraph and set 0 for all paragraph spacings (before, after, left and right ident).

Something more radical would be to select all text and select the Normal style, or "Clear style" if I remember correctly.

[stargazer777]

Dave, did you check if your document is divided into sections? The easiest way for this is to click the button with a big "Pi"-like symbol on it. This toggles displaying the non-printing characters. Find a horizontal line marked "Section Break", click on it and hit Delete to elliminate all sections from the document. This way, the page formatting you select in "Page Setup" will apply to the entire document.

Second, check the paragraph spacing. Select all text, go to Format menu > Paragraph and set 0 for all paragraph spacings (before, after, left and right ident).

Something more radical would be to select all text and select the Normal style, or "Clear style" if I remember correctly.

Puterfixer, thank you for your input. I am familiar with section breaks; unfortunately, I took a look at things using the "non-printing view," and did not see a single section break.

I decided against trying "zeroing out" all paragraph spacings; this to me seems to be a vertical adjustment; whereas the entire body of my document is shoved to the left, i.e. horizontally.

thanks again,
Dave

[jdc2000]

It might help if you could post some screen captures of what is displayed in the editing window (especially the formatting bar at the top), and the print preview window.

[Teknophobia]

Shot in the dark here, but have you got any tabs set up prior to the margin?

TEk

[puterfixer]

It's the Left and Right Indentation in Paragraph properties that may be causing the text to extend out of the normal space. A negative left indentation will cause it to shift even outside of the page margin.

[stargazer777]

OK, this has got to be the most embarrassing outcome to any posting I've ever put on VirtualDr.

I happened to glance at the "Display for Review" menu (lower left of entire toolbar section . . . I had it selected for "Final Showing Markup." I don't generally use this, and when I changed it to "Final," all of that extra space to the right disappeared!!

Apparently, when you select "Final Showing Markup," MS Word places a huge extra margin to the right, "reserved" so to speak for the change tracking notes. Now, this extra "white space" on the document shows in "Print Preview" . . . personally, I feel Print Preview should not show extra margin space that is only for placing change comments !!

Anyway, thanks to all for your replies and suggestions. I'll go off to the corner now and sit on a stool wearing my Dunce Cap . . .

cheers,
- Dave G.

[puterfixer]

Heh, good catch, I didn't think of that