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Microsoft Word documents display differently on different systems because of differences between the systems. Getting Microsoft Word documents to display identically typically means processing them into something else.
I have a document which was created in Word XP and is 226 pages. When I send it to a client who is using Word 2003, it looks totally different and is over 330 pages. How can I send the client the document without it changing? Also, they wanted a pdf version, which looks nothing like the word document. How can I get the word document to look like the pdf?
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Well, to be honest, you're trying to do something that Word documents aren't really intended to do. As counter-intuitive as it sounds Word isn't really about making the document look exactly the same everywhere.
But your client is on the right track, actually, since that's what PDF files attempt to do.
In a nutshell: it's all about the system, and the printer.
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The most common reason documents look different on one machine as compared to another is the printer.
When Word displays a document in "Print Layout" form, it actually uses the characteristics of the currently selected printer to determine what the layout should look like. Obvious items such as default margins, paper size, and other charaterstics of printers in general can have a document appear quite differently when viewed, or printed, on one system versus another.
In fact, if you have more than one printer on your system, you can watch this happen. While the document is up in Word, hit File, Print and then select another printer. When you do this the Cancel button will change to Close. Select Close, to close the document without printing it, and the document you're viewing will be redisplayed, taking the characteristics of the new printer into account. Depending on the differences between your printers, the change can be subtle, or quite dramatic.
Another possible difference is the use of fonts which are not common to all systems. If you create a document using one font, and then view that document on another system where that font is not installed, Word will attempt to substitute something "close" to the font you wanted. Unfortunately, "close" is fairly vague, and can often be startlingly different from the original.
PDF files are one approach at solving this problem. PDF, which stands for "Portable Document Format", is a document format that attempts to be rendered exactly the same everywhere, no matter what your system or printer characteristics.
Most commonly, PDF creation software acts like a printer - but in a sense it's a printer that's the same everywhere. You create your portable document by printer to a PDF virtual printer. The result, a PDF file, can then be viewed anywhere with a PDF reader, and should look, and even print to a real printer, exactly the same as your original PDF.
There are several options to creating PDF files. Adobe Acrobat is the most recognized tool, and actually defines the PDF standard. Another, cheaper alternative is the free and open-source PDFCreator.
So my bottom line recommendation is simply to create a PDF, authoring your document so that the PDF comes out the way you want it to, and then share that with your client. If you need to share editable Word documents, then simply realize that they will not display, or print, exactly the same everywhere.
Article C2750 - August 9, 2006
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
When I send MS Word document via MS Outlook, the client sees a much larger document that takes up their entire page beyond the Margins. How do I assist to allow them to see the document as I see it, whichout it being "super-sized?"
Posted by: Gamble at December 29, 2011 12:41 AMIn 1995-6 I "wrote a book" on my Shakespearian laptop (already out of date at the time!). Now laptop is "broken" (no display on screen), how can I "read" this old format programme? (Old Word prog) Also have it on floppy disc but of course current PC's have no floppy input, and please I don't want to have to spend any money on new kit 'cos I don't have any spare! Many thanks, Hilary
Posted by: Hilary Walker at January 20, 2012 2:31 AM@Hilary
If you wrote it with a version of Word from long long ago, the new word will probably be able to convert it. Your big problem is getting the file off that old machine. Perhaps a local computer store will have an old computer with a floppy disk and can download it for you.
Does the old broken laptop have a hard drive? If so, your best conversion option might be to have the hard drive pulled out and copy the files directly off it.
Posted by: Connie at January 20, 2012 8:14 AM"I had a similar issue, one of our clients PC suddenly decided to go a bit weird and display all the Word docs they usually use differently to everyone else. It also decided to screw up some of the Outlook fonts too, but not as bad as it screwed Word, which is odd.
Solution in the end was to copy fonts over from a good PC and then for the hell of it go into regional settings, and then to the tab with roman, japanese etc on. from here tick the tickbox at the bottom to reapply language (and i was hoping font size and regularity too). Did a restart after both those things and worked a charm!
Think I got a bit lucky but worth a try if you've tried nearly everything else :)
Posted by: Neil at June 7, 2010 2:06 PM"
Just wanted to post my thanks for this, had a verry similar issue at working using a clients custom fonts, installed them to a few machines. Same document, connected to same printers and same word settings, a number of extra pages would randomly been added to any documents using the fonts but revert back when moved to a good machine. Been searching for a week and done the same as above seems to have solved it!!!
Posted by: Thomas at February 22, 2012 4:32 AMThe secretary at my church sends be the bulletin to check and make corrections in each week. She uses Windows XP, Office 2003 Pro. and MSOffice 2003. I have the same programs on my computer, and my settings are the same as hers on here machine, however, the lines do not show up the same on mine as hers. She has two pages she sends and when I open it, there are three pages. I do not understand why.
09-May-2012