Different results when printing on different printers

Stable Layout on Different Printers

http://wordtips.vitalnews.com/Pages/T1683_Stable_Layout_on_Different_Printers.html

Summary: Printing a document on different printers can result in different results, particularly when it comes to where lines end and where new pages start. This tip discusses some of the reasons for this, along with a couple of suggestions on how the problem can be minimized. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003.)

Is there is a way to keep the layout of pages in a large document the same regardless of which printer she uses to print the document?

Believe it or not, this is not that simple of a question. To make it simpler, let's consider a scenario where a single document is printed on two different printers, A and B. If printers A and B are identical and use the exact same printer driver, then the printout on each of them should be the same if you are printing from a single machine. If you are printing from different machines (and the printers and printer drivers are identical) the printouts could still be different if the systems use different versions of Word, different fonts, or even different implementations of the same fonts from different vendors.

It is also possible that you could get different printouts--even if printers A and B are identical--if printer A is operating at a different print resolution from printer B. If printers A and B are identical but the printer drivers are different (such as different versions of the same driver), then the printouts can be different. Finally, if printers A and B are different makes and models, then it is virtually guaranteed that the printouts will be different. This occurs even if the printers use the same printer driver, such as a generic PostScript driver.

As you can tell, there are a lot of factors that come into play when printing your document. Printer make and model, printer resolution, printer driver version, and fonts all play a role in determining what ends up on the printed page. For this reason, many people who need to make sure that they get the same thing on different printers will often convert their documents to PDF format for distribution. The PDF format was designed to eliminate (or at least minimize) differences in printed output on different platforms. The traditional way to create a PDF file is to use Adobe Acrobat, although there are a number of less expensive alternatives to Acrobat.

If converting to PDF format is not possible, you should at least choose Tools | Options | Compatibility Options tab and make sure that the Use Printer Metrics to Lay Out Document option is not checked. This option is turned off in a standard Word installation, but someone may have turned it on. Some information on this setting is found in the following Knowledge Base article:

http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=288792

This option was introduced in Word 97. It was at that point that Microsoft added a "virtual printer" to Word in an attempt to minimize document recomposition when the printer driver changed. While turning off the setting (which means that Word does layout according to internal metrics rather than printer driver metrics) can minimize changes from one printer to another, it won't get rid of them entirely, particularly in large, complex documents that use a lot of text boxes or frames.

Grammar checking in Word

Excerpted from: http://office-watch.com

GREEN SQUIGGLY LINES
Word defaults to Grammar checking being on with those green squiggly lines appearing when it thinks there's a problem.  Green wavy lines under sentences in Word means the software thinks there might be something wrong with the grammar.  But it is only a guide so remember:

- the presence of a green line doesn't mean there is something wrong - the grammar checker might be mistaken.
- The ABsense of a green line doesn't mean the sentence is right - or that it necessarily makes sense.

In other words the Word grammar checker is not the final arbiter of good grammar or sense.  It is only a guide - and a rough one at that.  As several academics have been saying recently - there's no substitute for reading what you've typed.

If there is a green line you can click on the autocorrect icon (if available) or right mouse click on the sentence to see what the problem is and, sometimes, see suggested changes.

FRAGMENT - CONSIDER REVISING
This is the most common grammar comment many people see.  It can mean an incomplete sentence without a subject or verb.  It can sometimes mean such a convoluted wording that the software can't work it out.

In either case there's no suggested changes - you have to re-write the sentence yourself or tell Word to ignore the sentence altogether.


SPELLING TRUMPS GRAMMAR
If there's a spelling mistake in a 'bad' sentence then you can get both red and green lines.

Right-clicking on the misspelled word will only show the spelling options - not the grammar ones.  It's best to fix the spelling first because that might change the grammar test results.

Or you can right-click on part of the sentence with the green line only to go to the grammar options immediately.


IGNORE
You don't have to re-arrange your writing to suit the Word grammar checker - there's always the option to ignore a sentence altogether.  Once you've chosen that option from the right-click menu the green line will go away.

You can mark whole paragraphs or styles to be ignored by the grammar machine - see below.


GRAMMAR OPTIONS
Drill down to Tools | Options | Spelling and Grammar to see some options for the grammar checker.

There you'll see the options are broken into two parts - grammar and style.  This can be a fine line at times but if you click on the settings button you can see all the options in one list.

The top options (at least in Word 2003) adjust some tests that people differ upon.  Whether you put a commas before the last item in the list, having punctuation with quotes and the old debating point - one space between sentences or two.  There's no right answer to any of these; choose the settings you want or leave them as "don't check".

Under Style you may want to choose some of the options to alert you to common mistakes.

I find that in editing a document it is easy to lose track of sentence length so I turn that check on. Some other checks don't concern me so I leave them off - the choice is yours.

Feel free to look down the Grammar and Style list of options and select the ones that suit you, the way you write and common mistakes you might make.

NO CHECKING
In previous versions of Word you had a language called 'No Proofing'  which told Word to not do any spelling or grammar checking on text with that attribute.

You'd use this for lists of names, programming code or anything that's not really suitable for grammar / spell checks.  Poetry is another example of 'No Proofing' unless you want Word to start correcting John Donne's grammar or ee cumming's capitalization!

No Proofing stops the green and red lines getting in the way.

In Word 2003 that has changed - now you leave the language unchanged but check a box 'Do not check spelling or grammar'.  You find this under Tools | Language | Set Language.

The 'Do not check..' option is also available as a Style setting, so you can create a style that includes the option to not do language checks.  You'd use this for things like programming code where you can set the font etc plus stop Word from doing grammar checks.

Inserting a Picture in Your Word Document

http://wordtips.vitalnews.com/Pages/T0156_Inserting_a_Picture_in_Your_Document.html

To insert a picture directly in your text, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point where you want the picture to be inserted.
2. Choose Picture from the Insert menu, then choose From File. (If you are using Word 95, simply choose Picture from the Insert menu.)
3. In the Files of Type field, select the type of graphics file you want to insert.
4. Locate and choose a filename for the picture you want to insert.
5. Click on OK.

Word inserts the picture in the text at the position you indicated by the insertion point. The picture will be inserted at its full size, or the size of the page margins, whichever is smaller.  You can then click on the picture to adjust the size and move it to somewhere else on the page.

Digital Replicas of Newspapers

Full Digital Replicas of Newspapers

If you're news junkie, you should take a look at the improved version of Press Display, a service that provides full digital newspaper replicas of over 225 newspapers from 55 countries. They've enhanced their interface and improved offline reading capabilities in the new release. Highly recommended.

A few examples: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Constitution, Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Chicago Tribune.

Subscription Rates
Plan name:                 Economy         Basic           Advanced
Included issues:               31                70                120
Monthly fee (USD):      US$9.95         US$19.95        US$29.95
Additional issues:        US$0.75           US$0.75         US$0.75

Another interesting site is Today's Front Pages from the Newseum. It's a quick an easy way to see what's running on the front pages of 407 newspapers around the world.

Source: Political Wire

Keyboard shortcuts to move faster in Microsoft Outlook

Keystroke Function
Alt + L Reply All
Alt + S Send
Alt + R Reply
Ctrl + 1 Go to Mail
Ctrl + 2 Go to Calendar
Ctrl + 3 Go to Contacts
Ctrl + Shift + A Open a new Appointment
Ctrl + Shift + B Open the Address Book
Ctrl + Shift + C Create a new Contact
Source: http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-10877-5786466.html?tag=dl.e099.072105