PUB2002: Publisher Changes Margin Settings and Indents for Imported Word Documents (279374)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Publisher 2002
This article was previously published under Q279374

SYMPTOMS

When you import a Microsoft Word document with custom margin and indent settings, the Import Word Document Wizard ignores these settings and instead defaults to a predefined margin setting for a text frame.

Any margin and indent format settings that were in the Word document before you imported it into Publisher are ignored. Other changes can include the following:
  • Hanging indents that were outside the page margins appear flush next to the text frame margins.
  • Objects such as pictures or charts appear inside the text frame, rather than outside it.
  • Tables are placed completely within the text frame.
NOTE: This is not a complete list of all the changes that can occur.

CAUSE

Microsoft Word and Publisher treat margins differently. In Word, page margins are defined from the edge of the page. In essence, Word treats a page as though it was one large text frame. In Publisher, page margins are entirely separate from the frame margins. Publisher text frames can be positioned anywhere, and they are not affected by the page size of the publication. Therefore, there is no one-to-one mapping of margins between the two programs.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Do Not Use Custom Margins in Word

If possible, do not change the page margins in Word when you create your document. Instead, using Formatting and Styles, adjust the indents for the document to reflect the appearance that you want your document to have. For more information about creating styles in Word, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type create a new style in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

If you use custom indents for your document instead of changing the page margins, all indents and objects will be displayed in Publisher the way that you positioned them in Word.

Method 2: Create Custom Styles in Publisher

If custom margins were already applied to your document, you must either modify the Normal style or create a custom style in order to reformat the text to the correct positions. If you are using tables in your Word document, you must define a special table-only style to maintain the formatting within the table. For more information about creating styles in Publisher, click Microsoft Publisher Help on the Help menu, type work with text styles in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

Method 3: Manually Set Indents in Publisher

You can also manually set the indents for the imported Word document text in the publication, frame by frame.
  1. On page 1 of the publication, click within the text frame.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
  3. On the horizontal rule, click the rectangle just below the Left indent triangle. Moving this indent marker moves both the First-line indent marker and the Left indent marker.
  4. Position the indent markers where you want the left side of the text to line up.
  5. Click the First-line indent marker (the small upside-down triangle), and position it where you want the first line of text to start for each paragraph.
  6. Click outside the text frame to deselect it.
For more information about working with indents, click Microsoft Publisher Help on the Help menu, type create or modify a paragraph indent in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/5/2003
Keywords:kbbug KB279374
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.