WD: Table Borders Not Aligned with Margins (63251)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 4.0
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 5.0
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 5.1
  • Microsoft Word for the Macintosh 6.0
  • Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition
This article was previously published under Q63251

SUMMARY

When creating a table that has a left or right border, Microsoft Word aligns the text in the table at the margins, causing the borders to be placed outside the margins. The amount of space between the text and the border is based on the Space Between Col[umn]s setting in the Cells dialog box (Column tab under Table, Cell Height and Width in Word 6.0 and later).

This effect is by design of Microsoft Word. It prevents the text in the table from being narrower than the text that is above and/or below the table.

To place the text closer to the border, reduce the Space Between Cols toward 0 (zero). Note that at zero, the text characters will touch the border.

MORE INFORMATION

To align the borders (instead of the text) with the margins in Word version 4.0, do the following:

  1. On the Document menu, click Page View.
  2. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences; make sure the option "Show Text Boundaries in Page View" is selected.
  3. Click OK in the Preferences dialog box.
  4. Select the table.
  5. From the Format menu, choose Show Ruler if it is not visible.
  6. Click the scale icon on the end of the ruler.
  7. Drag the left indent to the right until the borders are aligned with the margins.
For more information about table formatting, see "Cells Command" on page 12 of the "Reference to Microsoft Word" version 4.0 manual.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/24/2003
Keywords:kbprb kbtable KB63251
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.