Balancing columns

  • Thread starter Thread starter Crazy man
  • Start date Start date
C

Crazy man

I'm using Word 2000 on Windows ME.

Preparing a document with mixed text and columns.

I have numbers 2001 - 2045 which I want to put in 10 columns.

I would hope the result would be:

1st line of 10 entries across page
2nd line of 10 entries across page
3rd line of 10 entries across page
4th line of 10 entries across page
5th line of 5 entries across page

However I get 5 lines of 9 entries that in my opinion gives a poor finish to
document (Column 10 is empty!)

I know I can inserts manual column breaks, but wonder if I can get this
result by an easier method.

Thanks
Phil
 
Be sure non printing characters's (Ctrl + Shift + 8) are on and go to
the ¶ to the right of the very last number: Select
Insert/Break/Continuous and that should even up your columns.
 
Be sure non printing characters's (Ctrl + Shift + 8) are on and go to
the ¶ to the right of the very last number: Select
Insert/Break/Continuous and that should even up your columns.
Click to expand...

No, same result, column 10 still empty!
 
There's a Compatibility setting that might be relevant: Tools | Options |
Compatibility: "Don't balance columns for continuous section starts." Make
sure this isn't checked. If that isn't the problem, check on your paragraph
formatting to make sure that "Keep with next" or "Keep lines together" are
not a factor (and of course ascertain that there are not any column breaks).

But note that nothing you can do (short of inserting column breaks manually,
with Ctrl+Shift+Enter--and you will need them for *every* column) will give
the effect you want, since Word will always fill all columns as full as
possible. I would suggest that for the layout you're attempting, a 10-column
table would be more appropriate.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
Thanks Suzanne, thought you would appear :-)

Shame Word doesn't have option to balance rows / or columns!

Phil
 
Well, it does balance them; it just doesn't balance them according to your
definition of "balancing." <g> I really do think a table might better serve
your needs here.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
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