PPT97: Embedded Word Tables Show Unequal Borders

ID: Q189636

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

If you insert a Word table into a PowerPoint slide, and you apply borders to some or all of the table cells, the borders appear the same width while you are editing the table, but they change to unequal widths when you click outside of the table. This symptom is a display effect. When you print the slide, all of the borders print with the same thickness.

CAUSE

When you insert a Word table into a PowerPoint slide, Word provides a picture of the table that has an action associated with it. (For example, when you double-click it, PowerPoint starts Word, and tells Word to create a table that is a certain size and that contains certain information.) When you perform that action, Word takes over and replaces the picture of the table with the actual table. When you are finished editing the table, Word closes the table and PowerPoint displays the picture of the table.

While the table is displayed in Word, the borders are described as lines. However, once Word closes the table and PowerPoint displays the picture of the table, the borders are described as very thin rectangles instead of lines.

Thin rectangles use different display code than lines do. If several lines have the same thickness, PowerPoint always displays them in the same thickness. However, if several rectangles have the same width, they are displayed with slightly different widths depending on where they appear on screen.

NOTE: This is not a problem with Microsoft PowerPoint. The same symptoms appear if you insert a Word table into an Excel worksheet, a Publisher publication, or another Word document.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, enlarge or reduce the table slightly. You may need to experiment to find the best scale percentage so that the Word table looks best during a slide show. NOTE: If you hold the SHIFT key while you resize the table, you will avoid stretching the table disproportionately.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words: 8.0 8.00 word winword ppt8 word8 word97 ppt97 word95 word7 ppt7 margin thicker thinner uneven row column outline

Keywords          : kbinterop kbole kbformat 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: November 25, 1998