WD: Drop Cap Jumps to Previous Column

ID: Q144534

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a and 6.0c
Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0
Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a

SYMPTOMS

In a multicolumn document, when you insert a "dropped" drop cap at the beginning of the second or subsequent column, the drop cap jumps to the bottom of the previous column.

CAUSE

This functionality is by design and occurs when the paragraph starts in the previous column and wraps to the top of the next column. When you format a drop cap as "dropped", Word moves the formatted letter to the beginning of the paragraph.

WORKAROUND

Do one of the following to correctly position a drop cap:

Make sure the letter you are formatting as a drop cap is the first letter of the paragraph. In other words, make sure the paragraph does not start in the previous column.
-or-
After you insert the drop cap, drag it to the correct position.

MORE INFORMATION

When you click Drop Cap on the Format menu, Word formats a letter, word, or selected text as a large initial, or dropped, capital letter. A "drop cap," which is traditionally the first letter in a paragraph, can appear either in the left margin or dropped from the base line of the first line in the paragraph.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q165675
   TITLE     : WD: Text Formatted with "Drop Cap" in Wrong Place on Page

   ARTICLE-ID: Q113627
   TITLE     : WD: DropCap Adds Right Spacing If Paragraph Indented

Additional query words:

Keywords          : wordnt kbframe ntword macword word6 word7 word95 
Version           : WINDOWS:6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a; MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: January 22, 1999