MS word--margins

Ibelong · Mar 30, 2010

I am having problems setting a bottom margin at .08
I am doing this, per the guidelines for submission to a particular publisher. MS word keeps kicking back an error that reads "exceeds print area" or something like that. I suspect it is because they want the page numbers centered and at the bottom of the page. When I click the "fix" button it moves the page numbers to the right top corner.

I am wondering if this could be a typo and the margins are supposed to be .8 I have emailed the publisher and I am waiting for a response.

In the mean time, in case it is not an error, I need to figure out what I am doing wrong. I have been able to set everything according to their requirements except that one item.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Cathy C · Mar 30, 2010

What version of Word and what platform are you on?

Ibelong · Mar 30, 2010

Cathy C said:
What version of Word and what platform are you on?

Windows 7. I looked for the version of MS word, all I found on the "about" section was MS word 2003. After that was a parenthesis that had the number 11. and a string of other numbers. So I'm not sure if I have 11 and whatever addition or what?

Maryn · Mar 30, 2010

Word 2003 is enough to go on. Let me play and see if I can make it work. 0.8" bottom margin plus a page number centered below the text at the bottom of each page, right?

Maryn, avoiding work

Maryn · Mar 30, 2010

Okay, I made it work on a three-page Word2003 document I happened to have open. Here's what I did.

For the Bottom Margin:
Click on File (upper left) and from its menu, on Page Setup
On Page Setup, click the Margins tab if you don't get it by default. Set the bottom margin to 0.8, using the arrow or typing it in. While you're there, set the other margins as well.
For the Page Numbering:
Click on View (upper left) and from its menu, on Header and Footer
The program defaults to allow you to create a Header. The fourth item from the right of the small menu bar is Switch Between Header and Footer. Click it to show a footer's blank text box.
Click on the small menu bar the page with the # symbol, Insert Page Number, or press Alt + Shift + P. This will insert a page number at the left margin of the footer's text box.
Select the page number either using the arrow keys or the scroll wheel so it's highlighted.
Press Ctrl + E (at the same time) to center the highlighted text.

Let me know if this works, or if any of it's not clear.

Maryn, still avoiding work

ResearchGuy · Mar 30, 2010

Ibelong said:
I am having problems setting a bottom margin at .08. . . .

Point oh eight inch? That is, in essence, NO margin, the printer cannot print right to the edge, and Word or the printer driver knows that. Try 0.8 (eight-tenths of an inch).

--Ken

Ibelong · Mar 30, 2010

ResearchGuy said:
Point oh eight inch? That is, in essence, NO margin, the printer cannot print right to the edge, and Word or the printer driver knows that. Try 0.8 (eight-tenths of an inch).

--Ken

Well, that's what I thought as well. But the guidelines state, 0.08

I've seen stranger requests on submissions, so I guess it's possible.

Ibelong · Mar 30, 2010

Maryn said:
Okay, I made it work on a three-page Word2003 document I happened to have open. Here's what I did.k

I have no problems with getting it set at .8 the instructions state .08 At this point I am going to assume that that is a typo.

ResearchGuy · Mar 30, 2010

Ibelong said:
Well, that's what I thought as well. But the guidelines state, 0.08

I've seen stranger requests on submissions, so I guess it's possible.

It was their typo then.

--Ken

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 30, 2010

ResearchGuy said:
Point oh eight inch? That is, in essence, NO margin, the printer cannot print right to the edge, and Word or the printer driver knows that. Try 0.8 (eight-tenths of an inch).

--Ken

Yes, most printers don't accept less than .25 (a quarter of an inch). The thing needs to grip the paper somewhere.

I'd agree that this is a typo. Are their guidelines online? I'd like to look at it.

Manuel Royal · Mar 30, 2010

ResearchGuy said:
It was their typo then.

--Ken

I concur. A lot of people (who may be highly skilled as editors) have trouble with the ol' decimal point.

I'd use .8 inches, and make a note along with the submission. (And, good luck!)

Maryn · Mar 30, 2010

Oh, I totally misread the number and assumed a perfectly reasonable 0.8. Depending on what the other margins are, this is the setting which often produces the 'magical' 25 lines per page, each line ten 'words' (a word being any six characters--these are old typesetting terms, still used to time keyboard speed), for the downright mystical 250 words per page.

Oopsie!

Maryn, who tried

Matera the Mad · Mar 31, 2010

.08 is a typo, I garawntee you.

DonnyTheDinosaur · Aug 22, 2011

I'm currently working in Word 2010, and I'm trying to give this one paragraph narrower margins than the rest of the text. However, every time I select that paragraph and then reset the margins, it invariably changes the margins of more than just that one paragraph. How do I fix this?

alleycat · Aug 22, 2011

DonnyTheDinosaur said:
I'm currently working in Word 2010, and I'm trying to give this one paragraph narrower margins than the rest of the text. However, every time I select that paragraph and then reset the margins, it invariably changes the margins of more than just that one paragraph. How do I fix this?

In Word 2003, you'd highlight the paragraph you want to change, then go to Format > Paragraph > Indents. Don't change your page margins.

blacbird · Aug 22, 2011

Ibelong said:
Well, that's what I thought as well. But the guidelines state, 0.08

I've seen stranger requests on submissions, so I guess it's possible.

That cannot possibly be correct. Somebody at the intended place of submission is decimal-challenged. I'd suggest the standard 1" margins, send it in, and I'd be flabbergasted if the recipients were offended.

caw

CircusOfCrows · Aug 23, 2011

I'll throw in my two cents as well that .08 isn't enough to have page numbers, let alone have them centered, though I imagine you'll wait regardless to hear back from the publisher

MS word--margins

Ibelong

Do you feel the need?

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

Ibelong

Do you feel the need?

Maryn

I Tried

Maryn

I Tried

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon

Ibelong

Do you feel the need?

Ibelong

Do you feel the need?

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Manuel Royal

Maryn

I Tried

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

DonnyTheDinosaur

Yep.

alleycat

Still around

blacbird

CircusOfCrows

World Famous Basketball Player