Background Color Dilemma

[asabatelli]

I'm new to the MacWord environment, having just purchased my first mac,
but I've been using Word on a PC for years. As a writer, I spend many
hours staring at the screen and have become accustomed to changing the
background color from glaring white to other, less tiring colors. In
the latest version of Word that I just purchased with my iMac, it
appears that the only way to change the background color in a document
is to use "Online" view (it automatically takes you there when you
select the format/background tab). The problem, though, with online
view is that you lose the page-layout look, and multiple page editing
capabilities. When you switch back to "page layout" view, it goes back
to a white background.

Is there any way at all to change the background color of a Word
document on a Mac without switching to Online view?

On my PC, you do this by changing the color under Windows preferences,
but I can't find such a thing on OSX.

Help!

 

[matt neuburg]

I'm new to the MacWord environment, having just purchased my first mac,
but I've been using Word on a PC for years. As a writer, I spend many
hours staring at the screen and have become accustomed to changing the
background color from glaring white to other, less tiring colors. In
the latest version of Word that I just purchased with my iMac, it
appears that the only way to change the background color in a document
is to use "Online" view (it automatically takes you there when you
select the format/background tab). The problem, though, with online
view is that you lose the page-layout look, and multiple page editing
capabilities. When you switch back to "page layout" view, it goes back
to a white background.

Is there any way at all to change the background color of a Word
document on a Mac without switching to Online view?

One approach is to invert the whole screen (turning black to white and
vice versa). I do this from time to time while working; I find it very
restful. That's a feature built into the system.

If you find the glare of the white too much, another approach is to
change your screen's gamma. Again, that's built into the system. You
might prefer a whitepoint that's a bit darker and pinker, for example.

In Word, another possibility is to apply a large box of color as a
watermark and work in Page Layout view. You can take the watermark away
before printing. m.

 

[Bill Weylock]

Go to the Format menu and select Background.

Choose your color.


Best,


- Bill

I'm new to the MacWord environment, having just purchased my first mac,
but I've been using Word on a PC for years. As a writer, I spend many
hours staring at the screen and have become accustomed to changing the
background color from glaring white to other, less tiring colors. In
the latest version of Word that I just purchased with my iMac, it
appears that the only way to change the background color in a document
is to use "Online" view (it automatically takes you there when you
select the format/background tab). The problem, though, with online
view is that you lose the page-layout look, and multiple page editing
capabilities. When you switch back to "page layout" view, it goes back
to a white background.

Is there any way at all to change the background color of a Word
document on a Mac without switching to Online view?

On my PC, you do this by changing the color under Windows preferences,
but I can't find such a thing on OSX.

Help!

Panther 10.3.6
Office 2004
Windows XP Pro SP2
Office 2003

 

[Bill Weylock]

Oops.

Sorry. Didn¹t notice that it went to Online View automatically.

Matt¹s watermark is probably the only way.

I¹d like to be able to do the same thing, so I hope maybe there¹s a better
answer.

I'm new to the MacWord environment, having just purchased my first mac,
but I've been using Word on a PC for years. As a writer, I spend many
hours staring at the screen and have become accustomed to changing the
background color from glaring white to other, less tiring colors. In
the latest version of Word that I just purchased with my iMac, it
appears that the only way to change the background color in a document
is to use "Online" view (it automatically takes you there when you
select the format/background tab). The problem, though, with online
view is that you lose the page-layout look, and multiple page editing
capabilities. When you switch back to "page layout" view, it goes back
to a white background.

Is there any way at all to change the background color of a Word
document on a Mac without switching to Online view?

On my PC, you do this by changing the color under Windows preferences,
but I can't find such a thing on OSX.

Help!

Panther 10.3.6
Office 2004
Windows XP Pro SP2
Office 2003

 

[Klaus Linke]

Re: Background Color Dilemma> I'd like to be able to do the same thing, so I hope maybe there's a better answer.

[...]
Panther 10.3.6
Office 2004
Windows XP Pro SP2
Office 2003

In Winword, you can change the background of all application windows (righ-click on desktop > "Properties > Appearance > Advanced > Window > 1. color".

OSX Aqua doesn't seem to have much in the way of customization (fonts, colors...) except for the background picture?

Greetings,
Klaus

 

[Klaus Linke]

You can make Word display the text white on blue with a macro:

WithApplication.Options
.BlueScreen=Not .BlueScreen
End With

Run it again to toggle back to normal.

It's a very old feature (probably for converts from DOS text editors), and
doesn't work too well in recent versions.
You may no longer be able to read some things, such as the styles in the style
area.

Regards,
Klaus

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

You can make Word display the text white on blue with a macro:

WithApplication.Options
.BlueScreen=Not .BlueScreen
End With

Run it again to toggle back to normal.

It's a very old feature (probably for converts from DOS text editors), and
doesn't work too well in recent versions.
You may no longer be able to read some things, such as the styles in the style
area.

You can also do that in the UI: Word/Preferences/General/Blue background,
white text.

It's a pretty glaring royal blue, however.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.

 

[Bill Weylock]

Yeah. Totally agree. I¹ve seen the preference and had to try it once.

White text on black or blue is not any kind of solution. Also, I should add
that this is not an immense deal... A nice to have.

If I could, I would set the page to the lightest possible ecru color. Just a
bit more restful and (I think) attractive. In no way do I want COLOR for a
background.

Thanks, though. Really seems like a feature that would not be immensely hard
to include, while they are thinking up them bells and whistles.


Best,


- Bill

You can also do that in the UI: Word/Preferences/General/Blue background,
white text.

It's a pretty glaring royal blue, however.

Panther 10.3.6
Office 2004
Windows XP Pro SP2
Office 2003

 

[Phillip M. Jones, CE.T.]

I remember in ye olden days Using WordPerfectDOS, with DOS and with
w3.1.1, You could use any color background and any color font. And very
early version of WP on Mac also had same ability.

I found the best combo for my eyes was a sort of sky blue blackground
with a bright yellow print.

Yeah. Totally agree. I’ve seen the preference and had to try it once.

White text on black or blue is not any kind of solution. Also, I should
add that this is not an immense deal... A nice to have.

If I could, I would set the page to the lightest possible ecru color.
Just a bit more restful and (I think) attractive. In no way do I want
COLOR for a background.

Thanks, though. Really seems like a feature that would not be immensely
hard to include, while they are thinking up them bells and whistles.


Best,


- Bill


On 12/30/04 12:58 PM, in article
BDF9AC11.83340%berkowit@spoof_silcom.com, "Paul Berkowitz"



You can also do that in the UI: Word/Preferences/General/Blue
background,
white text.

It's a pretty glaring royal blue, however.





Panther 10.3.6
Office 2004
Windows XP Pro SP2
Office 2003

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[Klaus Linke]

I very often use two different templates (style sheets):
One for working on the doc, where each style has a different color (dark blue, dark green, dark red, gray, ..., maybe underlines for
character styles ...), and one for the final, printed doc, where all styles are black again.

The main reason is that it's easier to see if styles are applied properly, but the dark colors are good on the eyes, too, IMO.

Klaus

 

[asabatelli]

Thanks for all the advice... I've managed to use the watermark
suggestion to get the desired effect, though it's a little tricky. I
first had to make a picture file (using Apple works/paint that was just
a straight fill of the color I want--note in this program, your color
choices are much more limited than the standard drag/color pallette, so
far as I can figure for now). You then have to go to Insert/Watermak
in the word document and select the .cwk file (by selecting view "all
files"--not just "all picture files." Once you've successfully added
the single block color watermark, you'll need to go to View/Header
Footer and select the Hide/show text tab on the toolbar, then click on
the background image and change it's dimensions so it will fill up the
entire page, and not just sit behind the text.... I'm not sure the
style sheets allow you to work in Page Layout, though??? I'll keep
playing with that option, which seems as if it might be easier. Thanks
again...

Arnie

 

[asabatelli]

A few other notes I forgot to mention.

1. Be sure to de-select the "washout" box in order to see the color at
all.
2. In Apple Works Paint the only format that worked was JPG for QT, and
you have to select view all files.
3. For size, select 8.5x11...

 

[Bill Weylock]

That¹s a great idea.

I work with a lot of quotations from transcripts and have made their style
RED so I can easily pick them out and make sure the indent formatting took.
But doing that with other styles never occurred to me ....

That could be a way to ensure that paragraphs formatted as Normal do not
sneak into the final document.

Thanks!


Best,


- Bill

I very often use two different templates (style sheets):
One for working on the doc, where each style has a different color (dark blue,
dark green, dark red, gray, ..., maybe underlines for
character styles ...), and one for the final, printed doc, where all styles
are black again.

The main reason is that it's easier to see if styles are applied properly, but
the dark colors are good on the eyes, too, IMO.

Klaus

Panther 10.3.6
Office 2004
Windows XP Pro SP2
Office 2003