Font Colors In Doc's Created In Word 2008 Wrong when Opened In Word 2004

[pmdworks]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Intel

When a Word document is created in Word for Mac 2008 and saved as a .doc, then opened in Word for Mac 2004, many of the font colors are wrong, purple fonts turn to yellow, black fonts turn to green, etc. Currently using Word 2008 12.1.2 and Word 2004 11.5.1 on Max OS X 10.4.11.

It appears this issue was first raised in discussion:

<http://www.officeformac.com/ProductForums/Word/1600/0>

but closed several months ago without resolution.

Anyone know a fix or the status of a bug resolution?

Thanks,

Phil

 

[John McGhie]

We know of a work-around... "Don't use Themes"!!

The fix they were working on has not appeared yet.

We have had a "partial" fix that appeared in one of the updates to Word
2008. However, it will only make the problem "less likely to occur in
documents created after the fix was issued."

Sadly, it will not correct a document that went bad before the fix.

What you can TRY is to create a new blank document, then copy all except the
last paragraph mark into it. That "might" clean it up in some cases, but I
am not too hopeful.

If it works, please report back: we need to know

The other thing you can try is to set all the colours to "Automatic"
(black!) before you down-convert the file. Not useful if you were oping to
keep your colours.

If this is a big issue, you can prevent this by setting your colours in your
styles manually, and not using Themes. Colours set manually in the styles
will convert accurately, the Theme does not exist in Word 2004 so the
conversion is applied as a formatting overlay and the results become a bit
of a lottery.

Note that Word 2008 supports 24-bit colour in text, Word 2004 and earlier do
not (8-bit only) so even if you use styles, your conversion will be a
"closest equivalent", not an exact match. This will produce a noticeable
variation in the subtle colours.

Hope this helps

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: Intel

When a Word document is created in Word for Mac 2008 and saved as a .doc, then
opened in Word for Mac 2004, many of the font colors are wrong, purple fonts
turn to yellow, black fonts turn to green, etc. Currently using Word 2008
12.1.2 and Word 2004 11.5.1 on Max OS X 10.4.11.

It appears this issue was first raised in discussion:

<http://www.officeformac.com/ProductForums/Word/1600/0>

but closed several months ago without resolution.

Anyone know a fix or the status of a bug resolution?

Thanks,

Phil

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi John -

That was my first reaction too, but I thought that bug only occurred Mac-PC.
This poster is saying a 2008 doc in 2004 - I hadn't experienced it or seen
reports of it happening Mac-Mac. Slight variations in hue perhaps, but
purple turning yellow???

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Bob:

I must admit I have not seen it happen 2008 --> 2004 either, but it sounds
like the same bug to me.

It "might" be just "half" the bug -- the difference in supported text colour
depth between 2008 (24-bit) and 2004 (8-bit).

Either way, I am pretty sure the cure is "Don't use themes"

Cheers

Hi John -

That was my first reaction too, but I thought that bug only occurred Mac-PC.
This poster is saying a 2008 doc in 2004 - I hadn't experienced it or seen
reports of it happening Mac-Mac. Slight variations in hue perhaps, but
purple turning yellow???

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[pmdworks]

Thanks to all for the responses, unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, themes are not being used.

The document never had a theme to begin with in Word 2008. From the outset I have had the default file format in Word 2008 set to .doc, not .docx.

With .doc set as the default file format in Word 2008 you can't use Word 2008 themes (it doesn't even appear on the formatting palette).

Additionally, when I open the document created in Word 2008 in Word 2004, then go to Format > Theme... it says (no theme).

Idea's? Thanks,

Phil

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Phil -

I don't know that this *is* the issue, but what I'm finding is:

If you create a new blank document in 2008 & apply any of the Theme Colors
(rather than Standard Colors) & save the file as a .doc, Word 2004 will
display many of those colors inaccurately. The same is true if you have a
file saved as a .doc - using the Theme Colors in 2008 & saving the changes
results in a different color being displayed in 2004. The degree of
variation seems to pivot around which color is actually used.

I think what may be throwing you off is the fact that the word "theme" is
used in 2 different contexts. In 2004 it pertains to collections of
formatting for Web Pages & most of what's included doesn't show up unless
you're in Online Layout View. It also doesn't print by default.

In 2008 the term is used for Document Themes which *are* applicable to
regular printed documents. They include a combination of coordinated fonts &
color schemes and are keyed to Word's built-in Styles.

However, when you open any Font Color List in 2008 - even if the file has
been saved as a .doc - the largest array of swatches are in the category of
Theme Colors. Those are the ones that cause the problem. But the best is yet
to come... Not the best workaround but oddly enough it seems to work:

Open the file in 2008, select the colored text, then open a font color list
& choose More Colors. In the Colors dialog *just click OK*, then save &
close the doc. Open it in 2004 & your colors should be correct.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Bob:

Bloody hell.... Where DID you get that one??

Talk about "obscure", that one's worthy of a full Huggan...

Cheers

But the best is yet
to come... Not the best workaround but oddly enough it seems to work:

Open the file in 2008, select the colored text, then open a font color list
& choose More Colors. In the Colors dialog *just click OK*, then save &
close the doc. Open it in 2004 & your colors should be correct.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

If it weren't for my overwhelming modesty & humility I'd say just attribute
it to sheer genius None the less, I'm flattered by the compliment.

Actually it was the OP's reference to the Themes in 2004 that put me on the
trail. I was looking for a correlation between the RGB values of the colors
used in 2008's Theme Colors & the colors they converted to in 2004. There
was absolutely no correlation to be found. I had also noticed that the issue
didn't occur with Standard colors *or* when you apply exactly the same Theme
Color shades by going into the More Colors dialog & setting the values of
the same colors used in the Themes.

I don't claim to know the programming behind the scenes, but my *guess* is
that when you select one of the Theme colors in 2008 color palette the
specific color value isn't getting recorded. Instead, some sort of pointer
is established that associates that choice with a position or designator in
a table of values associated with Theme Colors.

Opening the file in 2004 points it to a different color because that
specific Theme isn't available & a different table of color values is being
used ... But the colors in the Theme being [essentially] substituted are
radically different. Kinda like giving someone directions on how to get from
point A to point B in one city & then having them start from point C rather
than point A in another city. The method I proposed simply sets the actual
color value in the doc so it's specifically recognized for what it is when
displayed in 2004.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[pmdworks]

Open the file in 2008, select the colored text, then open a font color list & choose More Colors. In the Colors dialog *just click OK*, then save & close the doc. Open it in 2004 & your colors should be correct.

Wow, that worked like magic! Thanks much for figuring that one out. So everyone says don't use theme's in Word 2008. How do I permanently disable themes so that this doesn't happen in the first place? Usually I'm good with this stuff, but I don't see an themes' off check box anywhere.

Thanks again,

Phil

 

[CyberTaz]

Glad it worked for you

You can't find such a checkbox because there isn't one. Document Themes are
an integral part of the program and a definite part of Word's future. The
"problem" is that the older file format doesn't support their concept or
sophistication. They're not really problem as long as you're working with an
OXML file. In all fairness, backwards compatibility with *differing* file
formats will always have problems... If you look at the big picture the
color thing is small potatoes

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

Or, it appropriately technical and scientific terms:

"Fiddling with the Colour Palette cases Word to store a new colour palette
in the document so the colours work!"

Excellent!!

If it weren't for my overwhelming modesty & humility I'd say just attribute
it to sheer genius None the less, I'm flattered by the compliment.

Actually it was the OP's reference to the Themes in 2004 that put me on the
trail. I was looking for a correlation between the RGB values of the colors
used in 2008's Theme Colors & the colors they converted to in 2004. There
was absolutely no correlation to be found. I had also noticed that the issue
didn't occur with Standard colors *or* when you apply exactly the same Theme
Color shades by going into the More Colors dialog & setting the values of
the same colors used in the Themes.

I don't claim to know the programming behind the scenes, but my *guess* is
that when you select one of the Theme colors in 2008 color palette the
specific color value isn't getting recorded. Instead, some sort of pointer
is established that associates that choice with a position or designator in
a table of values associated with Theme Colors.

Opening the file in 2004 points it to a different color because that
specific Theme isn't available & a different table of color values is being
used ... But the colors in the Theme being [essentially] substituted are
radically different. Kinda like giving someone directions on how to get from
point A to point B in one city & then having them start from point C rather
than point A in another city. The method I proposed simply sets the actual
color value in the doc so it's specifically recognized for what it is when
displayed in 2004.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

Hi Bob:

Bloody hell.... Where DID you get that one??

Talk about "obscure", that one's worthy of a full Huggan...

Cheers

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[pmdworks]

You can't find such a check box because there isn't one. Document Themes are

Got it, thanks again for the help.

Phil

 

[Art_Vandelay]

Hi, I'm currently using Word 2008 12.1.3 and the font colour changes to yellow when the document is opened on a PC as well as on Word 2004 and using QuickLook on Leopard. Strangely when I open the document the text is black, as the O.P. stated on the closed discussion in the link.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Hello Art,

Maybe your post is just a comment in passing.

But if you want people to respond to your particular case (which is
different from the original poster's case), please post a *new* message:
compose a descriptive subject then give full details of what you want to
achieve, what you have done, and what has gone wrong. Then someone should be
able to help you.

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from the Americas and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
====================================================

 

[CyberTaz]

Have you read anything in this thread other than the first message & the
closed discussion it linked to? The suspected cause & only known workaround
is included here in this more current conversation As yet there is no
fix, but at least the source of the problem [hopefully] has been identified.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Jibbles]

Hi, I'm currently using Word 2008 12.1.3 and the font colour changes to
yellow when the document is opened on a PC as well as on Word 2004 and
using QuickLook on Leopard. Strangely when I open the document the text
is black, as the O.P. stated on the closed discussion in the link.




Exactly the same here. Changing the colour to automatic fixes our problem too, so your answer is right here on this page.

 

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