how do you ensure a word document retains the same format

[Nikki Gray]

how do you make sure that people opening your word document on other
computers reatin the same format you have created it in rather than it
defaulting to the formats they have set up on their computer?

 

[Stefan Blom]

The "safest" approach will be to distribute the document as a PDF. But see
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/formatting/TextReflow.htm.