line spacing in Excel

[JHE]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC

One of the things I use Excel for is to make slide labels for microscope slides. I use a 4 pt font and WAS able to get lots of data into a cell with a row height of 0.83" and a column width of 0.84".

In my old version of Excel (X), I was able to put in plenty of locality data, etc. and have tight line spacing. In Excel 2008 this appears to be no longer possible - it formats my lines as if they are double spaced (or close to it) and I can't get anywhere near the amount of data in the same space I did with Excel X. I can find nothing that will remedy this (for me) major problem.

Any ideas out there?

If I open "old" label files created in Excel X they re-format to the stupid way 2008 seems stuck on doing.

Note that I still have Excel X on the same machine and continue to use it to make labels, so I can make do with that - but I'd really like to know why the new version won't do what I want it to do!!

 

[Bob Greenblatt]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC

One of the things I use Excel for is to make slide labels for microscope
slides. I use a 4 pt font and WAS able to get lots of data into a cell with a
row height of 0.83" and a column width of 0.84".

In my old version of Excel (X), I was able to put in plenty of locality data,
etc. and have tight line spacing. In Excel 2008 this appears to be no longer
possible - it formats my lines as if they are double spaced (or close to it)
and I can't get anywhere near the amount of data in the same space I did with
Excel X. I can find nothing that will remedy this (for me) major problem.

Any ideas out there?

If I open "old" label files created in Excel X they re-format to the stupid
way 2008 seems stuck on doing.

Note that I still have Excel X on the same machine and continue to use it to
make labels, so I can make do with that - but I'd really like to know why the
new version won't do what I want it to do!!

Are you using the same font? Check with font book to see if maybe there is a
version Excel X is using that Excel 208 is not.

 

[CyberTaz]

Unfortunately I don't have X available to check, but a comparison of 2004 &
2008 shows no discernable difference in the line spacing. I'm not sure that
what you're seeing isn't influenced by System Preferences> Appearance - Text
Smoothing for font sizes __ and smaller, which can't be set below 4 points.

AFAIK there is no line spacing control in Excel. Are you typing the content
or pasting it from another source? Are you running X on the same system as
2008? If not could resolution be a factor?

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

 

[JHE]

Thanks for the reply, BOB.

There is line spacing control in Excel. Go to Toolbox, select Alignment and Spacing. However, this does nothing to solve my problem.

As I wrote, I am running both versions of Excel on my Power Mac; that's why I can still make labels using the "old" X version. Thus, AFAIK it has nothing to do with the OS's System Preferences.

 

[JHE]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Power PC

One of the things I use Excel for is to make slide labels for microscope
slides. I use a 4 pt font and WAS able to get lots of data into a cell with a
row height of 0.83" and a column width of 0.84".

In my old version of Excel (X), I was able to put in plenty of locality data,
etc. and have tight line spacing. In Excel 2008 this appears to be no longer
possible - it formats my lines as if they are double spaced (or close to it)
and I can't get anywhere near the amount of data in the same space I did with
Excel X. I can find nothing that will remedy this (for me) major problem.

Any ideas out there?

If I open "old" label files created in Excel X they re-format to the stupid
way 2008 seems stuck on doing.

Note that I still have Excel X on the same machine and continue to use it to
make labels, so I can make do with that - but I'd really like to know why the
new version won't do what I want it to do!!

Are you using the same font? Check with font book to see if maybe there is a
version Excel X is using that Excel 208 is not.
[/QUOTE]
Hi Bob,

thanks for the reply.

I'm using the same font Verdana 4 pt. It's the SAME FILE I'm using in both versions. v2008 opens the file and screws the line spacing, vX does not.

It doesn't matter if I type or paste, the result is the same.

Using Toolbox for alignment and spacing does nothing

 

[CyberTaz]

As I said, I don't have X available but if you want to send me a copy of the
file I'll be happy to check it over. Depending on what I can find there are
others who may able to compare it using Excel X.

The the title of the Alignment & Spacing section in the FP is a misnomer -
there is nothing there that has to do with spacing at all (other than
Horizontally by way of Indentation), let alone Line Spacing for text. The
only thing that influences spacing between lines of text in a cell is
Vertical> Justify, but it offers no actual line spacing control.

Fonts have Leading values designed into them which determine the line
spacing which defaults to what most people refer to as single spaced. The
standard is 120% of the Font size. Word processing programs, Desktop
Publishing programs, etc. normally provide control over line spacing, but
Excel does not.

Based on that plus the fact that your Office X installation may be using a
different version of Verdana than what's used by Office 2008 it may very
well make the difference. I don't claim to have the explanation, I'm just
exploring possibilities Run Font Book to see if you have duplicate of
Verdana. Ruse Edit> Resolve Duplicates if there are any & see if that makes
any difference.

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

 

[JHE]

Bob, I sent you a sample file on 19 August by replying to your email, and today received the message:
"Delivery to the following recipients was aborted after 48.8 hour(s):

(e-mail address removed)"

 

[CyberTaz]

Only because that's not my email address I had expected to hear back
from you here for further info - so here it is:

First, make sure you zip/stuff the file before attaching, then use the
address with no spaces, of course, & replacing the "dot" accordingly:
general taz 1 @ comcast dot net. Also, only enter the following into the
Subject field: jheoc59b

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