Not your average table problem

[aloha]

I have a problem with printing tables in Word 2000.

I have a table within a table. The "external" table is there for page layout
reasons and was set up by a client as a place for us to insert our answers to
their question (therefore cannot be changed or removed). Our answer includes
a table of information (the "internal" table), which we then have to insert
into the "external" table as part of our answer.

The document is multiple pages long, and within it, at one point, both the
internal table and the external table flow across two pages. When I view the
document on screen (in Print Layout view or in Print Preview) the document
looks fine, however when I actually print it, the internal table spills over
the lower limits of the external table and across the footer, so that it runs
almost to the bottom of the page. Then on the following page, the final cell
of the table appears neatly as it should within the external table. The
external table remains where it should be, it is only the internal tables
that prints in this unexpected way.

I can assure you that there is no issue with "keep with next" or "allow row
to break across pages" settings. I have literally tried everything I can
think of in terms of table settings and text settings and page settings. I
should note that I have other tables within tables in the same document, and
they do not experience the same problem with printing (i.e. each row breaks
across the page as necessary without any manual intervention from me).

I have scoured the net for solutions to this problem, to no avail. I am
thinking this is an issue with Word 2000 itself not supporting tables inside
other tables...?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Make sure that the wrapping on both tables is set to None.

 

[aloha]

Yes, I have done this, this is not the issue.

Make sure that the wrapping on both tables is set to None.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

Another thing to check is row height. For tables within tables, I usually
find that it works best if the row height is not set explicitly.

I would try -- experimentally -- to create the identical structure from
scratch (no copying/pasting) in a brand new document to see if the problem
occurs there.

However, if the problem is happening only when the document is printed, and
not in Print Preview, then I would suspect that there is a problem with the
printer driver. You might check the printer's mfg web site to see if a later
driver is available. If you have the ability to print the document to a .pdf
file, try that, and see if the tables are correct within the resulting pdf.
Or... try printing to a different printer, if one is available.

 

[aloha]

Thanks Herb.

Yep, row height is not specified, so that's definitely not the issue either.
I have done the whole "create from scratch" thing, but this did not help.
This problem occurs for us regularly, so it is not one particular document
causing the problem.

The problem also occurs on numerous printers, including both colour and
monochrome. I tried creating as a PDF, but the PDF document looked the same
as the other printed versions. I will look into the printer driver, but I
suspect if it is happening across a number of printers, this will probably
not solve the problem either!