Outlook 2003 Changing default paragraph spacing (Word as editor)

[Mark Lutes]

Okay, I've seen *almost* this same question asked a thousand times, but none
of them address quite what my problem is. I use Word as my email editor. If I
have no signature enabled and I bring up a new mail message the default
paragraph spacing is set to 0 (zero), which is what I want. However, when I
enable a signature the default paragraph spacing is set to 6.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not having a problem with my signature. My
signature has been embedded with line-breaks instead of paragraph-breaks like
all the messages around here advise, so it works fine. It's the text of my
email message that is screwed up. Every time I need to type a new message I
have to open the message and then highlight everything above my signature and
change the paragraph spacing to zero before I start.

Very annoying. I have looked at the stationery settings, but they do not
have controls for paragraph spacing. And I've played extensively with the
normal.dot and email.dot files but I can't seem to get them to change it
permanently either.

Please help, I'm going nuts over this. I'm sure it's going to end up being
something simple.

 

[Mark Lutes]

Anyone...? Anyone...? Bueller...?

 

[Steve Perry]

I don't have a good answer - but I share your pain
My best guess is go in Word, track down the Email style and change the
formatting. But I've tried and wasn't able to make it stick.

 

[Steve Perry]

Mark, I think I finally got this to work. Here's what I did.
Assuming you still have Word as your default mail editor.
1) click File, New, Mail Message
2) click in the body of the message. Click Format, Styles and
Formatting
3) at the bottom of the Styles and Formatting window, select All
Styles from the drop down.
4) right click on Normal in the list of styles. Click Modify.
5) click the Format drop down, select Paragraph. Change Before & After
spacing to zero. Click OK
6) back on the Modify Style window, check Add to Template. Click OK.
7) on your message (still blank) click File, Save.
8) exit Outlook. You should get a dialog "Changes have been made that
affect the global template, Normat.dot. Do you want to save?" Click
Yes.
9) start Outlook again. Begin a new mail message. The extra space
should be gone.
10) you can delete the empty message from your Drafts folder.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mark Lutes]

Steve,

You are exactly right. After I posted my last message I actually stumbled
onto that solution by decifering something someone else wrote about a similar
problem in this forum. But you're right, it works. FINALLY.

Thanks a million for responding though. Some problems posted in here are
greeted with a hollow echo. Nice to know someone was listening!!

Mark

 

[PattyM]

Steve,

You are exactly right. After I posted my last message I actually stumbled
onto that solution by decifering something someone else wrote about a similar
problem in this forum. But you're right, it works. FINALLY.

Thanks a million for responding though. Some problems posted in here are
greeted with a hollow echo. Nice to know someone was listening!!

Mark

Mark & Steve,

I tried this at least 10 times and it didn't work for me. It never said to
save the Normal.dot when I closed Outlook. Help

 

[RG]

I have been searching out this problem as well. I did not receive the save
change to normal box either.

However, during my frustration I did note that I was using a stationary
preset, once I removed the stationary the double spacing went away.

Are you using a stationary template?

 

[PattyM]

No matter how many times I do what you say, I never get a message that says
Changes have been made that affect the global template Normal.dot Do you want
to save? when I close Outlook...AH-H-H-H-H-H