Thin space after inline period

[Dave]

I'm using a period in a file term (ex. file.dmg). Word inserts a thin
space, which I can't delete, between d, m, and g. Changing fonts
doesn't correct it. Putting a space after the period -- that I don't
want -- does. How do I correct this?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

What version of Word and OS?

My Word 2004 does not put any thin spaces into dmg. Go to Tools |
AutoCorrect and see if you might possibly have an entry set up to do this.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Dave -

I don't doubt that something is catching your eye, but I doubt that it is
Thin Spaces as Word doesn't support them... At least not by any means that
would be construed as 'automatic'.

Select the string that includes one of these 'spaces', then go to
Format>Font - Character Spacing. Check to see that Spacing is set to Normal
rather than Expanded and that there is no check in the box for Kerning.

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

 

[Dave]

Thanks to all. I'm using 2004. Font's set to Normal, stock autocorrect,
and still if I insert a space after the period it all tightens up.

 

[David P. Meyer]

Changing the font from 11 to 12 tightens it up.

Thanks to all. I'm using 2004. Font's set to Normal, stock autocorrect,
and still if I insert a space after the period it all tightens up.

 

[Clive Huggan]

Dave,

What font are you using (e.g. Times New Roman 12 point)? What Zoom value do
you have (e.g. 100%)? How does it look at 200%? Is the phenomenon present
in printed output?

What display do you have? If a PowerBook/iBook/MacBook, are you using the
native resolution? (Sometimes a non-native resolution can produce some odd
results as the OS moves the dark pixels to what it thinks is the best
position.)

Cheers,

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

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Since changing font size from 11 to 12 gets rid of the space (according to
the ­ I assume ­ other Dave), I would conclude that it's a display issue.
Have you tried printing the page? I'll bet the space disappears because
it's not "really" there. I've seen this myself: I see what looks like an
extra space between words, for instance, but there isn't one.

While I don't think this is a font issue per se, it's possible that another
font (as CyberTaz suggested) will display better. Experiment and see.
Otherwise, is there a reason you can't go up to 12 pts?

--
***Please always reply to the newsgroup!***

Beth Rosengard
MacOffice MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/Mac/WordMacHome.html>

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Hi Bob:

You're right, in that it's not something he would fail to know about, but
Word does support thin spaces automatically, using formatted Autocorrect
In fact, that's how most people would put thin spaces in

See http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/chars/spaces.html

If you haven't got Arial Unicode MS installed, it's in Lucida Grande Regular


Cheers

Hi Dave -

I don't doubt that something is catching your eye, but I doubt that it is
Thin Spaces as Word doesn't support them... At least not by any means that
would be construed as 'automatic'.

Select the string that includes one of these 'spaces', then go to
Format>Font - Character Spacing. Check to see that Spacing is set to Normal
rather than Expanded and that there is no check in the box for Kerning.

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

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[Dave]

You're right, it's a zoom issue; I had it in 125%. When printed, which
is of course the main output needed, it closes up even in 11 pt
Palatino where I had it in the first place. Thanks.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi John -

Thanks for the clarification. I belive I worded things less clearly than I
had intended, however. I understand that Word will *allow/recognize* the
thin space & various other characters once they are inserted, but the point
I was trying to make is that it doesn't inherently offer them (such as
Special Characters). The intended point ws that it was highly unlikely that
Word would be inserting the spaces arbitrarily or voluntarily - especially
if the user wasn't typing *any* spaces at all.

Just a difference in perspective, I guess, but, FWIW, I don't consider it
"automatic" if the user has to create something such as an AutoCorrect
item - although it *becomes* automatic once the entry is created