track changes bubbles don't extend margin

[Larry Sulky]

[WinXP, Word 2003]

I have a group of documents (which all are copies of one initial
document) that show odd behaviour with respect to track changes
bubbles. When the bubbles are set to go to the left side, they behave
normally; as soon as a change bubble is created, the left margin
"expands" to allow enough space to hold the bubble. But when it's set
to the right side, which is what we generally use, there is no
expansion; the bubble squeezes itself into the available white space.
If there is only a little white space available, then the bubble gets
very skinny. The virtual right margin expands only a tiny bit (if
there is absolutely no room for the bubble), or not at all.

This is a mirror-margin layout. I note that the problem occurs when
the outside margin is relatively large (more than 120 points or so);
as the outside margin gets even larger, the expansion of the virtual
page gets even smaller.

Anybody seen anything like this? Any setting I can adjust (though
believe me, I've looked). TIA ---

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Check the setting for the "balloon" area, whether set as a percentage or in
absolute terms. Perhaps there'll be something you can change that will make
a difference.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Larry Sulky]

I've tried every combination. And now it doesn't seem related to
mirror margins or normal; and the behaviour when the balloons are on
the left is better, but still not right.

Here's what I'm used to (or so I thought): the visual page expands
enough to hold the tracked change balloons so that they don't impinge
on the document's own real estate. Even if the document were just one
word on one page, the visual page would expand so the balloons are
wholly outside the actual page.

Here's what I'm getting: the document's visual width expands slightly
or not at all, nowhere near enough for the balloons to avoid overlying
any text in the margin (in floating textboxes).

Am I just expecting too much from Track Changes?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

What you are getting does sound like an anomaly. Is there somewhere you can
post a screen shot?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

I've tried every combination. And now it doesn't seem related to
mirror margins or normal; and the behaviour when the balloons are on
the left is better, but still not right.

Here's what I'm used to (or so I thought): the visual page expands
enough to hold the tracked change balloons so that they don't impinge
on the document's own real estate. Even if the document were just one
word on one page, the visual page would expand so the balloons are
wholly outside the actual page.

Here's what I'm getting: the document's visual width expands slightly
or not at all, nowhere near enough for the balloons to avoid overlying
any text in the margin (in floating textboxes).

Am I just expecting too much from Track Changes?

 

[Larry Sulky]

Thanks, Suzanne. I've emailed a screenshot to your mvps account. You
can see that on odd pages, the balloons use up the margin even though
other elements are in the margin. On even pages, the balloons hang
mostly off the page entirely. When I show only Final (no tracked
changes), the visual page size does not change. It's as if Word just
wants to fit the balloons onto the page as-is, and is unwilling to
boost the visual page size to allow for them.
Thanks for your help, Suzanne --
---larry