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Q195608: WD97: How to Set Up Page with Set Number of Characters Per Line

Article: Q195608
Product(s): Word 97 for Windows
Version(s): WINDOWS:97
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbdta word97
Last Modified: 14-NOV-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Word 97 for Windows 
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SUMMARY
=======

When you type a Word document, you may want to have a certain number of
characters on each line of text. If the characters are formatted in a monospace
font, it is possible to calculate the horizontal printable space between the
margins of the document required to produce a desired number of characters per
line in the document.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The following formula can be used to calculate the necessary space between
margins to produce a certain number of characters (also referred to as columns)
per line.

  Desired Characters Per Line (columns)
  -------------------------------------         =  Required Print Area
  Font Size (expressed in characters per inch)           in Inches

Monospace fonts such as the TrueType Courier New are comprised of characters with
equal widths. This attribute allows the creation of documents with specific
numbers of characters per line. Proportional fonts contain characters of varying
widths that do not facilitate the creation of certain numbers of characters per
line.

NOTE: Characters per line in documents is sometimes referred to as "Columns per
line."

The following table lists some commonly used font sizes.

  Characters        Font
  Per Inch          Size
  ----------------------

  5                 24
  7.5               16
  10                12
  12                10

An Example of How to Apply the Formula
--------------------------------------

If you need to create a document with 120 characters per line using a 12-
character-per-inch font, use the following formula:

         120 characters
  --------------------------          = 10 inches
   12 characters per inch (10 points)

The printable area required for this example is 10 inches. To obtain a 10-inch
printable area on a standard 8.5-by-11-inch page, use the following parameters.

  Font:         Use a monospace font (such as Courier)
  Orientation:  Landscape
  Left margin:  .5 inch
  Right margin: .5 inch

Additional query words: cpi monspaced

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Keywords          : kbdta word97 
Technology        : kbWordSearch kbWord97 kbWord97Search kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Issue type        : kbhowto

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