WD97: Background Color Won't Print

• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

The color background does not print, appear in Page Layout, or appear in Print Preview. It does appear correctly in Online Layout view.

WORKAROUND

If you want to print a color background with a document, then use the drawing tools. Use the following steps:

1. Open the document in Word.

2. On the View menu, click Header and Footer.

3. On the View menu, click Zoom. Select Whole Page, then click OK.

4. On the View menu, select Toolbars, then click Drawing.

5. On the Drawing toolbar, click the Rectangle button (the seventh button on the drawing toolbar). Using the mouse, draw a box the entire size of the page.

6. On the Format menu, click AutoShape. On the Colors and Lines tab, choose a Fill Color, then choose a Line Color of No Line. On the Wrapping tab, select None for the Wrapping Style. Then click OK.

7. Using the mouse, secondary (right) click the document page. From the shortcut menu, select Order, then click Send Behind Text.

8. If you want to add Headers and Footers to the document, do it now. Otherwise, click the Close button on the Header and Footer toolbar.

NOTE: The area around the edge of the page may not have the color background. This is because most printers cannot print right to the edge of the page.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows provides a new feature: Online Layout view. This view optimizes the layout to make reading online easier. Text appears larger and wraps to fit the window, rather than the way it will print. To switch to Online Layout view, click Online Layout on the View menu.

To make your document more visually appealing to read online, you can add background colors and textures to it. You can see these backgrounds only in online layout view, and you can't print them.

To add a background color for online reading: on the Format menu, select Background. Then click the color desired.