Thick Dotted Line Drawing Displays Vertically Elongated

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Word for Windows drawing tools to draw a thick dotted line (4 points or larger), the line displays vertically elongated, or stretched, if you are using the Generic/Text Only printer driver.

CAUSE

When you use the Generic/Text Only printer driver, the printer metafile is the only representation available to display the drawing on the screen. The Generic/Text Only printer driver uses a resolution of 6 dots per inch (dpi) vertically and 120 dpi horizontally, so the dotted line appears distorted on the screen.

Graphic images do not print on most printers that use the Generic/Text Only printer driver. On the printers that do print graphics, however, the printed result is usually correct. On some dot-matrix printers with non-square pixels, the pixels in the drawing may print as ovals.

STATUS

This problem does not affect PostScript or laser printers that use the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Printer Control Language (HPPCL).

We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.