WD: Unusual or Unexpected Line Spacing Between Paragraphs

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.1a
• Microsoft Word for Windows NT, version 6.0

SYMPTOMS

Case 1

You have large spaces between paragraphs, so that the first line of text appears at the top of the page, and the last line of text is at the bottom of the page.

Case 2

You have a large white space at the top of the page, and the text adjusts itself on the page beginning at the center of the page.

CAUSE

Case 1

Your vertical alignment is set to Justified. By design, Word will evenly place the text between the top and bottom margins of the page. In other words, for any given page, the first line of text will appear at the top margin, the last line of text will appear at the bottom margin.

Case 2

Your vertical alignment is set to Centered. By design, Word will center the text between the top and bottom margins. In other words, a single line of text will appear in the center of the page. As you add additional lines of text, all text will be centered between the top and bottom margins.

WORKAROUND

Remove the Justified or Centered vertical alignment. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Page Setup.

2. Select the Layout tab.

3. In the Vertical Alignment list, select Top.

4. In the Apply To list, select Whole document.

5. Click OK.