Strange Formatting

[Spottedfeather]

I'm trying to get open office set up on my new computer...but there's a problem. On my last computer, I managed to get it so that when I write something with garamond font 18 point, and set the margins, and type a page of Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone, the words fall in the same places as in the book...if this makes sense.

I just like the font and formatting.

But when I put the same margin measurements and font and font SIZE in open office on my new computer, the words seem to be a lot smaller, which allows more words on the page. The settings I used on my last computer were left margin 1.00", right margin 1.02", top margin .60", and bottom margin .50" Using Adobe Garamond set at 18 point, these measurements would allow me to, as I said, write out a page of Sorcerer's Stone exactly like it was in the actual book.

But these same measurements, as I said, in the new version of open office allows far more words on a page than the book does.

Any ideas ?

[RusselB]

Are you sure that the font you have specified is installed on the machine in question?
Windows will silently substitute a font size and/or style that it considers close if the actual font being requested isn't present, but the display of the font name and size will show what you have requested, not the silently substituted font.

[Spottedfeather]

Are you sure that the font you have specified is installed on the machine in question?
Windows will silently substitute a font size and/or style that it considers close if the actual font being requested isn't present, but the display of the font name and size will show what you have requested, not the silently substituted font.

As far as I know, it's the same font. Garamond...unless there's more than one kind of font with that same name. But it looks like the same font. I'll check later, though.

I just checked and it's the same font. At least the font on my new computer has the exact name as the one on my old computer. Just to make sure, I got rid of the newest version of open office and downloaded the same version that was on my old computer...OpenOffice 3.2.0. And I assumed that the text would be spaced the same as long as I used the same measurements. I was wrong. I have the same problem as before. On my old computer, the only formatting that I ever messed with was the text margins. Every setting I used on my old computer, I used on my new one.

I don't know what it is, but I just can't get the text to display the same on my new computer as on my old computer, even using the same settings.

It's the same font used in the book and the same measurements I used on my old computer. Does justified text have anything to do with it ? I don't understand left justify or right justify or any of that.

I just don't understand.

[Hagar Delest]

Just to make sure, the Garamond font is also available in other applications than AOO?
AOO does show the font name, even if it's not installed on the machine.

[Spottedfeather]

Just to make sure, the Garamond font is also available in other applications than AOO?
AOO does show the font name, even if it's not installed on the machine.

Yeah it's installed. I just checked by trying in wordpad. I was able to use Garamond, although the quotation marks when I write in wordpad are just these little straight lines, while used in open office, the quotations are standard curved quotations.

[Hagar Delest]

If you open a document made on the former machine, does it also show the same issue?

[RoryOF]

Check your page size, not merely the margins.

Also, with respect, that Harry Potter would surely not have been set in 18 pt unless a large type edition for visually impaired readers; I cannot find the house copy of the book (the Thing that steals books has struck again!), but I would suggest it was in 10 on 12 pt or (less likely) 12 on 14 pt.

[Bill]

Did you install Garamond or Adobe Garamond? Did you look in the Fonts folder in the old computer and the new computer for Garamond? According to the Microsoft Typography site, it is not included with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10. An internet search finds many versions of Garamond.

[RoryOF]

It's the same font used in the book and the same measurements I used on my old computer. Does justified text have anything to do with it ? I don't understand left justify or right justify or any of that.

I just don't understand.

Justified text: the inter-word spaces are expanded to make the text fit exactly between the left and right margins - this is normally how text is set in a book, the left side of all lines lie in a straight vertical line, as do the right sides of such lines. Typically, the last line of a paragraph is not justified, as it is often only a few words. It aligns to the left margin, but is not extended to the right margin.

Left Justified should more properly be termed "Left aligned": each line of text starts at the left margin and extends to the right only as far as standard spacing permits, so a paragraph "Left aligned" has a "ragged right edge", as each line extends to a different extent. This is typically what one gets using a typewriter to enter text.

Right Justified should more properly be termed "Right aligned": each line of text is pushed to the right, so that all the line ends are in a vertical straight line against the right margin of the page. Right aligned text is rarely used - a typical case might be to give a neat note against a picture or a table.

Edit: My notes above are based on normal left to right text flow languages; there will be considerable differences in typesetting for right to left languages, as also for vertical text languages; I have no experience with these.

[Spottedfeather]

Did you install Garamond or Adobe Garamond? Did you look in the Fonts folder in the old computer and the new computer for Garamond? According to the Microsoft Typography site, it is not included with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10. An internet search finds many versions of Garamond.

I'm just using the garamond that was already on my windows 10 computer. It just calls it garamond. And I just checked and both garamond fonts are version 2.40 and appear to be the same font. Though, it's weird...on my old computer, the quotation marks are straight lines while on the new computer, the quotations are normal curved ones. I have no idea what's going on. Oh, well.

And I use garamond 18 point because that's what the book appears to use...and it's not a large print edition. It's just the standard Scholastic paperback version.

[RoryOF]

The quotes can be changed from the default ("straight lines" as you describe them) to curly quotes by going to /Tools /Autocorrect Options : Localiized Options tab, and checking the Replace boxes for Single and Double quotes. The defaults are usually set already for curly quotes, awaiting the checking of the Replace boxes.

By unchecking the Replace boxes, one can revert to straight quotes; these replacements only work while entering new text - they do not cause existing text to change.

Check your page size selection in /Format /Page : Page tab, as well as your margin settings.

[Spottedfeather]

I THINK I've got things where I like them. But I noticed something else. I got the margins set how I like them, but when I copy and paste some text from a proper file, the way I like the file to be layed out, into a new text file, it seems to keep all the formatting and spacing etc....except for the margin measurements. When I put in the proper ones, everything's fine.

Is this normal ?

[RoryOF]

This document may be helpful; the time spend reading it will save you a lot of rxperimentation
Writer for students (several languages)

[John_Ha]

You will find much useful information in the Writer FAQ, the Writer Tutorials, the up to date AOO Writer for Students and the Writer User Guide. May I suggest you bookmark the pages.

Press F1 to access the Help screen and search for your problem

The chapter headings in the manual are:

1 - Introducing Writer
2 - Setting up Writer
3 - Working with Text
4 - Formatting Pages
5 - Printing, Exporting, Faxing and E-Mailing
6 - Introduction to Styles
7 - Working with Styles
8 - Working with Graphics
9 - Working with Tables
10 - Working with Templates
11 - Using Mail Merge
12 - Tables of Contents, Indexes and Bibliographies
13 - Working with Master Documents
14 - Working with Fields
15 - Using Forms in Writer
16 - Customizing Writer – Keyboard shortcuts.

When a pop-up window opens, click the Help button for extensive help on that function - it is often more comprehensive than the manual.