Text Width - Preview doesn't match

[svlehtinen]

Hi all,

I've tried searching for the answer to this but came up with nothing.

When I'm typing text into Calc the width doesn't match when comparing the actual spreadsheet with the Preview window, or when actually printed onto paper.

Let's say for example that I'm typing in column A and the text runs all the way to column F, but very close to the beginning of column G. Then I type something in column G. On the spreadsheet it looks like to the 2 sentences flow perfectly after one another, but when you preview it or print it there's a huge gap between the last word from column A and the first word in column G. I hope that makes sense.

When printing or previewing it seems like the text takes up less space width-wise than it appears to when working on the spreadsheet.

I feel like it shouldn't be that way and I've never understood why it happens. The spreadsheet should be an exact representation of how your document will look when printed, right? I'm hoping someone understands what I mean and has a way for me to fix it.

Thanks.

Steve

[John_Ha]

Click in a cell. Format > Cells > Borders. What is the Spacing to contents ..., set to?

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[svlehtinen]

Spacing is default set to "1pt"

[RoryOF]

Onscreen the text may flow to column G, but in fact the text is entered in Column A, so columns B, C, D, E, F are all in between and blank. You should fold your text in Column A. Turn on your gridlines to see what is happening (/Tools /Options/OpenOffice Calc /View).

[John_Ha]

It appears to be zoom dependent even when I put the long string in A1 and the next text in B1.

Zoom set to 90%

Zoom set to 100%

Do some tests to try and find out what is causing it. What happens if you actually measure the length of the long string? And how does that compare with the same text in Writer? Is it font dependent or does it vary differently? Is a fixed width font better/worse/the same?

[RoryOF]

There is a setting in OO /Tools /Options/OpenOffice Calc /General to use Printer metrics for text formatting.

[John_Ha]

The length of the text string seems to be changing with the View Zoom value.

I switched on the grid and looked at a grid dot beneath one character. I was working with just A1 and B1 to remove the unused cells C1 .. G1. I would expect that zooming in or out would be like looking through binoculars - the view would merely get bigger or smaller but would not actually change.

In fact, as I zoomed, the character moved relative to that grid dot meaning the length of the text string is somehow changing more or less than the change in zoom value. It should not be doing so.

I cannot immediately think why or of a workaround other than adding the second string after the first and in the first's cell.