Can't remove parts of a border

[Joanne]

I am trying to put the bottom line of a border under some text. I don't want
to use the underline button as i need a space between the line and the text.
When i press on the border bottom line button it adds the whole box around
the text or creates an empty box. I have looked in the borders and shading
settings and when i do custom and try and click on one side of a border
(botton, top, left or right) it is like all four sides are connected and i
just can't find how to seperate them so that all the sides become independent
again. I have been prev. able to do this and it has changed since we had XP
installed on our sytems in work. Help this is driving me insane!

 

[Carol]

Hi Joanne:

When you go to Borders and Shading and select your line, look to the right
and you will see what it is going to look like. Simply undo the lines that
make the box by clicking on them. I hope this has been helpful to you.

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Joanne-

It sounds like you are trying to select a portion of the text on a line and
apply a partial border to it, which Word will not allow. The border must be
applied to a paragraph in order to select l-r-t-b borders independently. In
orher words, it can't be used as a substitute for underlining only a portion
of the text on a line.

The effect you are looking to apply can probably be handled by using the
Table features or Frames, but either might involve more time & trouble than
they are worth. IMHO, the result would be far less satisfactory than
perceived in the mind's eye. In order to accomplish this, the word(s) would
have be elevated above the baseline of the text and/or the 'border' would
have to be dropped below the baseline. Any combination of the two would
degrade the readability of the text the way potholes effect a ride down the
road.

Although it might be appropriate in some context (such as posters, banners),
it would be best handled in a graphics design program.

Regards |:>)

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

As CyberTaz says, if you're applying the border to selected text, a box is
your only choice through the Tables and Borders dialog. But you *can* get a
border below the text using an EQ \x (box) field. You don't, unfortunately,
have any control about the distance from text, but you can choose sides
(Top, Bottom, Left, and/or Right) as desired. See
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/Overbar.htm for instructions.