I'm not sure what appointment dates are in MS Project, but I know for any
type of info that the column is too narrow for, you'll get the #####. Now,
some of the reports that MS Project generates will mess this stuff up so that
even when it looks good on your normal view you get the #### stuff in print
preview and when you print it out. If that's what you're talking about, the
only thing I've found that *usually* gets rid of that is to go into page
setup --> view and check the "fit timescale to end of page" box. Hope this
helps.
Al