how do I type a thin space in Word?

[wavedancer]

I need to be able to type a thin space in the expression '37 °C',
between the number and the degrees symbol. How do I achieve this in
Word? I've scoured Word Help to no avail, and I found no reference to
it when I searched this forum.

Thank you.

 

[Stefan Blom]

I guess you are referring to a nonbreaking space? To insert one, press
Ctrl+Shift+SpaceBar.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


in message
news:[email protected]...

 

[Buck Rabbit]

Format>Font, Character spacing Tab then select a lesser percentage

Buck

 

[Robert]

Greetings--
You have to insert it as a Unicode character:
Unicode Character 'THIN SPACE' (U+2009)
Have a look at the following pages:
http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/2009/index.htm
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/chars/spaces.html
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/developers/fdsspec/spaces.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_character

 

[CyberTaz]

If you're referring to a true typesetting thin space (1/8-em), the straight
answer is No, not in Word.

The best you can get in Word is a 1/4-em - go to Insert>Symbol, click the
Special Characters tab & insert it from there. If you need to use it with
any frequency you can assign a keystroke to it while you're there.

If you need anything tighter than that you'll have to select the 2
characters and use Format>Font>Character Spacing - Spacing: to tighten them
up by 10ths of a point. That will give you the effect you want, but it is
still guesswork unless you measure out the type specs to determine how much
of an adjustment to make.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

As Robert indicates, the Unicode character set includes a thin space (and
also a hair space), but Arial Unicode MS and Lucida Sans Unicode are the
only fonts most users are likely to have that contain these characters (at
U2009 and U200A, respectively)

 

[wavedancer]

Thank you, Bob. I'm using Word 2004 for Mac and there's no 1/4-em in my
Special Characters list...

It's not critical how small the space is: I just need to be able to
differentiate between that and the usual space so that the person doing
the typesetting can see what's wanted. It looks as if my best bet would
probably be to give a blanket instruction and leave it at that. I used
to work with hard copy and then it was easier to indicate.

Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

Helen

 

[wavedancer]

Ah, no – it was a thin space I meant, but thank you for your reply
anyway.

----------

 

[wavedancer]

Aha! Yes – that did it. And in fact it wasn't as irksome as I feared.
Thank you!

Helen

---------

 

[wavedancer]

Thank you! Some very interesting stuff in there. Now, can I do this on a
Mac?

 

[wavedancer]

Thank you, Suzanne. I don't see those fonts on my system, so perhaps
it's not possible on a Mac – you'll see that I've already asked Robert
about that.

Please excuse my ignorance. I am fascinated by it, but it's all new
and cryptic to me.

Helen

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I suspect that neither of those fonts is installed by default, especially
Arial Unicode MS, which is a HUGE file, but you should be able to install
them as options.

 

[Chuck Davis]

"...typesetting?" Are you referring to a Linotype machine? Fore example
typesetting machine operated from a keyboard that casts an entire line as a
single slug of metal.

 

[Robert]

I cannot really say: I am a Windows XP user. But it seems that things work
similarly in both OSes. You have to install support for international
languages if you want to be able to use fonts with "exotic" characters.

Here is from http://hollis.harvard.edu/F/?func=file&file_name=help-3#kits:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installing Language Kits for Mac OS 9
All browsers running under Macintosh OS 9.x require the installation of
Language Kits to provide the fonts necessary to properly display
non-Western European languages.
Insert the Mac OS 9 installation CD
Double click on "Mac OS Install" icon of the installation CD
Continue through the prompts until the "Install Software" dialog box
Click the "Customize" button to display the "Custom installation and
Removal" dialog
Select the Language Kits component (and unselect any other previously
selected components)
Change the installation mode from "None Selected" to "Customized
Installation..."
Select all of the languages, and click "OK" to return to the "Custom
Installation and Removal" dialog
Click the "Start" button
Note that the Language Kit installation may require a restart of the
machine to take effect.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can also have a look at
http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/fonts_macosx.html. It includes detailed
information on "Unicode fonts for Macintosh OS X computers".

It seems that Word 2004 is the Word version that offers the strongest
support for Unicode characters. Here is from
http://www.alanwood.net/unicode/utilities_editors_macosx.html:

"Microsoft¢s Word 2004 word processor for Mac OS X 10.2.8 onwards uses the
same file format as Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002 and Word 2003 for
Windows, and is the first version of Word for Mac to make use of the
operating system¢s Unicode support, including the Unicode keyboards and
fonts.
It is supplied with a range of Unicode fonts that enable it to display many
multi-script documents from Word for Windows. However, it does not support
editing of right-to-left scripts (e.g. Arabic and Hebrew) or complex
scripts such as Thai and the Indian languages. The Insert Symbol dialog box
does not show all fonts or all characters, but Apple¢s Character Palette
can be used instead."

Hope this helps.

 

[Buck Rabbit]

You're welcome
Sometimes the simplest, least complex answer is often the best.

 

[CyberTaz]

Sorry for the delayed response to your last post, but I hope you return to
get this...

On the Mac (OS X) you can take advantage of just about anything you need if
you are familiar with the Character Palette. Word, itself, is 'Unicode
challenged' on the Mac, but the Unicode is usable if inserted through the
Character Palette.

 

[wavedancer]

I had an email notification via the forum, so it was fine. I appreciat
you taking the trouble to reply.

I'm afraid I know nothing about the Character Palette and I can't fin
it mentioned in either Word or MacOS Help. Could you please point m
to some information about it?

Thank you.

Helen

------------

Sorry for the delayed response to your last post, but I hope you retur
to
get this...

On the Mac (OS X) you can take advantage of just about anything yo
need if
you are familiar with the Character Palette. Word, itself, is 'Unicode
challenged' on the Mac, but the Unicode is usable if inserted throug
the
Character Palette.
--
HTH |
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

"wavedancer" (e-mail address removed) wrote i
message

 

[CyberTaz]

Sure - Apple Menu>System Preferences>International>Input Menu (I believe
this is correct, but am going from memory). Check the appropriate boxes. The
Character Palette will be available from an icon the appears on the Finder
Menu Bar.

--
Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

I had an email notification via the forum, so it was fine. I appreciate
you taking the trouble to reply.

I'm afraid I know nothing about the Character Palette and I can't find
it mentioned in either Word or MacOS Help. Could you please point me
to some information about it?

Thank you.

Helen

 

[wavedancer]

Aha! And I had it enabled all the time!

Thank you – something else for me to play with

Best wishes

Helen in damp and beautiful Cornwall ? (that's odd: I inserted an
umbrella there, and look how that turned out!)

Sure - Apple MenuSystem PreferencesInternationalInput Menu (I believe
this is correct, but am going from memory). Check the appropriate
boxes. The
Character Palette will be available from an icon the appears on the
Finder
Menu Bar.

--
Regards |
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

"wavedancer" (e-mail address removed) wrote in
message

I'm afraid I know nothing about the Character Palette and I can't
find
it mentioned in either Word or MacOS Help. Could you please point me
to some information about it?

Thank you.

Helen

------------