Maintaining document layout the same in multiple documents and PC'

[Tommie]

Hello,

I'm working for a company with a complex self-build MS Word document system.
MS Word is embedded in the system by automation. Every time when a new
document is created a base document is copied and used as the new document.
When a user is finished the new document is stored in the database from the
document system. This document (the contents) does not contain any
information about the company's corporate paper and such things.
When the user want to print a document on corporate paper it has to use the
document system. The document system than retrieves a Word document with a
layout specific for the corporate paper, places addresses, inserts timestamps
and finally inserts the other document on a specific place. The end result is
then printed.

The system is flexible for changes en usually works pretty well overall.
However, sometimes the marked up text from the contents-document is printed
different on paper than it is showed on screen. For example the user made
some text bold in the contents-document en when this is inserted into the
document with the layout for corporate paper suddenly everything is printed
bold. Usually the origin of the problem is different styles en such things.

Can someone point out, give some hints, how to overcome the frustrating
problem with layout changes?

The system is used by over a 100 different uses who are using MS Word 2000
and XP. Because of archiving and processing document the contents and
print-layout must be stored seperately.

Thanks in advance,

Tommie

 

[Stefan Blom]

First of all, you would want to make sure that all users have the same
printer driver available.

Also, if the font changes, it is usually caused by a style set to automatic
update; see
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/WholeDocumentReformatted.htm for
assistance with that.