Paragraph spacing (before/after) problem

[Linda]

I'm building a template for thesis formatting (with Word 2002) with text set at 1.5 spacing, 12 pt font. I'm reformatting Headings 1-5 to match our requirements for 14 pt. font, with extra space before each heading but normal 1.5 spacing after. Long headings need to wrap as single-spaced lines. So the headings are set for single spacing, 12 pts before and 6 pts after. Works fine when following normal text. I've also created a "block quotation" style that is also single-spaced with 6pts after to return to normal 1.5 spacing. Works fine when followed by normal text.

The problem occurs when a block quotation ends a section and is followed by a heading. When a heading follows a normal text paragraph, the space measured from the bottom of the text line to the bottom of the heading line is 1.2 cm. When it follows a block quote, that same space measures 1 cm. I have to add 18 pts after to the block quote paragraph to get the 1.2 cm measurement. I don't understand why and I don't really want to confuse the issue by having 2 block quote styles. Can somebody help me out here? --
Linda

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

On the Compatibility tab of Tools | Options, check the box for "Don't use
HTML paragraph auto spacing."

I'm building a template for thesis formatting (with Word 2002) with text

set at 1.5 spacing, 12 pt font. I'm reformatting Headings 1-5 to match our
requirements for 14 pt. font, with extra space before each heading but
normal 1.5 spacing after. Long headings need to wrap as single-spaced lines.
So the headings are set for single spacing, 12 pts before and 6 pts after.
Works fine when following normal text. I've also created a "block quotation"
style that is also single-spaced with 6pts after to return to normal 1.5
spacing. Works fine when followed by normal text.

The problem occurs when a block quotation ends a section and is followed

by a heading. When a heading follows a normal text paragraph, the space
measured from the bottom of the text line to the bottom of the heading line
is 1.2 cm. When it follows a block quote, that same space measures 1 cm. I
have to add 18 pts after to the block quote paragraph to get the 1.2 cm
measurement. I don't understand why and I don't really want to confuse the
issue by having 2 block quote styles. Can somebody help me out here? --

 

[Klaus Linke]

On the Compatibility tab of Tools | Options, check the
box for "Don't use HTML paragraph auto spacing."

And for an explanation: By default, Word uses the bigger value of "space
before" and the preceding paragraph's "space after".

This gives you a lot more options than when Word simply adds both values
(as it does with the compatibility setting).

For example, if two heading styles of different levels follow each other,
the space between them is much smaller that way, since either the "space
after" of the first or the "space before" of the second is ignored
(whichever is smaller).


Regards,
Klaus