Troubleshoot reading layout view

Microsoft Office Word 2003

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Text looks fuzzy or too bold in reading layout view and in print layout view.

Reading layout view and print layout view use Microsoft ClearType to display type in Microsoft Word. ClearType is a typographical technology that is ideal for portable computer monitors and other flat screen monitors. With ClearType, text may appear slightly blurry on desktop computer monitors.

Note  ClearType is available in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) and later.

Do one of the following:

ShowTurn off ClearType in print layout view

Print layout view uses ClearType if you have it enabled in Windows. To turn ClearType off, do the following:

  1. In Windows Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display.

  2. Click the Appearance tab, and then click Effects.

  3. Select the Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts check box.

  4. In the list, click Standard.

ShowTurn off ClearType in reading layout view

Reading layout view uses ClearType even if it is not enabled in Windows. To turn it off, do the following:

  • In your system registry, set the following key to zero (0):

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Options\UseClearType

ShowReading layout view ruins the layout of my document.

Reading layout view is designed to make the body text of most documents easier to read on the screen. Some elements, such as tables, pictures, or comments from reviewers, may not be displayed correctly. Do one of the following:

  • To read the document online, click Actual Page Button image on the Reading Layout toolbar.
  • To print the document, click Print Button image on the Reading Layout toolbar.

ShowWhen I print from reading layout view, the printed pages don't match the pages on the screen.

Pages represented in reading layout view are designed to fit well on your screen; they do not represent the pages you see if you print the document. To display pages as they will look when printed, click Actual Page Button image on the Reading Layout toolbar.

ShowThe table of contents is missing page numbers in reading layout view.

Since reading layout view is designed for reading a document on screen, the pages are numbered by screen number, not by page number. To prevent confusion of page numbers and screen numbers, reading layout view hides page numbers in a table of contents.

ShowWhen I type a page number to go to a page, the number is typed on the page instead.

Typing a page number to go to a page works only if your insertion point is not in the document; do not click in the document before typing the page number.

Note  To remove the insertion point from the document, press PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN to move to another page.

ShowI don't want to open e-mail attachments in reading layout view.

By default, Microsoft Word uses reading layout view when it opens documents that you receive as e-mail attachments. To prevent opening documents in reading layout view, clear the Allow starting in Reading Layout check box on the General tab of the Options dialog box (Tools menu).
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