Boxes, Boxes, and More Boxes

The saga of unpacking the boxes in the new house continues. I've come to believe that the number of boxes multiplied during the move. (You never know what those boxes are doing in the dark!) It seems that every time we turn around, there is another box to unpack and stow in its final position. I think we will get done with it all, but it may take six months (or more).

I hope that you are doing well in your corner of the world and that you enjoy the tips in this week's newsletter.

—Allen

WordTips (ribbon) for 20 June 2026

Breaking a Document Up Based on Heading 1 Styles

If you want to break up a document and save it into different files, there are a few ways you can approach the task. This tip looks at how you can do the breaking based on the location of Heading 1 paragraphs in the document.

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(Thanks to Phil Reinemann and Andy Feldstein for contributing to this tip.)

Reducing Leading without Cutting Off Text

When decreasing the vertical spacing of lines in a paragraph, you might end up with a condition where parts of your letters are cut off. This tip discusses why that occurs and what, if anything, you can do about it.

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Gradient Prints as Stripes

When you print a graphic that includes a gradient, you may not get exactly the output you expect. This tip examines two potential sticking points in printing gradient images.

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Formatting an ASCII Table with Spaces

When you get a text file from a program other than Word, tabular information may be formatted with nothing but spaces in between columns. You can easily convert such information to Word’s native table structure by using the macro in this tip.

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WordTips YouTube Channel

Do you like to learn visually? Make sure you check out the WordTips YouTube channel. New videos are added weekly. (I typically try to add them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

New video: Scaling Your Printout
One of the lesser-known features of Word is that it allows you to create a document for one page size and scale the output to fit on a different page size. It's easy to do, using the printing options provided by Word.

New video: Ensuring Fields Don't Change
Fields are meant to be dynamic, providing a result based on conditions at the time they are updated. If you don't want the fields to change, Word provides two approaches you can use.

Help Wanted

This section is for those having problems making Word behave. If Word is giving you fits, feel free to submit your own Help Wanted question.

If you have a solution for the problems below, click the link after the problem to send us your answer. (All responses become the sole property of Sharon Parq Associates, Inc., and can be used in any way deemed appropriate.) If your response is used in a future issue, you will be credited for your contribution to the answer.

Including a Date-Based Special Notice in a Letter

I have a form letter that I send out periodically. If the date that I print out the letter is within the last week of the month, I have a special notice I would like included near the beginning of the letter. If it is not the last week of the month, the notice should not appear. Is there a way to include the notice automatically based on the date?
—Jennifer Garcia (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)

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