Microsoft KB Archive/209848

= WD2000: Double Border Appears As Single Border in Internet Explorer =

Article ID: 209848

Article Last Modified on 12/6/2000

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q209848



SYMPTOMS
When you apply a double border to a paragraph in a Word document and then you either


 * view the document in Web Page Preview (on the File menu, click Web Page Preview) -or-


 * save the document as a Web page and then view it in Internet Explorer (on the File menu, click Save as Web Page)

the double border appears as a single border.



CAUSE
This behavior is caused by border width resolution limitations within all versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer.

In Word, when the width of a border is such that a line or gap would be less than 1 pixel wide, Word enforces a 1-pixel minimum width. This ensures that even a very thin double border is at least 3 pixels wide (line + gap + line). Therefore, the individual lines can be resolved. (One pixel is a measurement representing the smallest amount of information displayed graphically on the screen as a single dot.)

By contrast, Internet Explorer attempts to preserve total border width, rounded to the nearest pixel. This allows double borders to blend into a single border (at a width of less than 1.9 points) and single lines to disappear entirely (at a width of less than 0.38 point).

To summarize, on standard display devices with 96 dots per inch (dpi), double and single border styles are not displayed correctly (they're non-WYSIWEB) when the following are true:


 * A double border width is less than 0.63 point (total width is less than 1.9 points).
 * A single border width is less than 0.38 point.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, make double borders at least 3/4 point and single borders at least 1/2 point to be viewed correctly in Internet Explorer.

To change the border width:
 * 1) Select the paragraph for which you want to change the border width.
 * 2) On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading.
 * 3) In the Width list box on the Borders tab, select the border width you want to use.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Keywords: kbbug kbpending KB209848

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