Microsoft KB Archive/61460

Word: Word Changes Centimeter Designations to Nearest Point PSS ID Number: Q61460 Article last modified on 03-04-1993 PSS database name: M_WorD

3.00 3.01 3.02 4.00

MACINTOSH

Summary:

When the Centimeter measurement option is selected in the Edit Preferences dialog box, and 1 centimeter is entered into any measurement box in Word (such as the Default Tab Stops box in the Format Document dialog box), Word will change this measurement to .988 centimeters. This occurs because Word rounds spacing to the nearest point (1/72nd of an inch).

There are 72 points per inch and approximately 28.346 points per centimeter. If 1 centimeter is entered, Word rounds 28.346 points to 28 points, yielding .988 centimeters. If 2 centimeters are entered, this is equivalent to approximately 56.693 points, which is rounded to 57 points, yielding 2.011 centimeters. These results can be interpolated to show what Word will return when entering any centimeter value in a measurement box.

This behavior does not occur in Word version 3.00. Although Word 3.00 uses the same rounding routines when printing, it displays the number you entered (if you enter 1 cm, as in the above example, Word displays 1 cm).

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.