Microsoft KB Archive/42054

Word: Underlining Appears Dashed with Expanded Spacing PSS ID Number: Q42054 Article last modified on 08-08-1993 PSS database name: M_WorD

3.00 3.01 3.02

MACINTOSH

Summary:

In versions 3.x of Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, when underlined text is formatted with expanded spacing, the underlining may print as a dashed line rather than a solid one.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word versions 3.0, 3.01, and 3.02. This problem was corrected in Word version 4.0.

Workaround

You can use the overstrike feature in a formula to create a single underline without gaps for text that is formatted with expanded spacing, as follows:

From Edit menu, choose Show Paragraphs.
Press COMMAND+OPTION+BACKSLASH (). This creates the formula character (.).
Type the one-letter typesetting command “o” (without the quotation marks).
Press COMMAND+OPTION+.
Type the typesetting command “AL” (without the quotation marks).
Press COMMAND+OPTION+.
Type the typesetting command “AR” (without the quotation marks).
Type an opening parenthesis “(”, then type the text to be underlined. Highlight the text and expand it (from the Format menu, choose character and select the Expanded option under Spacing). Type a comma after the text. After the comma, type as many underscores (SHIFT+HYPHEN) as you think will be necessary to cover the expanded text to the left of the comma. Type a closing parenthesis “)”.
From the Edit menu, choose Hide Paragraphs.

With Show Paragraphs on, your document should look similar to the following example:

    .\O.\AL.\AR(M i c r o s o f t,______________)

This is a trial-and-error method; it may take a few tries to get the underlining the right length to match the text.

More Information:

This problem occurs only when a single underline is used because, unlike a double underline, a single underline is an actual character; since a double underline is a graphic, it is able to span the larger gap between characters.

Additional reference words: mswdformula 3.00 4.00