posted
Can anyone help? I've printed my manuscript, keeping all default settings except that I used Arial 10 instead of Times New Roman 12. Since printing everything, I decided to change a few small things, but the printed page is not the same as the page on the screen now -- the screen version has more words per line, so I can't reprint a page with a minor correction that shouldn't affect pagination because the lines don't match and that does affect pagination. And of course the whole long chapter is off because of it. I don't see anything different on the ruler when I compare this particular chapter to another chapter. This makes no sense to me. Now I'm wondering if other chapters are off.
Anyone have any idea what I may have done wrong? How I can fix it, short of reprinting the full chapter (and hope there aren't others)?
Actually, at this point, I may just reprint that chapter and hope there aren't others, but I'd really like to know what I did.
NOTE: Wow. You want some scary statistics? Go to File then Properties then Statistics. It'll tell you when the document was created, modified, accessed and printed, as well as how many times you revised it and how many minutes you spent doing so.
My first chapter, all of 2 pages, had 213 revisions in 3945 minutes or 65.75 hours. Chapter two (the troublesome chapter) had 274 revisions in 5109 minutes or 85.15 hours for 15 pages. Talk about sweating the beginning. (Although I wonder how it tallied things when I divided and joined chapters???) When all is finally said and done, I may go back and add the whole thing up. Of course, the numbers won't reflect off-computer time, but still may be interesting.
posted
Word is mostly WYSIWYG (What You See IS What You Get), but note the word, mostly. You only get a real look when you are in print preview, and there are a few places where even that doesn't work.
Bottom line, I wouldn't worry too much about pagination at all. For submission you will most likely change the font to courier, which will change everything. A nice side effect of courier is that it doesn't usually have the types of problems you're having.
As for the editing stats: If you have a document open, but don't do anthing to it for hours (you were out at lunch, watching TV, whatever), when you come back make a minor correction and save, it will appear that you have been "editing" for the entire time the doc was open. So I've never thought that the stats were worth very much.
Dave
[This message has been edited by Ergoface (edited January 12, 2004).]
posted
One strange thing Word does from time to time that may be catching you out - when you change the printer you have selected it reformats the document for that printer. So if you have more than one printer set up, check for that..
Posts: 626 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Jules, I just had my under-warranty printer replaced, although the replacement is the exact same model. Ran into problems with the set-up, though -- won't bore you with the details other than to say the printer techs messed with my computer's anti-virus stuff and couldn't fix it, the computer brand tech missed what I see now was the obvious answer and walked me through a more elaborate but unnecessary fix, and I still have to get back to the printer tech to do what we were supposed to do in the first place, but without messing up the anti-virus stuff. That may mean I'd better wait till I get this printer problem resolved completely and then reprint everything. Posts: 1810 | Registered: Jun 2002
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posted
Ergoface, I've read the reasons for using Courier on these threads and I've printed a little in Courier, but I hate reading it. If I were an editor, I'd toss anything in Courier. For one thing, it's so light. Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript advises TNR or Arial in 10 or 12. One of those combinations is so dark, though, that it's annoying to read.
Shawn, how do you compare document settings with printer defaults? I'm on my way out now, but I'm supposing the printer software lists it somewhere? And that document settings can be found on Format?
posted
it is courier that you need to use, the book is a great one, but it is also copyright 1999--since that time publishers and agents etc., have gone to wanting the old mono spaced fonts again. It only looks light because of how heavy TNR and Arial are. Also make sure you are using good ink and good paper, and to sub, use the best setting.
Lately, I have been running into agents etc., that request ink jet or ink jet quality. I thought i had a great HP printer and my agent said after handling the MS a bit the ink was starting to blur on the edges. So I got a new thermal ink jet printer. Not as costly as laser but it is laser quality. And it does look better side by side with the other printers stuff.
Printer defaults, when you go to printer properties there should be a box in there that asks if you want to use document settings or printer defaults. It depends on which word processor you use and on your printer.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
(Although I wonder how it tallied things when I divided and joined chapters???) When all is finally said and done, I may go back and add the whole thing up. Of course, the numbers won't reflect off-computer time, but still may be interesting. 
