My Word 2000 document has a single page with two columns of text. There
is a hard return at the top of the second column. How can I
automatically suppress the return? If I delete it and then change the
text in column one, the break has to be re-added and another one
deleted. I've tried all of the "Do not add" and "Remove" options in
Tools | Options. Thanks,

Insert a column break where you want the new column to start. Insert | Break
and select column.
--
Rae Drysdale


"mcp6453" wrote:

My Word 2000 document has a single page with two columns of text. There
is a hard return at the top of the second column. How can I
automatically suppress the return? If I delete it and then change the
text in column one, the break has to be re-added and another one
deleted. I've tried all of the "Do not add" and "Remove" options in
Tools | Options. Thanks,

Rae Drysdale wrote:
Insert a column break where you want the new column to start. Insert | Break
and select column.

I did that, and it added more space to the second column that had to be
deleted manually. Plus, if I add text to the first column, I will have
to delete and add even more. Is there an automatic way to solve this
problem?

If you're just trying to balance the columns, add a Continuous break at the
end. There's no way to suppress Space Before when you use a hard column
break.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"mcp6453" wrote in message
...
Rae Drysdale wrote:
Insert a column break where you want the new column to start. Insert |
Break
and select column.

I did that, and it added more space to the second column that had to be
deleted manually. Plus, if I add text to the first column, I will have
to delete and add even more. Is there an automatic way to solve this
problem?

Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
If you're just trying to balance the columns, add a Continuous break at the
end. There's no way to suppress Space Before when you use a hard column
break.


Actually, it's a soft column break. That's why I ask, because I would
think that Word should be able to know that it is a soft break and would
suppress the hard return at the top of column two. Maybe not.

Indeed. But if the first paragraph in the first column has the same Space
Before, this has the effect of aligning the tops of the two paragraphs. Of
course, if a paragraph breaks in the middle, then you have Space Before at
the top of Column 1 and not at the top of Column 2. In this situation, it
might be better to use Space After instead of Before.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"mcp6453" wrote in message
...
Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
If you're just trying to balance the columns, add a Continuous break at
the
end. There's no way to suppress Space Before when you use a hard column
break.


Actually, it's a soft column break. That's why I ask, because I would
think that Word should be able to know that it is a soft break and would
suppress the hard return at the top of column two. Maybe not.