The background color appears in the normal view but won't in the print layout
and won't print.

The background color is *not* displayed in Normal view; that's Web Layout
view you're seeing. As soon as you select a "background," Word switches you
to Web Layout view because Web pages are what backgrounds are intended for.
If you want a "background" for a printed document, you need to create what
Word calls a "watermark." In Word 2002 and 2003, you can use Format |
Background | Printed Watermark. For earlier versions, see €œHOW TO: Create a
Watermark in Word 97 and in Microsoft Word 2000€� at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=211324

Note that it *is* possible to print a (Web) background in Word 2003 only; to
do so, you need to check the box for "Background colors and images" on the
Print tab of Tools | Options (not to be confused with "Background printing,"
which is something else entirely). The only way to do this in previous
versions is to save the document as a Web page, open it in your browser, and
print it from the browser after enabling the setting to print backgrounds.

--
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.

"alan gorg" wrote in message
...
The background color appears in the normal view but won't in the print
layout
and won't print.