09 July 2007
Printing Word documents with XE fields visible
(This is taken from my Word Indexing FAQ.)
Can I Print My Documents with the XE Fields Visible?
Yes, you can. Microsoft Word can make all hidden-text codes visible, whether they're for indexing or not. Go into Page Setup (available from the File menu) and look for something that says "print display codes" or "print hidden text" or something like that. Until you uncheck that box in the future, all of your codes will show up in your printouts.
Be aware that printing with your indexing fields visible will affect the pagination. Don't write an index using your hard copy this way.
On a related note, remember that you can track changes when you work. Every time you insert, edit, or delete an XE field, you'll get a note in the margins. These marginal callouts can speed up your ability to find your XEs, although it might also clutter up your work. Use Tools > Track Changes to turn that feature on. Additionally, these changes can be made visible when printing as well, using a similar process as described above. Keeping XEs invisible but marginal notes visible allows you to see the index pointers without messing up the pagination. Be warned, however, that if changes are already being tracked, don't turn that feature off! You could lose that information for good. Instead, use the View menu to make those changes visible.
Can I Print My Documents with the XE Fields Visible?
Yes, you can. Microsoft Word can make all hidden-text codes visible, whether they're for indexing or not. Go into Page Setup (available from the File menu) and look for something that says "print display codes" or "print hidden text" or something like that. Until you uncheck that box in the future, all of your codes will show up in your printouts.
Be aware that printing with your indexing fields visible will affect the pagination. Don't write an index using your hard copy this way.
On a related note, remember that you can track changes when you work. Every time you insert, edit, or delete an XE field, you'll get a note in the margins. These marginal callouts can speed up your ability to find your XEs, although it might also clutter up your work. Use Tools > Track Changes to turn that feature on. Additionally, these changes can be made visible when printing as well, using a similar process as described above. Keeping XEs invisible but marginal notes visible allows you to see the index pointers without messing up the pagination. Be warned, however, that if changes are already being tracked, don't turn that feature off! You could lose that information for good. Instead, use the View menu to make those changes visible.
Labels: Microsoft Word indexing
