Columns and extra blank page at end of document (MS Word 2002)

**adysin** · 2003-09-20 11:13

I am creating newsletters using MS Word 2002, three columns per page with graphics. The last newsletter turned out just fine, except for a blank page at the end of the document. Every time I tried to remove the blank page, the majority of the first page (starting with where the columns started) jumped to page 2, leaving 3/4 of page one blank! I cannot think of what might cause this behavior. This has not happened before. Suggestions are most welcome! Thank you

**curious** · 2003-09-20 12:51

Morning -

in Word97, I often can get ridge of the blank extra page by highlighting the paragraph mark on the unwanted page and changing its font size to 1. (Sometimes you may have to scroll down the page to find the offending para mark(s). Delete all of them but one, and change the remaining mark to the small font size.)

**jscher2000** · 2003-09-20 17:08

You probably are using the more attractive Print Layout view when working with columns. If you switch to Normal view, you may see that what you are deleting is a section break or some other element that contains critical formatting information (e.g., headers, margins). This could help explain why deleting what seems just to be an extra paragraph marker can have drastic consequences.

In addition to making the last paragraph marker very tiny, as described above, you sometimes can make it hidden, but I find this isn't always 100% reliable. For example, type This is a hidden paragraph as the only text prior to the end of the document, select the whole paragraph, pop open Format>Font and choose Hidden and Green. (I always make hidden text green for easier spotting.) Hope this helps.

**adysin** · 2003-09-20 18:52

Thanks to both of you. I have not been able to get paragraph marks to show themselves! But, you are right that there is a section break at the end of the document, as well as at the very beginning right after several text boxes and a graphic. I confess I was unsuccessful at accomplishing anything with typing the paragraph (after the last section break at end of document), highlighting it, and making it hidden and green in color. Every time I remove that last section break (which should not be there anyway), the layout of the document is trashed. I've used Word for some years, but I really am a beginner as I always used and preferred Word Perfect. Old dogs gotta learn new tricks eventually. :-p

**Phil Rabichow** · 2003-09-20 20:48

A couple of things to do:
1. First, switch to normal view so you can see your breaks.
2. Click the show/hide button (the backwards paragraph) on the standard toolbar to show formatting marks.
3. Ctrl+End to get to the end of your document.
4. Move the cursor up to just before the last section break.
5. Go to File/Page Setup..., but don't change anything.
6. Click OK.
7. Now put your cursor at the end of the document & press F4.
8. Again, put your cursor before the last section break.
9. Go to Format/Columns, but don't make any changes.
10. Click OK.
11. Put your cursor at the very end of the document & press F4.

You should now be able to delete the last section break & last page without changing the document formatting.

Despite the number of steps, that is the correct way to take out the last section break. Alternatively, if you're not a purist like me <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15>, you can place the cursor at the end of the document, go to File/Page Setup.../layout tab & change the type of section break from "Next page" to "continuous" & click OK.
Cheers,

**adysin** · 2003-09-20 21:18

Wow! <img src=/S/clapping.gif border=0 alt=clapping width=19 height=23> I have NO idea what that did, but correct the problem, it did! Thank you!

**jscher2000** · 2003-09-20 22:34

In Word, the F4 key will repeat the last action. So what Phil had you do was open and OK each relevant formatting dialog in the section that has correct formatting and use F4 to apply each of them to the following section. Note that F4 only remembers the immediately previous action, so you have to do the above in the sequence Phil prescribed.

After that is done, when you delete the section break the page and column layout doesn't get lost.

**adysin** · 2003-11-13 17:54

I am having a new but similar problem in Word; only this time the next-page break is between pages one and two of the Word document. I have tried applying the previous instructions provided to this situation, only replacing "end of document" with "end of page one." Obviously, I cannot grasp the logic of the instructions although they worked beautifully in resolving my previous problem.
Instructions given previously:
1. First, switch to normal view so you can see your breaks.
2. Click the show/hide button (the backwards paragraph) on the standard
toolbar to show formatting marks.
3. Ctrl+End to get to the end of your document.
4. Move the cursor up to just before the last section break.
5. Go to File/Page Setup..., but don't change anything.
6. Click OK.
7. Now put your cursor at the end of the document & press F4.
8. Again, put your cursor before the last section break.
9. Go to Format/Columns, but don't make any changes.
10. Click OK.
11. Put your cursor at the very end of the document & press F4.

Thank you!

**jscher2000** · 2003-11-13 18:33

Which formatting are you trying to copy from? Your insertion point should be in the section you want to copy from when you do the first set of steps. Then you visit the section(s) you want to copy settings to and press F4 there. Does that help you apply the earlier instructions to this new document?

**Phil Rabichow** · 2003-11-13 18:55

Section fromatting is contained in the section break that's at the END of the section. For the final paragraph, that is final paragraph mark. The instructions that I gave were necessary only when deleting the last section break in a document. If you want to delete an intermittant section break:
1. Switch to normal view.
2. Select the section break you want to delete.
3. Press Ctrl+C to copy the break.
4. Select the next section break (below the one you want to delete).
5. Press Ctrl+V (this copies the previous section break over to the next one). At this point, both sections will have the same section formatting.
6. Now you can delete the previous section break.

There are alternative methods, which include going to File/Page setup & making changes, but the above way is quicker & easier to remember.

**adysin** · 2003-11-14 12:32

I guess the best way to explain what I am trying to do is replace a "next-page break" with a "continuous break." Every time I delete the "next-page break," all text, graphics below that break go to the next page, leaving a huge blank space on page one. I am relatively new to Word and do not understand how breaks "think." The document in question is too large to post to this site.

**Leanne S** · 2003-11-14 14:56

Can you go to the end of the document, leave the next page section break there but then go to file, page setup, layout and change the New Page section start to continuous?

**jscher2000** · 2003-11-14 17:01

Other people have reported this, too. In some circumstances I can't recall, Word preserves the Next Page break by changing a different break from Continuous to Next Page. What happens if you insert Continuous breaks on both sides of the Next Page before trying to delete anything? (Obviously working in Normal view is critical to watching what Word is doing in these situations.)

**Phil Rabichow** · 2003-11-15 04:06

This gets even trickier to understand. Although formatting is contained in the section break following the section, the type of section break (continuous, next page, etc.) is listed in the section break preceding the section. If all you are trying to do is change the type of section break without changing formatting:

1. Put he cursor in the section.
2. Go to File/jPage setup...
3. Switch to the layout tab.
4. Change the Section start box to the type you want. Make sure the Apply to box says "section" & click OK.

Note that you can't change from landscape to portrait or vice versa with a continuous section break.
Hope this helps,

Thread: Columns and extra blank page at end of document (MS Word 2002)

Thread Tools