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Mac Forum / Applications / Word / April 2008How can I set the font size of subscripts and superscripts?
Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Processor: intel I am hoping that with Word 2008 (for Mac) I can somehow set the font size, either in absolute units (points) or, even, better, as a percentage of full size. But if there is a way to do this, I've not been able to find it. Any help would be very much appreciated. I'm afraid you're hoping in vain - Word's typography features are not in competition with the likes of InDesign or QuarkXPress. The most control you can attain is to set the font size of the character to what you want & use the Raised option in Format> Font> Character Spacing to approximate the elevation above the baseline. HTH |:>) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac On 3/19/08 10:44 AM, in article ee954d1.-1@webcrossing.caR9absDaxw, > Version: 2008 > Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > size. But if there is a way to do this, I've not been able to find it. Any > help would be very much appreciated. I hadn't seen CyberTaz's answer when I posted mine, but I'd just like to point out these apparently opposed answers are both correct--in fact, they are close to being the same answer. But CyberTaz is "glass half-empty", I'm "glass half-full". It's actually pretty funny. Daiya > I'm afraid you're hoping in vain - Word's typography features are not in > competition with the likes of InDesign or QuarkXPress. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >> help would be very much appreciated. >> Hello again Daiya - Yeah, we're both saying pretty much the same thing except that you're going to all the trouble of turning it into a Style or AutoCorrect item. My main problem with the whole thing is that modifying the elevation also alters the line spacing which opens yet another can of worms. I guess my [understated] point is that if the default specs as designed into the font aren't adequate for one's requirements I doubt that jerry-rigging something using Word's limited, semi-accurate capabilities in that regard most likely will not provide sufficient precision... After all, if you don't care how it measures up to typeset why bother to change it in the first place? Surely I'm not the only one who hasn't got the time to fiddle with superscript "just because I can":-) Not a knock on Word, mind you, just a statement of the ol' MHO:-) Regards |:>) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac On 3/19/08 4:06 PM, in article e7W0GzfiIHA.3400@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl, "Daiya Mitchell" <daiyaNOSPAM@mvps.org.INVALID> wrote: > I hadn't seen CyberTaz's answer when I posted mine, but I'd just like to > point out these apparently opposed answers are both correct--in fact, [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >>> help would be very much appreciated. >>> Hmm.... I don't disagree with you but I don't see it as being that much trouble to set it up and handle the basic line-spacing issue. Once styles are set up, it doesn't take much more time to execute. And if this particular desire forces people to learn a bit more about using styles to control Word in general, well, that's a good end result. Whether the typographic results are worth it will be eye of the beholder. But the last person who asked this question had been using a macro to do this for a long time, and thus was happy with it and wanted to re-create it in Word 2008. You're right that it's probably not worth developing the habit in the first place. > Hello again Daiya - > [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] >>> >>> I love the discourse:-) Your points are well taken... But what happens when you need to use a different font size? Regards |:>) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac On 3/19/08 5:38 PM, in article #nB9PmgiIHA.5960@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl, "Daiya Mitchell" <daiyaNOSPAM@mvps.org.INVALID> wrote: > Hmm.... I don't disagree with you but I don't see it as being that much > trouble to set it up and handle the basic line-spacing issue. Once [quoted text clipped - 69 lines] >>>> >>>> You have to redefine the styles, of course, because the numbers are hardcoded, no percentages. But, either you have a Display Poster template with the redefined styles already in it, or you use an AppleScript to redefine the styles in a single click. Again, easy enough once set up. It's not very on-the-fly flexible, but it can be fitted for several situations as long as you know concretely what you will need and are willing to take the time to set them up. Admittedly, I wouldn't bother with all this setup, even though when I tested it for the last question, it was certainly more attractive than Word's default. I turn off the automatic formatting of 19th to 19^th in part because I think Word's default superscript is pretty ugly. (For some reason I'm picturing a scientist, although I don't know why. But my imaginary scenario isn't even logical--MS Word doesn't even do the large format posters I am picturing. Hey, MCBScreen, it would really complete our debate if you explained why a more attractive sub/superscript matters to you and how you use it.) > I love the discourse:-) Your points are well taken... But what happens when > you need to use a different font size? [quoted text clipped - 88 lines] >>> >>> <snip> On 3/19/08 8:34 PM, in article OP#4uIiiIHA.1164@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl, "Daiya Mitchell" <daiyaNOSPAM@mvps.org.INVALID> wrote: > (For some reason I'm picturing a scientist, although I don't know why. <snip> Enter: MathType, stage right:-) Regards |:>) Bob Jones [MVP] Office:Mac >> (For some reason I'm picturing a scientist, although I don't know why. >> > <snip> > > Enter: MathType, stage right:-) > Most definitely. Daiya Yes and No. You can't change what happens with the built-in sub/superscript commands (as far as I know). But, you can create a custom character style for superscript, that for instance, is 10points raised by 4pts. Once you've created the style, you'll select text and apply the style, instead of using the sub/superscript buttons. You can use a keyboard shortcut to apply a style, or put your custom style on a toolbar for easy access. To create the style, Format | Style, click New, check "add to template", set type to Character style, give it a name, pick a size. See the little Format menu in the dialog? Select Font from that, and use the options in the Character Spacing panel to raise or lower your style. Sadly, I don't think you can set a percentage--you have to hardcode it as 10pts raised by 4points. However, let's say that you are printing a poster. In the poster document, having copied your basic paper into the poster, you can use Format | Style and Modify the styles to be 18pts raised by 8points to match a basic font of 24points. Or whatever, I made up those numbers. In that case, do not check "add to template", so that the change will only apply to that document, not to all documents (unless you already use a separate template for posters). If you are concerned with endnote/footnote superscripts, then instead of applying your own custom style you can Modify the Footnote Reference or Endnote Reference styles to match your custom superscript appearance. > Version: 2008 > Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) > Processor: intel > > I am hoping that with Word 2008 (for Mac) I can somehow set the font size, either in absolute units (points) or, even, better, as a percentage of full size. But if there is a way to do this, I've not been able to find it. Any help would be very much appreciated. > Yes and No. You can't change what happens with the built-in > sub/superscript commands (as far as I know). [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > sub/superscript buttons. You can use a keyboard shortcut to apply a > style, or put your custom style on a toolbar for easy access. <snip> I'd like to mention something here that makes life easier, albeit when the font sizes are already known/defined: I apply these character styles via a keyboard shortcut that takes advantage of the fact that Word will let you apply styles via Command-Shift-s followed by the name of a suffix that you can add to a style name. For example, I have a style for superscripting 2 points in a certain font size. I have named that style "superscript 2pts,sup2". The suffix is ",sup3" -- note there is no space after the comma. So the keyboard shortcut use on the selected text is Command-Shift-s followed by sup2 followed by the Return key. Very quick to apply in simple superscript situations (and reduces the line spacing problem with Word's default, by the way). And of course, as Daiya/Bob mentions elsewhere in this thread, you can create an AutoCorrect item to cover commonly used terms. For example I have several for terms such as CO2, so that the subscript is applied automatically immediately I have typed "CO2" (i.e., without my having to stop to select the "2"). Cheers, Clive Huggan Canberra, Australia (My time zone is 5-11 hours different from North America and Europe, so my follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed) ==================================================== Sorry if this was already posted, but I just highlight the super-, or subscripted character and increase the size with the "Grow Font" button added to my customized toolbar. |
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