Forum Discussion
Problem with formatting/columns/error code that won't go away
I'm getting this when I try to squeeze in my margins.
"Increasing left margin causes first column to become too narrow in some sections having unevenly spaced columns."
I've tried all the tricks I found online and it's not working. This is a 94 page document with LOTS of indents and tabs and tables and such. Several people submitted their sections to this Frankenstein of a Word doc that I now need to format correctly. Since I'm not terribly familiar with Word but know InDesign, I'm trying to import it there, BUT, the doc doesn't like it when I try to make it fit the margins I have set. I have to pull them in more on left and right for printing purposes. If I try to import using the new margins, it only imports like 10 pages and not the rest. If I let it import using the margins in the Word doc, it flows in all the pages, but then I have the problem of trying to increase those margins in InDesign. If I change the margins AFTER importing, all my pages disappear except the first 10 or so. My thought is that if I can fix the margins in Word to the NEW margins I need, it will import successfully. Can anyone help with this? I HAVE to get this project done soon!
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I am experiencing the same issue with a document that was put together by several people and converted from one file system to another. I want to create a consistent document with structure and pages that are landscape (don't want to change to portrait) and containts text. Any ideas?
Gefabs To get the best answers, I suggest that you post a new question with details on your own situation. While it may be similar, it is likely not the same. The advice give here is the best you are likely to get without posting a new question.
Without knowing more all I can do is suggest using the procedure I use when importing material.
- Create a new document formatted the way you want your final document set up.
- Then open the compilation and copy everything from there to your clipboard.
- Then paste into your new document as plain text or text only.
- Then copy and paste illustrations, figures, equations, etc. into the new document.
- Then complete the formatting using styles in the receiving new document.
This is more work than you probably want to do but will give you the best results, in my opinion.
Converting from one file format (Word) to another (InDesign) and back or to a third (pdf) and then to Word again is going to give you a real mess.
Conversions are never 1:1.
Programs handle formatting in different ways and you can end up with really problematic document structure.- Are there any Newspaper Style columns in the document? If not, access the Columns dropdown in the Page Setup section of the Layout tab of the ribbon and click on More Columns, leave Number of columns as 1 and then click on OK.
If that does not overcome the problem. upload a copy of it (click on Open Full Text Editor when you use the Reply facility) and we will investigate the problem.Hi Doug, thank you for your suggestion. I had same problem similar problem with this error message "Increasing right margin causes last column to become too narrow in some sections having unevenly spaced columns. I followed your suggestion: leave Number of columns as 1 and then click on OK. thanks a million.
Doug_Robbins_Word_MVP Ah! Found it! Here's the file!
LMcIntire Beginning with Section 80 on Page 71, the document is set up with three "newspaper style" columns, with widths of 9.9 mm, 38.4 mm and 76.3 mm and it is because of that setup that you get that message when you try to adjust the margins.
Instead of those three "newspaper style" columns, a table should be used for that content.
I suspect that the document was created from a scanned image\pdf file as it is really quite a mess.
Doug_Robbins_Word_MVPappears to be one column, but won't import correctly into InDesign. I tried a few more things, but still only drops in the first 10-11 pages and no farther, unless I move the margins out in the InDesign document, which doesn't help since I need to move the margins in and don't want to have to go through each page and move the text boxes in. Matter of fact, I started to try that and I got as far as page 10, and guess what? Everything past that disappeared! So weird. I'd love to attach the file but couldn't find "Open full text editor". 😞
