Writer • Re: Colors lost if file is saved in Word 97 DOC format

Recently, when using the latest Apache OpenOffice, version 4.1.15, on my MacBook Pro, OS Sonoma 14.2.1, if I set a Text Document paper format as Letter size with 0.75" margins and saved it as a Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP (.doc), when next I opened it, the paper format was A4 with .79" margins.

I can reproduce that problem with OpenOffice 4.1.7 on MacOS 13.6.3. When I open your Sample.doc, the margins are 1 inch. I think DOC format handles page styles differently than OpenOffice. Actually, I think I have read that DOC format does not support the concept of a Page Style. Perhaps OpenOffice uses the default page style settings when it saves or opens a file in foreign DOC format. It is well known on the forum that saving text documents in other than ODT format risks loss of content, formatting, or features. If you need to work reliably in DOC format, MS Office is the one and only program for you. LibreOffice has tried to improve support for foreign formats DOC and DOCX.

In an attempt to cure the above in the Preferences, the text which was previously in colour now displays in black only.

I cannot reproduce that problem with OpenOffice 4.1.7 on MacOS 13.6.3. JeJe, Zizi64, LastUniforn, and I can all see the colors in your DOC file. I looked at several possible settings in Preferences which might display your document in black, but none of them did. I also looked at many preferences in  → System Settings, though it is not possible for me to try every combination of them. If you suspect a changes to your System Settings is the cause, use the Guest User account to verify that. The Guest User gets a new, default set of preferences. Do your problems occur for the Guest User account?
Q28/A28: How do I use the Guest User account to run a test?
Q29/A29: How can I access a file from the Guest User account without a USB drive?

Re: I am sure that the native .odt format can save your settings.
It can't.

I cannot reproduce that problem with OpenOffice 4.1.7 on MacOS 13.6.3. I opened your Sample.doc and changed the margins to ¾ inch, then saved it as an ODT document. When I later open it, the colors and ¾ inch margin are present.

Recently, when using … MacOS Sonoma 14.2.1

It is possible that MacOS 14 has introduced changes or new preferences which cause the problem that you have. However no one else on the forum has reported it. I do not use MacOS 14.

Any suggestions?

Did you try to open Sample.doc with Pages? It is included in MacOS 14, already installed, ready to use. Are the colors present there? They are for me. Are the margins 1 inch in Pages? They are for me. Since both OpenOffice and Pages report the margin in Sample.doc to be 1 inch, this suggests that OpenOffice did not save your ¾ inch margin when you created your document in DOC format. Saving text documents in other than ODT format risks loss of content, formatting, or features.

Perhaps /Tools /Options /OpenOffice Writer /Print : ""Print text in black" should be unchecked.

I think this only affects the File → Print dialog. I find that the Print text in black setting has no effect in the document as displayed in View → Print Layout or View → Web Layout or File → Page Preview.

By Preferences I assume you mean you think you've inadvertently changed something in Tools menu/options?

Tools → Options on other platforms is OpenOffice → Preferences in Mac OS.

Statistics: Posted by MrProgrammer — Tue Jun 04, 2024 5:07 pm

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