Formatting of text in Word tables (well, actually its a label template)

[Wombat]

I used to be moderately OK with making Word do what I wanted in tables, but a) I'm rusty, and b) that was with an older version of word.
I have an Avery label template no L7658, in Word, so unsurprisingly I want to put a weeny bit of text in each one (Identical, as its just tiny labels to go on craft items to be sold in the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum).  So, why, when I enter text, centrally justified, is the insertion point some way off to the right of each cell, and refuses to be persuaded otherwise by any amount of jiggling with table properties, indents, or anything else I can think of?

This is Word 2016 (because I refuse to buy a newer version of it) on Windows 11.  Yes, I know Word has always been shit at tables....

Any clues, anyone?

[rogerzilla]

Right click in the cell, IIRC, to get the cell format options.

[mrcharly-YHT]

First, wipe out any additional formatting. Select the table text, press Ctrl-Space

That reverts the text back to the 'style' formatting.

See what happens then.

When you are adding the text, are you pasting it in? If so, it is probably carrying over some formatting.

Turn on show formatting (the odd backwards P on the toolbar) so you can see if you have any extra tabs or similar in there.

[Regulator]

I used to be moderately OK with making Word do what I wanted in tables, but a) I'm rusty, and b) that was with an older version of word.
I have an Avery label template no L7658, in Word, so unsurprisingly I want to put a weeny bit of text in each one (Identical, as its just tiny labels to go on craft items to be sold in the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum).  So, why, when I enter text, centrally justified, is the insertion point some way off to the right of each cell, and refuses to be persuaded otherwise by any amount of jiggling with table properties, indents, or anything else I can think of?

This is Word 2016 (because I refuse to buy a newer version of it) on Windows 11.  Yes, I know Word has always been shit at tables....

Any clues, anyone?

If you’re using an Avery template, there’s formatting in the background that creates a margin on the labels.   There is a way of changing it but I can’t think of it off the top of my head… but I think you can find the answer in the Avery FAQs.

[matthew]

I can think of two possibilities,

• The cell margins
• The paragraph formating

If the Cell margins (and particularly the left one) are significant then the first character will be pushed right to sit after that margin, if the paragraphs have been set up with indentation for the first line then again the first character will appear to be pushed to the right in the cell.

[SteveC]

Try 'Format Paragraph' which should enable you to alter the margins and indentation.
You should be able to select the whole table and do this.

[Wombat]

The only thing from all the helpful suggestions so far, that I hadn't tried, was Regulator's one of there being hidden formatting in the template, that Word won't show. I've pasted without formatting, I've been into all the cell and table formatting possibilities that I could find (most did have the decency to be as I recalled form past exploits), but still no formatting showed itself, yet it refused to be persuaded.

However, a totally different option that I had not realised the existence of, has raised itself.  Avery Design and Print software is now (probably had been for years, but I haven't had to look in the last 10 years) a free online resource.  In that, I can select the template, import an image which is the text on a suitable background (the Sierra Leone flag), dump it on a representation of one cell, and voila! its there on every cell. I can then print directly.  Can't actually do that today as the labels are arriving tomorrow!

So, Word and its cranky table/cell formatting can go and stuff itself, again.  Thank you all, for pushing me in the direction of an entirely unexpected answer!

[Feanor]

I have an Avery Word Template here, for address labels.

In Word 2016, you can see the 'grid lines' by clicking on the table to select it, then there should be 2 'Table Tools' options on the ribbon: Design, and Layout.
Clicking on 'Layout', you can select 'View Gridlines'.
That will show you exactly how the table has been set up.
Then, under 'Properties', you can see how the cell dimensions have been specified.
The Row and Column dimensions are specified as 'Exact' values.

Have a rummage around in there and see if you can find anything relevant.