How to stop Word from dimming headers & footers?

Many thanks for the reply Charles.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the main usage of Word, and I didn't say anything about 'online viewing', I'm talking about "offline" viewing, using the app to view the electronic document instead of printing it.

If Word is primarily for putting words and images on paper, why put so much effort into making clickable functionality within documents? TOCs, inter and intra-document links, web links, buttons, etc.

All of that functionality, and there is loads of it, stops being any use whatsoever as soon as you print the document.

I really can't see that allowing users to decide whether or not the headers/footers should be dimmed when using Print Layout would cause the end of civilisation as we know it.

And unfortunately, while Print Preview Edit Mode doesn't dim the headers/footers, it does remove just about everything useful, including the navigation pane that makes moving through large documents easier.

Strangely it even removes the ability to edit the document, not that that would be a problem for our clients.

Hi Paul

Yes they use Word, but I wouldn't call very many of them "experienced with the way such applications display header & footer content".

Some of the text in the header is usually in one of the client's corporate colours, and their logo (colour again) is also in there.

Dimmed, the text colours are altered and faded, sometimes to the point of unreadability on screen (And no, they won't change them to another of their corporate colours, because... I have no idea). The colours of their logo are changed in the same way.

You would, it seems, be surprised how many people are 'fazed' by their carefully chosen colours & designs showing incorrectly.

I really do not understand the resistance to what, at the end of the day, would just be an unused tick box in the settings as far as people who are happy with dimmed headers & footers are concerned.

For all the rest of us (Google "how to stop word dimming fading headers"), it would make the world of difference.

I was just hoping against hope that MS had listened to years of requests from users and enabled us to stop the behaviour in the current version.

Making it so that a document only shows properly when it's thrown onto a bit of dead tree is not the most ecologically friendly behaviour.

Best regards,

Paul

It's actually quite a common request, but it is still unlikely to be granted.

Word remains primarily something for putting words (and images) on paper. It is not for online viewing. This will not change, I predict. I do not work for Microsoft, though.

Headers and footers are a separate part designed for display on multiple pages. It is not normally edited, at least not to the extent the body of the document is. It is faded to emphasize that it is not part of what is being edited.

You can produce a pdf which can be displayed on screen with headers and footers.

Using the desktop applications, Print Preview Mode Edit Mode does not dispose of the Header/Footer. You can add a button to your QAT for this. Headers and footers will be displayed full strength and you can still edit the body.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/edit-in-print-preview-view/dfdf67ad-e336-4b95-9bda-b0dac8fe4150

Hi Stefan

Although very unlikely, there are occasions when they may need to edit the docs to record an action related to the project. PDF would be no good for that eventuality. Plus we really like the way the navigation looks & works in Word.

Also, although they are not likely to want to edit them, we are.

I have to say, it does seem a bit strange to tell us to solve an issue with MS software by using a competitor's technology.

Best regards,

Paul