DPI or other setting problem ?

julia99r · 18 May 2014

I typed a reply but need to retract it while I check something else out

julia99r · 18 May 2014

ok, I have found that the problem arises when I manually adjust column widths and row heights by "dragging". Although the margin & page breaks show to be within the limits of that page after I have made the adjustments, it is the cause of the issue to occur. Excel "help" & tutorials show this procedure as a way of adjusting columns and rows but don't warn of the effect it will have if used.
I have tried "auto fit & "auto adjust" but that changes back the row heights I had adjusted, and therefore changes the way I need & want the page to be setup.
Unless you know of a setting that will only allow me to adjust columns & row heights without exceeding the page limit (even though it does not show the limit has been exceeded) while still keeping the maximum amount of entry space, i'm just going to forget about it and put it down to a program glitch - accepting that the files will not appear correct for the recipients of my copied files. This is really doing my head in, so might be that I just need to accept defeat and go with what I have. Its just such a disappointing outcome for the years of work I have done.

Damian Adelle · 20 May 2014

Hey julia, I feel what you say, I have experienced a lot of frustration with office programs too. You know, maybe you are still not defeated, although I cannot assure you anything, but you can try to open your files with LibreOffice Calc:
LibreOffice Stable | LibreOffice - Free Office Suite - Fun Project - Fantastic People
LibreOffice is a open-source office suite (much like Windows Office, it has a word processor, presentations, etc), but it can open WinOffice files too, and since is open-source, the development of the program itself it's in the hands of the community, who can also help you in any kind of issues (like this one for example) since it's the community who works on this. Just try it, it doesn't hurt, and if you don't want to install it per se, you could just download the PortableApps version:
LibreOffice Portable | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives
It's probable that when you open your files with LibreOffice, the format may change a little, but once you get the grip, maybe you find it better and more customizable, but then again you may not (who knows), you could just give it a try.
And if you really cannot find yourself in this new program, and you really can't find another way to workaround this issue with Excel, then maybe as a last resort, you could try to find another software to store and also display info in a nice way, except if you are in an office where Excel it's mandatory.
If you do decide to change to other software, I recommend you this page, Alternative To:
AlternativeTo - Social Software Recommendations
It's like a wiki for software, you can browse by category, and also see ratings and some reviews about the programs, that way you can find the one who fits your needs.

julia99r · 20 May 2014

Thanks so much for your suggestions, I will definitely look into them. Excel certainly isn't an ideal program and especially for what I am using it for. I was actually thinking myself that I would look around to find something more compatible.
I do appreciate you following me though with my post query, and even though we didn't come to a solution I guess we both have learned something because of it. ... Cheers