The information given here applies particularly to users of MS Word and MS Outlook Express
as shipped with Windows 98.
It may not apply to all versions, or to other word-processors and email software,
but you should find that similar options are available within
other programs.
If you copy/paste poetry direct from MS Word
into an email
then you will end up with double-spacing.
This is because all the character-returns at the end of each line in Word
are translated into end-paragraph characters in the email
and your email program automatically puts a blank line
between paragraphs.
Here is a way around this problem.
-
Do not copy/paste from Word
but save your poem in text format.
-
In Word, go to File, Save As
- In the box that comes up,
click on the arrow at the right hand side
of the Save as type box
and select any of options that end (*.txt)
- Having saved your work as text,
open the text file up in an editor not a word-processor.
-
Notepad is a suitable editor and one which most people have available.
- In Notepad, go to Edit
- select Select All
- Then select Copy to copy the text.
- Alternatively you can copy the text by
holding down control [Ctrl] and pressing C.
-
Move to your email and
place the cursor in the body of the email.
- Either select Paste from the Edit menu or press [Ctrl + V]
and the text will be pasted into your email.
-
If you really don't want to save your work as a text-file
it can work OK if you copy/paste first from Word to Notepad
and then from Notepad to your email, but you need to be sure
that you are actually pasting from Notepad.
- It is mush safer if you first save the text file.
- If you save the text file, you can if fact bypass Notepad
by going to your email
and selecting Text from File from the Insert menu.
- Make sure the cursor is in the body of the email
at the point where you want to insert the text.
- Once the text is in the email,
you can edit it further, should you wish.
See also How to send plain text messages to mailing-lists.
and How to change mail settings in Outlook Express.
If you have any queries concerning this page, the author is Gerald England who may be contacted at
england@spunge.org.