Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Changing the Height of a Font.

Changing the Height of a Font

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 10, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


2

Word makes it easy to change the horizontal scale of a font, by using the Scale control on the Character Spacing tab of the Font dialog box. Using the control changes only the horizontal scale; the vertical height of the font remains exactly the same.

It is interesting to note that Word does not provide any corresponding method to change the vertical scale of a font without affecting the width. There is a way around this disparity, however: You can play with the font size and adjust the horizontal scale negatively.

For instance, let's say that you have a text selection that is formatted using 12-point type. Now suppose that you want your font to be 25 percent taller, but not to have the width changed. You could follow these general steps:

  1. Select the text you want to affect.
  2. Enlarge the font size to 15 points. (12 times 1.25 is 15.)
  3. Display the Character Spacing tab of the Font dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Character Spacing tab of the Font dialog box.

  5. Using the Scale control, specify a scaling of 80%. (100 divided by 1.25 is 80.)

That's it. You now have a font that is the same width as its base font, but is the desired height. Depending on the font, you may need to play with the sizing just a bit to get the desired effect, but this approach should work in all instances. Just remember that whatever you multiply the height by, you need to divide the width by (always starting at 100%).

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1646) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Changing the Height of a Font.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Determining How Many Styles are Available

Got a macro that processes or uses styles? You definitely need to know how many styles Word has available in the ...

Discover More

Moving Files or Folders

A common operation within Windows is to move files and folders from one location to another. Here are the two major ways ...

Discover More

Symbols for Non-Printing Characters

Displaying non-printing characters can help you better understand the formatting and contents of your documents. What do ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (menu)

Replacing Quoted Text with Italics

If you have text surrounded by quotes in a document, you may want to remove the quote marks and make the text that was ...

Discover More

Making Text Bold

Want a cool shortcut to make your text bold? Here's a method that fits in wonderfully with how things are done in the ...

Discover More

Applying Bold Italics

Applying bold and italics formatting to text is easy in Word. If you want to apply bold and italics simultaneously, you ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is eight minus 3?

2019-05-17 01:51:09

Mary Ellen Hutchind

Just want to say "Thank you"!
I did a search for "how can I make text taller without making it wider" and I landed here and was immediately helped.
I really do appreciate what you have set up.


2016-06-29 09:37:20

arnav bajaj

it was really helpful and helped me a lot .thanks.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.