Background color - changing from default

I'm asking this question here rather than in 'Other>Software'' because I think that there's a Windows setting involved.(XPPSP3)

Question: In Word 2003, my preferred setting is to 'View' documents in 'Print Layout'. I keep 'Zoom' at 75% or 100%, so there's a background color surrounding the white document page.

Does anyone know how to change this background color? Note that I'm NOT talking about the page color. A Google search gets 100's of hits on 'Changing Background Color in Word' but they all refer to the PAGE color which is not what I'm after.

I assume that Word has some buried setting that just tells it to use parameter 'X' from Windows to set up this color, in which case it may not be selectable in Word itself.

Reason I'm asking is that I recently changed the color of my Taskbar using Desktop > Properties > Appearance > Advanced > 3D Objects. Now that the Taskbar has changed color, several other areas have been affected, one being the background to Word docs.

Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks

 

Hi Masonite, try this:

Right click on desktop>Click on Properties then Appearance tab. Click on "Advanced" button and in the "Item" drop down section, select "Application Background" and then select the color you want in the Color 1 box. OK your way out. That should change the color in the background of the Word application. Works for me.

 

Thanks JohnB. Actually, I'd tried that but it didn't have any effect. Perhaps I needed to reboot before it'll 'take'. I'll try again when I'm on my own machine.

Cheers

Later: Nope, sorry - that's not it. Changed the 'Application Background' color to a light beige but the color at back of Word docs is still battleship gray.

 

Yes I see what you mean. You can change the word application background to a selected color but when you go to Print Layout Veiw it reverts to the gray background.

I poked around a bit in the appearance setting and in word and could not find a way to change that.

Looks like you may be out of luck.

 

Yes, it's a nuisance, isn't it? I've noticed the changed color in other areas, too. I use EditPad Lite instead of Notepad and the new color shows there also. Must be buried deep in the code of these apps........

 

I think you are right. I would most likely think the background color of the Print Layout View is in code in the Word app not Windows.

By way of interest I took a look at Excel and PowerPoint and while they do not have a Print Layout View when you click on Print Preview you have the same gray background that also can't be changed. Again leads one to surmise it is coded into the application.