ah ha!! i have been waiting for this! during office 2007 testing,  I remember Microsoft actually had the 2007 redaction add-in version available, in beta, to download. later, it was even listed microsoft.com/download but then pulled completely.. I called up Microsoft at the time and they could see it listed in downloads, but no download.. god knows why Microsoft office team didn't ever release the redaction tool... - perhaps you could let me know why?!

A thought for a v2.0 release--how about allowing the redaction tool to randomly vary the scale or spacing of (i.e. expand or condense) redacted text? This would enhance the effect of redaction, as the number of characters and thus potentially the content behind the black box could no longer be imputed from its width.

@faramond

Another solution would simply be to have each redacted word/space be the same width (say, four characters), which would achieve the same result.

Word 2007 goes (not responding) with an attempt to Find or Replace two carriage returns ^p^p, something we did often in older versions.  ^p works fine so there is a work around (change all ^p to &&, change all &&&& to &- or something else.  Change all && to space.  Change all &- to ^p

I did a search and found nothing on this blog that gave a clue that this was a problem.  Is it?

 Or is this blog output only with no real input?

Microsoft Word 2007 Team:

This is on a different topic.

Please tell me how to change the font size and color of the "Comment" function.

I have scanned the Internet extensively for this information, but have not found anything that addresses this particular problem.

Thank You

To Jonathan:

I am deeply grateful for you responding to my question about changing the font size of the "Comments" in Word 2007.

I tried to follow your instructions to the letter, but when I did a "test run," I was not able to change the size of the text.

If there are any pre-conditions involved in this change, would you please let me know. I really want to fix this problem; it has bothered me for 9 months.

Thanks for your help!!!

--Richard

To: Jonathan

Thank you once again for responding to me re: the Comment function text-size issue. I appreciated your taking the time to give me the precise information I sought.

However, I  must confess that I'm a little bit disappointed in Microsoft for dropping the ability to change the font text size in the Comments. In my older version of Word (Word 97)

it is possible and relatively easy to change the size of the Comment text as it appears in the right margin. In the 2007 edition, you can only see the increased font size by turning on the Reviewing Pane (vertically on the left-hand size or horizontally on the bottom of the screen).

Would you please convey my disappointment with Microsoft to the appropriate managers or programmers?  At least to me, it makes little or no sense that Microsoft would retain this ability in 1997 software and then eliminate or omit it ten years later in 2007.

Once again, thank you for responding to my two postings on the Comment text issue.

Best regards,

Richard

To: Jonathan,

I owe you an apology. I followed the latest directions you gave me in regard to altering the "Balloon Text" and it worked like a charm. I increased the font size and changed the font type, and I had no problems creating these alterations inside the actual Comment balloons on the right-hand margin.

Thank you so much for digging further into this issue and solving this puzzle. I am in your debt. If there is anyone I can write to convey my appreciation, please let me know. Please feel free to forward this message to anyone on your team.

Richard

Washington, DC

8:30 PM, Tuesday Night

Jonathan:

Once again, please allow me to thank you for solving this problem for me.

You asked why I wanted to or needed to increase the font size and the font type.

The answer is that I am an editor of manuscripts by those whose first language is not English. Most of these writers are university students or scholar.

Although the "track changes" function provides perhaps a quicker and more direct way to correct a manuscript, the "Comments" function provides a better medium for explaining why a certain sentence does not work in the English language or why a word choice is awkward.

As long as there are relatively few "comments" on each page, I prefer to give "comments" in a larger size and in a more standard font so that this feedback can be read easily on the recipient's laptop computer screen. So, for example, I like to use a 12 or 14 point font size, and I prefer a standard academic font such as New Times Roman.

I hope the above material answers your question. Thanks again for all of your help.

Richard