Documentation / MathType

  • Demos
  • Visit our website
  • Downloads
  • Contact us
  • MathType

    • Wiris Quizzes

      • Learning Lemur

        • CalcMe

          • MathPlayer

            • Store FAQ

              • VPAT for the electronic documentation

                • MathFlow

                  • BF FAQ

                    • Miscellaneous

                      • Wiris Integrations

                        • Home
                        • MathType
                        • MathType Office Tools
                        • Support
                        • MathType Support Notices
                        • Support notices
                        • Support notices

                        Top and bottom of equations are cut off in Word

                        Reading time: 2min

                        TechNote 151

                        Applicability

                        The information on this page applies to:
                        MathType for Windows
                        MathType for Mac

                        All supported versions of Word for Windows and Mac

                         

                         

                         

                        Issue

                        When you insert inline MathType equations into a Word document, the top & bottom of some of the equations are cut off.

                        Reason

                        If the paragraph line spacing in Word is set to "Exactly" some value, and if that value is too small to enclose the equation, this causes Word to place the equation behind lines of text, thus obscuring parts of the equation.

                        Solution

                        To illustrate the solution, let's look at an example with two equations, neither of which is what we'd call "tall":

                        The problem is that while we've set our paragraph to have proper line spacing for 11pt text, it doesn't account for more oversized items placed within the text. The example above has a line spacing of exactly 13.2pt ("standard" spacing is 20% more than the font size); let's switch it to "Single":

                        Note

                        Perhaps you're working with a document you got from a colleague, and you're not the one who set the paragraph spacing, to begin with. If you're not sure how to do that, in Windows, first click the Home tab in Word. In the Paragraph group, click the dialogue box launcher. This is the diagonal arrow in the lower right of the group:

                        In Word for Mac, choose Paragraph from the Format menu.

                         

                        Whether Windows or Mac, in the Spacing section of the ensuing dialogue, Line spacing is what we need to adjust.

                        That's an improvement since now the full equations show. If you like this appearance, keep the spacing set to Single and be done with it. (What's "good" and "bad" in a document, and what "looks right" is in the end up to you anyway. As the author, you decide. Whatever you decide, it's the right decision.) Many people object to the appearance of "Single" because the spacing of the four lines is not uniform from one line to the next. That's the way Microsoft Word handles a case like this, though; it adjusts spacing so that the objects "just fit", adding a bit of padding, and as a result, the spacing is uneven from one line to the next.

                        If we want our paragraph spacing to be the same from one line to the next, we'll have to set it to "exactly" some value. Finding out the proper weight is somewhat trial & error, but MathType helps you find a starting point. First, consider the tallest equation in the paragraph. In this case, that's the second one. Open it in MathType Select it and copy it. Notice the value in the status bar: B=6. This means the equation's "baseline" shift is 6 points. That's the distance from the "baseline" of the text to the bottom-most part of the equation.

                        So our starting point is 17 in this case since we're using 11pt text and adding 6pt to that. Here's how our block of text looks with line spacing of "Exactly 17pt":

                        Pretty close and better (at least our line spacing is uniform), but we need to increase it a bit to account for the bottom of the second equation. "Exactly 20pt" nails it:

                        We hope this has been helpful. As always, please let us know if you have questions about this or if you have additional techniques that work. We'd love to hear from you.

                        Was this article helpful?

                        Yes
                        No
                        Give feedback about this article

                        Related Articles

                        • Equations are displayed as empty or shaded boxes in Microsoft Word
                        • Symbols missing in equations converted from Word's equation editor to MathType
                        • Display equations and equation numbers are out of position after re-configuring document
                        • Nothing happens when trying to insert or edit an equation in Pages, Keynote, or Numbers

                        Top and bottom of equations are cut off in Word

                        TechNote 151 Applicability Issue Reason Solution Note

                        Making people’s STEM work more meaningful

                        MathType

                        • MathType for Office Tools
                        • MathType for Mac
                        • MathType for Microsoft 365
                        • MathType for Google Workspace
                        • MathType for LMS
                        • MathType for XML Editors
                        • Arabic notation
                        • Our products accessibility
                        • MathType is online

                        WirisQuizzes

                        Learning Lemur

                        Solutions for Education

                        • Blackboard Learn
                        • Brightspace by D2L
                        • Canvas
                        • Google Classroom
                        • Moodle
                        • Schoology

                        Solutions for Publishing Houses

                        Solutions for Technical Writers

                        Solutions for Chemistry

                        Integrations

                        • HTML Editors
                        • MathType in WordPress

                        Pricing

                        Company

                        Careers

                        Blog

                        Contact Us

                        Buy Now

                        Plugin Downloads

                        © Wiris 2025

                        • Cookie Settings
                        • Cookie Policy
                        • Terms of Use
                        • Privacy Policy / GDPR
                        • Student Data Privacy
                        • Compliance
                        • Powered by Helpjuice
                        Expand