The Problem:
I can't stand the "artificial intelligence" built into Word's table feature. You can define how wide the table and/or each column should be in the Table Properties dialog box, but Word then changes the widths according to the text put in the cells.
The Solution:
Word always wants to help as much as it can, and resizing columns automatically to fit their contents must have seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately, AutoFit tends to give people fits automatically.
To prevent Word from resizing the columns, insert a table by using the Insert Table dialog box (see Figure 7-1) rather than by clicking the Insert Table button on the Standard toolbar and "painting" out a table grid. Choose Table » Insert » Table or click the Insert Table button on the Tables and Borders toolbar. Specify the number of columns and rows, select the "Fixed column widths" option, specify a width in the spinner box if you choose, and click the OK button.
If the table is already inserted in your document with AutoFit turned on:
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Right-click in the table, choose Table Properties, and click the Table tab if it's not already displayed.
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Click the Options button, uncheck the "Automatically resize to fit contents" box, and then click the OK button to close each dialog box (see Figure 7-2).
Figure 7-1. To prevent Word from resizing your table columns, select the "Fixed column width" option in the Insert Table dialog box.
Figure 7-2. You can also turn off AutoFit in an existing table.
