Let me explain how this field is set.

I create a record, then copy the text (from word) and paste it into this field. Sometimes the Doc is short (only one page) sometimes it's long (10 pages)

problem. If I set the dimensions of the field to one page then anything over one page will not show when I print it. If I set the dimensions to 10 pages then what ever I print will print 9 blank pages. Is there a way to set this field so that for each record it only prints how ever long it really is?

Try inserting the field as a Merge field on your print layout. It should almost give you the same results.

ok I tried that and unless i widen the merge field it only shows me a portion of the document

Set the dimensions of the merge field to the maximum required. Then format its sliding options to slide up and reduce the size of the enclosing part. It will shrink when necessary, but not expand.

ok that works but there's another problem. the merge field does not look like the text field. I edit the text field so the document looks just so and then the merge field is all messed up and not formatted the way I wanted it

Format the merge field in the same way.

Formatting only applies to a specific instance of a field on a single layout. It does not filter through to other layouts or even other instances of that field (or merge field) on the same layout. So each can be set in different ways without affecting the other.

ok but lets say I format the text field with a centered title and certain paragraphs in the center of the page so they line up.. if i go to the merge field every thing is set to the left. HOw to I format the merge field?

Click on the merge field in Layout Mode and either click on the center icon in the Text toolbar or select Format -> Align Text.

If you require multiple formats, use either multiple fields for entry or multiple calculation fields to extract the desired text for each section and format each as necessary.

thanks. Whew that seems like a lot of work BUt I'll play with it