Set your margins ahead of time
Pocket Word's default document page is set at a 0 left margin. You can print a Pocket Word document from a Windows CE device if you've got access to a printer with an IRDA port, like an HP LaserJet 5P, for example. If so, you might want to re-flow the document with a more reasonable margin setting, say .5 inches left and .5 inches right using the Paragraph options dialog from the Format menu.

This should be the very first thing you do before you even start typing. Why? Because if you find yourself writing a ten-page business plan or company mission statement on a six hour flight to L.A. from New York, you're just going to have to re-flow it when you're done. You do this by highlighting your entire document (not fun on a slow Windows CE device) and hope it doesn't get messed up when you format it after the fact. If you're a powerful executive, you can get your secretary or assistant to do the formatting in Word for you when you land. If you're a working stiff like me, you'll have to do it yourself, or get your Word Whiz spouse to help you.

Spelling and grammar
Another issue to take into consideration is spell and grammar checking. Pocket Word's spelling dictionary is extremely limited compared to the desktop version, and has no grammar checking whatsoever. Unless you're anal retentive about fixing your spelling mistakes and grammatical errors as you go, you'll want to double-check this on your desktop PC.

These limitations aside, Pocket Word is a great little program, and if you take a lot of memos and do a lot of writing on the road, you'll find yourself using it a lot.

Jason Perlow is Senior Technical Editor for Windows CE Power. When he's not schlepping, he can be reached via email at perlow@hotmail.com.