Formatting Issues

How to Fix Blurry Duplicate Text and Hidden Table Columns in Word

Ayan Masood Oct 14, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix an issue where exported PDFs show blurry, duplicated text and reveal table columns that were previously invisible in the Word document.

How to Fix Blurry Duplicate Text and Hidden Table Columns in Word

Product: Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Exporting a formatted Word document, such as a résumé template, into a PDF file.
Observed behavior: Text appears duplicated and blurry in the exported PDF, and hidden table columns from the Word layout suddenly become visible in the final output.

Before you start

Turn on 'View Gridlines' in your table layout settings and enable paragraph marks to easily spot hidden elements and structural anomalies before attempting to fix your layout.

Solution 1Recommended

Adjust Table Column Widths

Identify and expand hidden zero-width columns that cause content duplication and blurriness during the PDF export process.

Many online résumé templates use complex tables to structure the layout. When a column is accidentally set to a width of zero, Word hides it on the screen, but the PDF export engine may misinterpret it, causing overlapping and blurry text rendering.

Open Table Properties

Right-click anywhere inside the affected table in your Word document and select 'Table Properties' from the context menu.

Navigate to Column Settings

Click on the 'Column' tab within the Table Properties dialog box.

Locate Zero-Width Columns

Click 'Next Column' to cycle through all the columns in your table. Look closely for any column where the 'Preferred width' is set to 0 or is suspiciously small.

Adjust and Apply

Increase the width of the hidden column to a visible size and click 'OK'. You can then safely delete the extra column or adjust your table layout as needed.

Quick Verification: Export the document to PDF again to verify that the blurry duplicate text has been eliminated and the layout renders properly.

Solution 2

Rebuild the Table in a New Document

Use this method if the table formatting is deeply corrupted and adjusting column widths manually does not resolve the glitch.

Solution 3

Update Printer Drivers and Word

Ensure your software environment is up to date, as Word relies on virtual printer drivers to generate and render PDF files.

Manage Tables and Export Clean PDFs with WPS Office

WPS Writer offers intuitive table layout controls and a robust built-in PDF exporter, ensuring your résumés and documents look exactly as intended without hidden column glitches.

1. Open Document in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your .docx résumé or document.
2. Access Table Properties: Right-click the table, select 'Table Properties', and use the Column tab to easily locate and fix any 0-width columns.
3. Export to PDF: Go to the 'Menu' at the top left and click 'Export to PDF' to generate a flawless, glitch-free file.

Easily identify and adjust table column widthsBuilt-in, high-fidelity Export to PDF featureFully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formattingFree and lightweight office suite

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my text look blurry or duplicated only in the exported PDF?

This usually happens when invisible or zero-width table columns cause text to overlap or render twice during the PDF compression and generation process. Expanding the column width in Word resolves the rendering error.

How can I easily find hidden tables in a downloaded résumé template?

Go to the 'Table Design' or 'Layout' tab and click 'View Gridlines'. This will display dotted lines around all tables, even those with transparent or hidden borders, making it much easier to spot layout issues.

Does updating my printer driver help with Word to PDF export issues?

Yes. Microsoft Word often relies on virtual printer drivers to generate PDF files. Updating your PDF printer drivers via the Windows Device Manager can sometimes fix unexpected rendering glitches during the export process.

Document & File Issues