Single line spacing of a paragraph in English and Chinese looks different on different computers

[NYT]

Hi there! I’d appreciate any help with the following problem.

I often work with .docx files in English to which I add Chinese translations. There is no problem on my computers except one.

When I open a .docx file on the computer, the line spacing of a paragraph that contains English and Chinese is so big that it is almost double line spacing.

When I open a .docx file on it and start adding Chinese to a paragraph originally in English the spacing gets equally big.

In both cases LibreOffice Wrtiter tells me that the line spacing remains single.

If I save a .docx file on the computer and open it on another computer the line spacing looks as it should.

How do I fix the problem?

I use LibreOffice 6.2.4.2. I don’t remember when the problem started or whether it has always been like this on the computer. I can survive with it but it is a little annoying.

Thanks in advance.

[ajlittoz]

This seems to be a matter of font metrics.

Font definition includes a measure of how high the character set is. This “height” is used to compute line spacing. When you mix 2 fonts in a paragraph, line spacing is set to the maximum of both. This usually results in expanding line spacing, notably with Chinese where ideograms are rather large.

If you have not the expected result on only one computer, check installed fonts. One may be missing and LO then uses a substitute not having the same metrics.

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[gabix]

Some tips:

1. DO NOT WORK in a foreign file format such as DOCX. Your problem may partially result from this (bad) habit. Besides, it is a straight way to data loss. Work in ODT only and only after completion export to DOCX if necessary.
2. As ajlittoz points, make sure the same fonts (meaning inter alia the same versions) are installed on all your computers.
3. In the paragraph style(s) properties, try to find a combination of installed fonts for Western and Asian languages that looks fine.
4. Set a fixed line spacing, not single or any proportional.

However, no guarantee because the matter depends both on the fonts and on the font rendering engines that may be different in different operating systems / graphic environments.

[mikekaganski]

However, no guarantee because the matter depends both on the fonts and on the font rendering engines that may be different in different operating systems / graphic environments

True, but that would be a bug. If rendering is different with same fonts, please file it to bug tracker.

[gabix]

No bug. It is just a difference. Notably, differences between Windows and Linux (no idea about MacOS), at least minor, are almost always present. And anyway this is beyond the scope of LibreOffice.

[mikekaganski]

And anyway this is beyond the scope of LibreOffice

Not true.

Our goal (not always easy) is to render documents on different platforms as close as possible (ideally identically) - given that e.g. necessary fonts exist. Failing to do that is LibreOffice’s bug, which needs to be filed. It could take long to be addressed, but - again - differences in layout between platforms, where all needed resources are present, are bugs.