> So, they try to cut and paste. They try to use microsoft publisher or
> word or pagemaker or iWork etc.  What is needed are global hints that just
> might work:
>
> "create your document in WORD, save as html, view in normal, cut and
> paste html code into LISTSERV's "Send Message" window"

If you have a readership with diverse technology, there are only three formats that have a chance of displaying as intended on most systems: plain text, PDF and HTML, in order of increasing technical challenge.

With PDF, it does not matter how the poster creates the document. Make sure to include some kind of link to a PDF reader in the text version of the message so that the uninitiated can do something with the attachment. Of course, PDF has its downsides, not the least of which is the hassle of buying and installing a PDF writer. There are free applications and you need to evaluate them and so on. PDF is also sluggish, like everything made by Adobe (I recently attended a presentation where one of their own employees jested that whenever he bought the newest and fastest Mac, his colleagues increased application startup time accordingly so that he would still have time to make a coffee while Bridge starts up, and the audience applauded). Adobe Reader is amazingly fast by Adobe standards, but it is still a hog. It also formats text in a way that is hard to read on small screens, especially if the system chooses to display it inside a browser window. As such, I view PDF as a luxury format, something that works great for people like me who have a fast computer and a 21" screen. But I normally do not open PDF files on a laptop unless I just need to print them. If your audience has the necessary horsepower and display size, PDF is probably the best format, otherwise you should use HTML.

With HTML, you can also create the page with the application of your choice, as long as you do not use any advanced features that are not present in HTML mail. The problem is then to e-mail the document in such a way that you get the best possible results, with the understanding that perfect results are impossible since different renderers are used for HTML mail and many otherwise valid features are disabled for security reasons unless you do something client-specific to allow them for this sender or this message only. Cut+paste of the source file is at best unreliable, especially from an HTML application that creates links referencing files on your hard drive ;-) "Send as e-mail" is a big step up and often works, but not always. There is an upload applet in both LISTSERV and LISTSERV Maestro that is designed to give you the best possible results. Try it and see what you think. In LISTSERV, you will find it in the so-called "P1" page, the one from which you can post a new message to the list (the URL starts with P1).

  Eric