Netscape and Internet Explorer do not read table borders the same way, particularly regarding color and style. To achieve a consistent look between browsers you can nest tables, allowing one of them to give the appearance of a border.

1. Make the "underneath" table, giving it three rows and three columns. It is best to set the width in pixels. Cell spacing and padding should be set to zero.

2. Set the table background color to the color you desire for the border.

3. Merge the top three cells.

4. Merge the bottom three cells. (view 1)

5. Insert a 1x1 transparent .gif into the top cell, bottom cell, and each of the side cells. Leave the center cell empty. For this exercise we are assuming you want a one pixel wide border. If you want one wider, you will need to adjust the height of the .gifs in the top and bottom cells and the width of the .gifs in the side cells. (view 2)

6a. Insert a second table into the center cell, giving it one row and one column. The width should be two pixels less than the first table. Set cell padding to 5.

Do not be alarmed if it does not look just right. (view 3)

7a. Set the table background color to one that contrasts with that of the first table.

When you preview in browsers, it should appear similar to the table in view 4.

OR

6b. Insert a second table into the center cell, giving it two rows and two columns. The width should be two pixels less than the first table. Set cell padding to 5 or the approximate amount of space you wish to have between the cell wall and content. Set cell spacing to two.

Do not be alarmed if it does not look just right. (view 5)

7b. Set the cell backgrounds to colors that contrast with that of the first table.

When you view in browsers the table should look similar to view 6.