Every document MUST have a template attached. The trick is pointing this to a template that DOES exist on the user's machine. The obvious one is Normal.dotm since it is created by Word if it isn't found anywhere. You can change the attached template by clicking on the Document Template button on the
Developer Tab.
An alternative is that you provide a template of the same name along with the documents you deliver. It doesn't need the same content, just the same name as the 'attached template' - and tell them to put the template in one of the special locations.
When Word opens a document, it looks in 4 locations for the attached template. It stops looking as soon as it finds a template with the same name in these folders...
1. User Templates folder
2. Workgroup Templates folder
3. The same folder as the Word document
4. The actual path where the template was when the 'attached template' was set.
And finally, make sure you NEVER deliver documents that are set to refresh the styles from the template as it opens. This is an option in the dialog where you attach a template.