There are many things that could impact Word's startup performance, including:
• other processes that are running at the same time
• the loading of 3rd-party addins
• the loading of templates over a network
• damaged program files and/or templates
• poorly coded printer drivers
Repairing Word might help (Word Options|Resources|Diagnose) - at least it will minimize the risk that the problem is due to a fault in Word itself.

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Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]