How can I retain formatting in Google Docs?

No answers yet. I think that says something about Google Docs. And preserving formats between different programs in general.

When I need professional looking results, I stick to Word. I use Google docs only for plain text documents.

A few ideas:

1)
Lose the Word formatting. Select all. From the Google Docs menu choose Format->Clear Formatting.
Then fix everything with Google Docs formatting.
But I think even after that the formatting is kinda rough.

2)
Use a free Word-equivalent word processor. Open Office is the most popular.

3)
Download the trial version of MS Office. It’s free for (I think) 60 days.

4)
Borrow a computer with Word