Page Setup

Page View

In the View Menu you can choose to view documents in many different ways. Click on any of the different views to get a sense of how they differ. It is recommended that you use Page Layout to view your documents since it shows you both a vertical and horizontal ruler.

You can also zoom in and out of your document by using the zoom drop down list in the toolbar. Zooming in allows you to see the document up close and makes everything bigger so that it is easier to see. Zooming out reduces or shrinks the document. Note: just because you are viewing your document at a high zoom does not mean that the print out will also be enlarged. When you change the zoom on your document you are simply changing they way you look at it on screen. Remember, the only way to make the text appear larger in a printout is to change the font size.

Margins
To change the margins click on Page Setup from the File Menu. Next, click on the Margins tab. When you do, you will see the top, bottom, left, and right margin labels with a number inside of a white box (text box) next to it. To change any of these margins, place your mouse on top of the text box and click to get a cursor. Then backspace over the number inside the text to clear it and type the margin size you would like. You can also use the tiny arrows to the right of the text box to change the margin size.

An easier way to change your margin is to use the rulers on your document. When you look at your document in Page Layout, you will see a ruler with gray edges on either side. The gray areas are where the margins are. If you place your mouse on top of the ruler right where the gray and white parts meet, your mouse turns into a black double sided arrow. If you then click and drag you can also change the margins.

Paper Size

Word automatically opens up new documents that are 8.5x11 or commonly called letter. In case you would like to change the size of the paper you can click on the Paper Size tab in the Page Setup dialog box. To select a different paper size, click on the paper size drop down list.

You also have the option of changing the orientation of the page. If you want your document to be sideways or 11x8.5", choose landscape by clicking in the white circle (also called a radio button). When you click in the radio button a black dot appears showing which option you chose.
 
 

Inserting into Documents

Page Numbers

To place page numbers on your document, click on Page Numbers in the Insert menu. Click on the position drop down list to tell Word where you want the page numbers to be placed on your document. Next, click on the alignment drop down list to change whether you want the page numbers to be along the left margin, right margin, or centered in the page.

Note, you have a check box near the bottom next to the words Show Number on First Page. When a check mark appears in the box a page number will be displayed on the first page. If the check mark does not appear in the box then a page number will not appear on the first page of your document. An example of when you might not want a page number on the first page is a cover page or fax cover.

To place a check mark inside of a check box, place your mouse on top of the box and click. To erase the check mark, click your mouse inside the box again and the check mark will disappear.

You can also change what type of page numbers you want on your document by click on the format button and then selecting an option from the Number Format drop down list.

Date/Time

To insert the current date or time choose Date and Time from the Insert Menu. Select on the type of date and time you want and choose OK. The date and time will be placed in your document wherever you left the cursor. If you wanted the date and time at the top of the page make sure your cursor is at the top of the page before you click on the Insert menu.

Note, you can also click on Update Automatically in the Date and Time dialog box. This option will automatically update the date and time whenever you open or print the document so the current date and time always shows.

Symbols
 

There are many symbols that you may want to add into your document that are not on the keyboard. To place additional symbols into your document, click on Symbol from the Insert Menu. Note, just like the date and time, you must leave your cursor in the spot that you want the symbol to be placed in before clicking on the Insert Menu. After the Symbol dialog box appears, you will see many symbols. If the symbol you are looking for is not listed, click on the font drop down list and select a different font until you find the symbol you want. Click on the symbol you are interested in and choose Insert then choose Close and the symbol will be placed in the document. Just like other letters a symbol can be highlighted and changed size by changing the font size.

Number and Bullet Lists

If you want numbers or bullets to appear in a list you are creating, select on your list and choose the bullets or the numbering tool bar button. When you do, the list will automatically have bullets or numbers placed in front of them.

For more options, highlight your list and choose Bullets and Numbering from the Format menu. Click on the style of numbers or bullets that you like and choose OK.

Numbered lists are nice to use even if you have to change the list later on. If you add or delete an item from the list, the list is automatically renumbered.

Headers and Footers

A Header is an area at the very top of your document where you can add information. A Footer is an area at the very bottom of your document where you can add information. Whatever you put in the header/footer of one page will show up on every page in your document.

To place information into a header, choose Header/Footer from the View Menu. When you do your document changes and you should see the word header in a small rectangle on the top of your document. You should also see a toolbar that appears. You should move your mouse on top of each of these buttons to see what these buttons are for.

The most important thing to remember about using Headers and Footers is typing into these areas is no different than typing into the regular document. You still need to highlight on the text, change the font, font size, align center, align right, etc. All of these options are still available.

Note, when you are in header/footer, the rest of your document turns gray and you can not click outside of the header/footer area. If you want to make changes to your document you need to click on Close in the header/footer toolbar to return to your document. When you do, the header/footer areas then turns gray but the rest of the document is normal. If you need to change your header/footer you must go back into the View menu and choose Header/Footer. If you do not see your header/footer make sure you are in Page Layout in the View Menu.

Notice that on the header/footer toolbar you can insert page numbers, file name, author names, and many other options. You should click on each of the options to see what each button can be used for.

To get into the footer, click on the toolbar button that says switch between header/footer.

Page Breaks

Sometimes you are typing a page, for example a cover page for a report, and the last line of that page fills only half of the page. If you want the next page of the document to begin at the top of the next page, you can either hit the ENTER key until your cursor moves to the second page or you can insert a page break. To insert a page break, choose Break from the Insert Menu. When you do, the Page break option is already marked so you can then hit OK. The page break will be placed where the cursor was left in your document. You can delete a Page Break by placing your cursor next to it and hitting the backspace or delete keys.

By placing a page break underneath the last line of a page or in our example, the last line in a cover page, the page break forces the text below it to start at the top of the next page. It is easier to use page breaks instead of hitting the ENTER key many times because if you make any changes to the first page then you will find yourself continually having to check if the second page is still at the top of the next page.

Tables and Columns

Moving around in tables

When you have to enter information into a table you must know a few things. A few terms are listed below.

To move around in a table, you place your cursor anywhere inside the table. Next, you hit the TAB key on your keyboard to move from one cell to the next. Use, SHIFT+TAB (meaning you press the SHIFT key and TAB key simultaneously) to move from cell to cell in the reverse order.

If I wanted to add another record to the table above, I would need to add a new row. To add a new row in my table I would place my cursor in the last cell of the table and hit the TAB key.

Columns

To create columns in a document, select the text you are interested in putting into columns. Then, click on your columns toolbar button and drag across the number of columns you desire. The text will then be placed inside columns.
 
 

If you would like to change the number of columns, reselect the text then click on the columns toolbar button and drag across the number of columns you would like to have. If you want to get rid of columns highlight the text then select one column and the text would return to normal. Be careful when you select text before converting it into columns. Any extra paragraph marks that you select will cause your columns to look uneven.

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