Carol Bratt

When you press the Tab key, the insertion point moves to the right 0.5 inch which means that your typing moves 0.5 inch to the right. This is MS Word's default tab. You use this tab to indent the first line of a paragraph, or even to separate short ... items, such as the chapter name and page title on a table of contents. You can also use tabs to place columns of short items side by side, such as those in a schedule of events, but for that use you may want to set a custom tab. Tabs come in four varieties: left, center, decimal, and right. You use the ruler or the Tabs dialog box to set the tabs. ... (view more)

The blank area around the edges of a page is the margin, and you can control how much or how little space you leave there. Of course, you can't run the text all the way from edge to edge on the page, although it would certainly save paper. Imagine ... reading a novel with no margin: even if it cost less, it wouldn't be worth the eye strain. Setting generous margins is a great way to make a document easy on the eyes when reading. Typical business letters allow for at least an inch on all sides, and newsletters require as little as 0.25 inch because they divide the page into smaller elements. In ... (view more)

You've composed a very large, very informative document. And now you want to configure it so that your readers can navigate it easily using a Table of Contents (TOC). Defining Style To begin the process, you will first need to properly format your ... document with Styles. Highlight the document text that you want to show up as table of contents major sections. Next, depress CTRL-ALT-1. You can highlight more than one paragraph at a time by depressing your CTRL key (even if the paragraphs aren't in sequence). This will apply the Heading 1 style to your text. This text stands out from the rest and ... (view more)

Similar to bulleted lists , numbered lists can be created either before or after you create a list of information using MS Word. For example, you can either: Click the Numbering button to toggle numbering on, and then type the list Type a list, ... select it, and click the Numbering button to toggle numbering on. You can also create an automatic numbered list on the keyboard. Type a number and a period and then press Spacebar or Tab at the beginning of a paragraph. When you press Enter at the end of the paragraph, the numbered list is automatically created. Numbers are automatically added to the ... (view more)

A specific list of items in a business document is commonly formatted with a hanging indent with numbers or with small symbols called bullets to the left of each item. If the items must occur in a certain order, use a numbered list. If you can list ... the items in any order, use bullets. You can use bulleted or numbered lists for the following purposes: To shorten the text To draw attention to certain elements To summarize To show sequence or relationship Create Bulleted Lists You can create bulleted lists either before or after you've typed the text. Click the Bullets button to toggle bullets ... (view more)

One way to format paragraphs is to indent them. Indentation refers to the distance a paragraph is set from the margin. You can set these indentation styles one at a time or in combination: Left indent Right indent First-Line indent Hanging indent ... Word offers complete control over paragraph indentation. Like other formatting techniques, you can set indentation by using buttons, the Format | Paragraph command, or shortcut keys. But you can also set indentation by using various elements of the ruler. Indentation is used either to set a paragraph apart or to make it easier to read. For instance, ... (view more)

Spacing affects the readability of a document. If you have long lines of text spanning the width of the page, your eye has to work to track all the way across it. To make it easier to follow the lines across the page, you should increase the spacing ... between the lines (or shorten the lines). That's why teachers usually ask students to double-space reports. As with all paragraph formatting, place the insertion point within the paragraph or highlight all or part of the paragraphs you want to format; then, do any of the following instructions. Set Line Spacing using Menus: Choose Format | ... (view more)

You're about to start your first novel -- "Once upon a time..." Those beginning words just beg to have fancy lettering to evoke the feeling of your story don't they? Word has two features that let you create interesting lettering that goes beyond ... just changing the font and size. Those features are WordArt and Drop Caps. WordArt is an element of Word that allows you to define the shape, fill and text of decorative text -- everything from rainbow-colored and shaped words to the gleam of chrome on 3-D block letters. Many predefined effects are available for you to choose from, but you can ... (view more)

Many times I receive articles and documents via e-mail and I have resorted to printing them so that they were easier for me to read. In Word 2003, this task has been significantly enhanced with a new Reading Layout Mode, which provides handy single ... and multiple page layouts for reading and editing documents. If you are opening a document primarily to read it, reading layout view optimizes the reading experience. Reading Layout view hides all toolbars except for the Reading Layout and Reviewing toolbars. To switch on Reading Layout view, click the Read button on the Standard toolbar. The ... (view more)

The buttons on the Drawing toolbar have useful tools for drawing objects, such as shapes and lines. Not only can you make simple squares, circles, ovals, and lines, but Word provides AutoShapes, a gallery of typical shapes such as stars, pentagons, ... block arrows, and so forth. Word 2002 (and later) comes with a wealth of AutoShapes that you can use to build flow charts, room plans, and banners for your letterheads. These AutoShapes come with sizing handles that appear when you select the object. By manipulating the sizing handles with the mouse, you can change the size, shape and position of ... (view more)