By being aware of the page layout in your documents, you can ensure that everything looks good. Maybe you think that the text is the most important thing, and I agree with you, but the layout of your documents is the text’s "public face" and it is the first thing the reader sees. A good layout, however, will give the reader a good first impression, which means that your pearls of wisdom stand a better chance of being read. This is equally important whether you are trying to sell an idea, a product, or yourself in a job application. In this section you will learn how to align margins and tabs (tabulators), insert page numbers, create headers and footers and other cool features. You will also learn how to create two-sided prints.   1 Margins There are three things to remember when aligning margins: Should there be room for headers and footers? Should there be room for holes in the paper? Does it look nice? Whether the document looks nice is of course a subjectiv...

Word changes automatically to a new page when there is no more space on the page you are writing on. But in some cases you may need to take control; for instance, if you are writing a book or report, where you want all the main sections to start on a new page. That can be achieved by inserting forced page breaks. Later in this book, we will do some exercises where we are going to need a document with multiple pages. The document that we have worked with so far only has a single page, so let us make it a little longer by adding some page breaks. It is also a good opportunity to revise how Styles are used and how the Table of Contents is updated. Place the cursor after the last line in the document. Choose the Insert Tab in the Ribbon.  Click on the Page Break button. 

Now that we have made some real headings using Styles, I want to show you how to make an automatic table of contents. A good rule of thumb is that a report of twelve pages or more should have a table of contents. In Word this is easily done if you have used Heading Styles. The table of contents will adapt automatically if you make any changes to the document. We will use the document that we have worked with in recent exercises. It is only a half page, so I have to admit that it seems a bit silly to make a table of contents, but in this way you do not have to write 12 pages of text before we can begin the exercise.

The "Normal" Style is excellent for general text. It is basically set up to use the font "Times New Roman" in point size 12, which is pleasant to read. But perhaps we can still improve the style a little. I like documents with “straight margins". This means that the spaces between the words are adapted so that all lines reach the right margin, excluding the lines that are closed with a line break. 1. Right-click the Style button Normal in the Ribbon. 2. Click Edit in the menu that appears.

When I say simple formatting, I mean selection of a piece of text to be rendered in another font, colour, alignment etc. When it gets more advanced, we will start working with Styles, which gives more options. 1. Select the first line using the mouse. 2. Select the Home Tab in the Ribbon. 3. Click on the Bold Button in the Ribbon. It is the button with a ”B” on it 4. Select once again the text you have just formatted 5. Click on the Center Button. 6. Again, make sure that the first line of text is selected. 7. In the font changer, click the small arrow to the right of the font name. 8. Click Arial Black on the list that appears 9. Similarly, change the font size to 16. You can do this either by selecting it from the list or by typing it directly into the field.

Let us write some text, so we have something to work with. You must type the following text into a blank document. When I write "Press ENTER on the keyboard", you obviously do not write it, but press ENTER (or RETURN key, as some call it). This is the first exercise in Word 2007. Press the ENTER key on the keyboard. When I have finished reading the book and done all the exercises, I will be able to solve virtually any task in connection with letter writing, report writing, mail merging, printing, envelopes and labels. (Press the ENTER key on the keyboard). I will also learn how to insert images and even spreadsheets and charts from Excel. (Press the ENTER key on the keyboard).

As indicated earlier, we will try using a Template. I have chosen a letter Template that makes it easy to set up a nice letter. 1. Click on the Office Button in the upper left corner of the screen. 2. Click on New. 3. In the left side, select Installed Templates. 4. Select the Template Urban Letter. 5. Double-click on the template or Click on the Create button. This opens a new mail document. Everything is set up, you just have to type your text into the different text fields. Using Templates is an excellent way to create documents. If you are working with Word in a company, the company might have created its own templates for letters, faxes, reports and notes, which are adapted to their letterhead, colour, etc. You could ask the IT department in your company if this is the case.

You do not have to confine yourself to working in one document at a time. You can have as many documents open as your computer's memory allows. In most cases, this means more than you will ever need. Let us try to start a couple of new documents, so you can get an idea of your options. Click on the Office Button in the top left corner of the screen. Click on New.

When Word starts up, the program will display a new blank document - that is, a completely blank piece of paper which you can begin to write on. That is fine most of the time, but you do not have to start from a completely blank page. Word can help you lay out your documents neatly, so it is easy, for example, to design a nice letter. This is done through a variety of built-in Templates that were installed with the program. You can download even more Templates from the Internet. If this is not enough for you, you can also create your own Templates once you are familiar with the program.

The Status Bar, in the bottom left of the screen, shows at all times which page you are on, how many pages there are in total, and how many words there are in the document. There is also a small icon that moves as you type.  Status Bar  It shows the Spelling and Grammar Check is active. It also says what language you are using (in case you are in doubt). Joking aside, when, for instance, it says "English", it means that Word understands what you have written to be English and applies the English Dictionary and Grammar Check on it.

With the View Buttons you can change the way your document is displayed. The View does not change the way your document appears when you print it. The different Views each have their advantages depending on what you are working on. 1 Print Layout Print Layout is the default View. In this View, what you see on the screen is similar to the print-out. This View is good when you type text, and it is excellent when you want to position pictures and graphics as well as when you need to adjust page setup and margins. This View is probably the one you will use most often.

The small, discrete ”Quick Access” Toolbar is located just to the right of the Office Button. Using Quick Access, you can save, undo, etc. with a single click.  "Quick Access" can be customised so you can choose the features that suit you. To do this, right-click on any button and choose Customize Quick Access Toolbar. Alternatively you can click the small arrow to the right of the Toolbar to enable you to quickly select and deselect features.

In the upper left corner of the screen, you will find the round Office Button. It corresponds basically to the old "Files" menu. When you click on the Office Button, a menu pops up. It is this menu you must enter when you want to create a new blank document, and when you need to save it. You will also find menu items for Preview and Print. It is also via the Office Button you get to Word Options, where you can configure a wide range of basic Options that determine how Word functions. If you are not very familiar with Word, you should stay far away from Options at this point.

In this section, we review the basic structure of Word 2007 . You start the program by clicking the Windows Start Button at the bottom left, then click Programs. In the Programs menu there is a folder called Microsoft Office, and this is of course where you find Word. When you start Word, you automatically start in a new blank document. On its surface Word 2007 is a very simple and attractive program, and it is undoubtedly relatively easy to use, but there are some elements you need to familiarise yourself with.

Shortcut keys If you like using Shortcut Keys instead of the mouse, you need to know that they work a bit differently in Office 2007 compared to previous versions. I recommend using Shortcut Keys as they are often easier to use than the mouse. Shortcut Keys are combinations of keyboard keystrokes that give you access to most of the functions you would otherwise select using the mouse. I highly recommend that you practice using Shortcuts for the functions

Fig. 1 If you have used Word for some time and just recently changed to the 2007 version, you are probably going to have some initial problems locating the functions you are used to. This is primarily because many functions have been redesigned in connection with implementation of the “Ribbon”. In some cases the functions have also changed name. I am going to list the most important functions, so you can get used to the new interface as quickly as possible. New, Open, Save and Save As are located in the Office button. The quick Save function can also be found in the ”Quick Access” toolbar, next to the Office button.

In many of the previous versions of Word, the changes have mostly been cosmetic. In version 2007, Word is still essentially the same program, but on the surface there have been some significant changes that in many cases have made it easier to use. Ribbons and Tabs Like the other programs in the Office package, Word has gotten a new, smarter look. The most obvious change is that the traditional Menu and Toolbars have been replaced by the new Ribbon. The Ribbon contains Ribbon Tabs and every Tab contains buttons for the various functions that used to be located in the Menu and Toolbars. The Ribbon is far more visual and task-oriented; it constantly adapts to your current activity.

This focuses on how best to solve various problems in Word. Rather than a point for point examination of all the functions in Word, it is based on typical tasks and problems you might need to solve. First you will learn how to navigate in the program and tackle basic tasks, such as writing letters and reports, and creating a nice layout. At the more advanced stages, you will learn how to mail merge (combine a Word document with a spreadsheet) and use the proofing tools.

Ms-Word is like a typewriter on steroids! In this respect Word is no different from other word processing programs. Since the computer has become a common household and workplace item the typewriter has almost disappeared. Some people might have kept their typewriter, but that is mostly for sentimental reasons. Nowadays a typewriter is only used when a carbon copy is needed. If you do not need carbon copies, and if you have a personal computer (PC), you might just as well donate the old “chopping board” to a museum.

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