Word Page Setup

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Microsoft's idea of an ideal page layout may not be quite the same as yours, so it's always a good idea to check the default settings and change them to suit your particular needs. In addition to setting up documents the way you want them, you will - from time to time - want to use a different page orientation, use a non-standard paper size, specify pages on which to print headers and/or footers, or set the vertical alignment for the text on the page. It is a good idea to change most of these settings before you being typing the document.

The Page Setup dialog box is accessed through the File menu. When you bring it up, notice that it contains four tabbed sheets, each dealing with a different area of page layout. Click on a tab to move it to the top. Unless you have changed them, the current settings are default settings - preset margins, paper size, page orientation, etc. - that are used for all the documents you produce. You can change the default settings or make changes that will apply only to the current document.

The Margins Tab

Defaults are standard settings that are preset in the software. You can change these settings for the current document only, for all new documents, or for a portion of a document. Margins can be changed from the Page Setup menu or on the ruler bar.

To change the margins for the current document only:

Double click on the setting you want to change (double clicking will highlight the number), then just type in the new setting - there is no need to delete first if the text is highlighted. Or from the keyboard, tab to the setting you want to change and click on the up or down arrow to increase or decrease the margin.

Gutter:

The gutter adds extra space for binding (or hole punching!) on the binding edge of each page. For example, if your left and right margins are set at 1", adding a gutter of 1/2" on the binding edge will retain the 1" margin on that side and add an extra 1/2" so that you can either punch holes or actually bind the document without losing any 'white space'. For documents that are to be printed on only one side, the binding edge is the left edge. For documents that will be printed on both sides, the inside edge is the binding edge.

Header: and Footer:

The header and footer are reserved spaces at the top (Header) and bottom (Footer) of the page where you can insert document or chapter titles, page numbers, revision dates, etc. The advantage of inserting this information in a header or footer is that you only have to enter it once (unless you use Section Breaks) and they will always stay put, no matter how much you revise your document.

Use the Header and Footer margins to specify how much white space there will be between the top of the first line of the header and the top edge of the page, and the last line of the footer and the bottom edge of the page. The default setting is 0.5". If you change this setting, be sure to leave enough space so that whatever you put in the header and/or footer won't be too close to the page edge - it may not print properly if it's too close.

Mirror margins

In the illustration above, Mirror Margins is selected and the gutter is set at 0.5". These are the setting you should use if you will be printing your document on both sides and binding on the inside edges.

2 pages per sheet

Here's what MS Word 2000 Help says about this:

"Prints the second page of a document on the first page. This check box is used when the printed page is folded in half with the two pages on the inside. The outer margins (gutters) of the page will be the same width, and the inner margins will be the same width."

And here's a picture of what it looks like:

Specify which portion of the document you want to change with the new settings:

• Whole Document
• This Point Forward - margins will be changed from the present cursor location to the end of the document. Margins from the beginning of the document to the present cursor location won't change.
• Selected Text - If you have highlighted a section of text, any changes you make will apply only to that section. The margins in the rest of the document will remain unchanged.

Gutter Position

Specify whether you want the gutter at the left or the top

To change the default margin settings (through Page Setup menu only):

Make changes to the margins as outlined above, but before exiting the dialogue box, click on Default... You will be asked to verify your choice. Unless you select a particular template when you begin a new document, all documents you create will use the new default settings, which were stored in the Normal template. (See the article on Templates & Styles)

The Paper Size Tab

1. Select the size and orientation of paper (portrait: 81/2 x 11; landscape 11 x 81/2)
    
2. Scroll through choices in the drop down box and click on the appropriate paper size, OR
    
3. Click on Custom and either type in a custom size or use the up and down arrows to enter the height and width of the paper you wish to use.

When you select Portrait or Landscape orientation, you'll see an illustration of your choice in the Preview area.

Paper Source

Normally, paper will come from the default tray. If you have more than one tray and use different paper for the first sheet of your documents, use one tray for the first page (e.g., letterhead) and another tray for the remaining pages. Normally, you shouldn't need to change this setting.

Layout

Select the Layout tab if you want to vertically align text on the page (e.g., the page contains only a small amount of text, which you would like to center vertically on the page); to add line numbers to a document; to specify different headers or footers on odd/even pages, or to set a different header or footer for the first page of the document. (See the article on Headers & Footers). New in Word 2000: You can apply page borders from within this tab. Layout sheet also contains a section for specifying where 'new sections' should start. Sections are discussed below.

Aligning Text Vertically on a Page

Center text between top and bottom margins, or 'justify' to spread the text to fill the page between the top and bottom margins. The default vertical alignment is Top - text begins on the first line below the top margin.

Page Numbers

1. Select Page Numbers from the Insert menu.
    
2. In the dialog box, select the page number position and alignment, and specify whether or not you want a number on the first page. Word will automatically insert a page number in the top or bottom margin (the header or footer area) of each page of the document. Page numbers may be included as part of the header or footer text (see the Headers & Footers article), and can be formatted the same way that you format normal text (font size, style, and enhancements; alignment; etc.).
    
3. Specify the kind of numbers or numbering you want to use (Arabic, Roman, alpha, etc.).
    
4. Click on the Format button to select the number format, to include chapter numbers (e.g., I-2), and whether to number a document continuously or to restart the numbering in each chapter/section. See the Headers & Footers article for instructions on using leading text (e.g., 'Page') with page numbers.

Creating Sections in A Document

If parts of a document require formatting that is totally different from the rest of the document, you can create a separate section, format it however you'd like, and then return to normal formatting for the remainder of the document.

Sections can be formatted as though they were unique documents: you can change the page orientation, margins, tabs, and indents; set up multiple columns within the section; or use any other formatting that you would normally use for setting up an entire document.

To Insert a Section Break

Place the cursor where you want the new section to begin, then choose Break from the Insert menu. Under Section Breaks, choose one of the following options:

• Next Page: Breaks the page at the section break. The new section will start at the top of the next page.
• Continuous: The new section begins on the page where the cursor is presently located, but inserts a break that allows the new section to be formatted separately. The section break will cause the new section to begin on a new page if you change the paper size or orientation (portrait vs. landscape) for the new section.
• Odd Page: The new section will begin on the next odd-numbered page. If you insert the section break in an odd-numbered page, the new section will begin on the next odd-numbered page. (If you're creating a document that will be printed on both sides of the paper, you may need to manually insert a page break before the page with the section break in it. It's important that new chapters or sections of a printed document begin on an odd numbered page and that the odd page is on the right.
• Even Page: Same as Odd Page, but the new section begins on the next even-numbered page.

Click OK once you've made your selection.

If you are in Normal view (in the View menu, select Normal), you will see a double dotted line across the page where the new section begins.

When you change the formatting for the new section using Page Setup in the File menu, use the Apply To list to specify whether you want the formatting changes to apply only to the new section, to the whole document, or from the section break to the end of the document.

Headers & Footers

Selecting Header and Footer from the View menu switches the display to Page Layout view (if necessary), grays out the document text, and places the cursor inside the header area of the document, where you can create a header or footer by inserting text, graphics, word art, page numbers, dates, etc. – actually, anything that you could insert into the body of your document. And anything you place in a header or footer can be formatted just as you’d format similar elements in a document.

Unless you specify otherwise, the header or footer you insert will appear on each page of the document.

Header and Footer Tool Bar:

When working in the header or footer area, the area is delineated by a dashed line and includes information about which header or footer you’re working in, when applicable. The document text is dimmed when you’re in Header and Footer view.

The Odd Page Header label is displayed only because the document was set up to have different headers and footers on odd and even pages. The Odd Page Header wouldn’t appear if the header and footer were formatted to be the same throughout the document.

• The Insert AutoText button gives you access to AutoText entries so that they can be easily inserted into headers and footers.
  
• Insert Page Number, Insert Number of Pages, Format Page Number: These buttons should be fairly self-explanatory. The first two will insert the page number and/or the total number of pages at the cursor location. In the Format Page Number dialog box, select the kind of page numbering you want, and specify whether or not to include the chapter number (which won’t work unless you have consistently used the built-in Heading styles throughout your document).

If you’ve used section breaks in your document, you can tell the program to continue page numbering from the previous section. You also have the option of starting page numbering with any number you’d like.

• The Insert Date and Insert Time buttons (the two buttons on the right in the Insert Page Number paragraph above) will insert the current date and/or time at the cursor location.
   
• Click on the Page Setup button to change page settings. It’s the same as clicking on Page Setup in the File menu.
   
• Click on Show/Hide Document Text (right, above) to toggle display of the document text off and on. If, for some reason, it bothers you to be able to see the text in your document while you're working in a header or footer, just use this button to temporarily make the text disappear.
   
• Same as Previous: When this button is pushed in, it will make the header or footer (depending on where you are when you click it) identical to the previous one. If your document isn't divided into chapters or sections, you probably won't have too many occasions to use this.

If you do want separate headings in different parts of a document, just make sure that the Same as Previous button is not pushed in section you want to be different.

It should also not be pushed in when you're creating a document (perhaps a letter) in which the first and subsequent page headers or footers will be different. For instance, the first page of a letter normally doesn't have a page number, but the following pages do. See Page Setup in the File Menu section about setting up a document with a different first page.

• The Switch between Headers and Footers button is very convenient when you're setting up a document. Just click on the button to move directly from the top to the bottom of the page.

• Show Previous and Show Next: use these buttons to move to the previous or the next header or footer (e.g., Show Previous will take you to the previous header if you are in a header, or to the previous footer from a footer).

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