Detailed Guides: Document Layout

The KWord Users Manual
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# Chapter 8. Detailed Guides: Document Layout

Two sections ago, we talked about creating, saving, loading and printing documents. In the section after that (the previous section), we discussed entering the textual information, moving it around, spell checing, and autocorrecting your text.

This section of the guide is designed to help you layout your documents. We will begin with changing the size and shape of the page and the margins, and work progressively through smaller and smaller blocks of text (frames, then paragraphs, then characters).

After we have discussed formatting individual characters, we will deal with some miscellaneous topics related to layout of your document.

# 8.1. Formatting the Page

If you will remember back to when we talked about Normal Templates and Publishing Templates, we mentioned that there were differences in your formatting options.

Well these differences are most important when we talk about Formatting the Page. What follows are two sections, one for formatting the page with a Normal Template, and another section for formatting the page with a Publishing Template. Each section is independent of each other, so you should refer to the section that applies to your document.

## 8.1.1. Formatting the Page (Normal Template)

When you are working with a Normal Template, you control the size and shape of the main frame by setting the margins.

Formating the page is usually done by selecting:

Format->Page...

From the menubar.

| You can also go straight to the "Format Page" options by double clicking on either of the rulers.

A dialog box will appear with 3 tabs, labled "Format and Borders", "Columns" and "Header and Footer".

The "Format and Borders" tab is for altering the paper size, and changing the margins.

First you will notice, that a preview box appears on the right half of this dialog. This will approximate the final look of your document. It is updated with each change, and should be used as a guide for your changes.

On the left, the dialog first informs you what unit of measurement it is using. This unit of measurement is the same unit of measurement you have set for your rulers. (In this example, we are using inches.)

Below that, you can determine the paper format you will eventually print to. Your choices are:

- DIN A3

- DIN A4

- DIN A5

- DIN B5

- US Letter

- US Legal

- US Exective

- Screen

- Custom

All of these options (with the exception of Screen and Custom), refers to standard paper sizes.

Screen is used to generate a document where each "page" has an aspect ratio (shape) which matches the aspect ratios of computer monitors.

If you select the "Custom" paper size, two text entry boxes (labled "Width" and "Height") become active. Using these two boxes you can now enter any size paper you need.

Next to the paper format, you can select either Portrait or Landscape layout for your document.

Below the page format options, is the Page Borders Options, which consists of 4 entry boxes labled ("Right", "Left", "Top" and "Bottom").

The Page Borders (aka Margins), define the whitespace surrounding the text in your main frame. You can enter any number from 0 to the maximum size of the page in these boxes. The units are the same for all four boxes, and is the same as the measurement listed at the top of the dialog..

Clicking on the "Columns" tab allows you to change the number of columns on each page. Details can be found here.

Clicking on the "Header and Footer" tab changes the dialog options.

This dialog can be broken into two major sections, with each section being divided in to smaller divisions.

If you are not familiar with Headers and Footers yet, you should first read the section entitled Headers/Footers

Headers

This section lets you determine the placement of headers, and which pages have which headers on them.

In the text box labled "Spacing between header and body", you can specify how much empty space should be placed between the bottom of the header, and the top of the main frame.

You are also presented with three options. You must choose one:

- Same header for all pages - If you select this option, all pages, even or odd, including the first page, will have the same headers. This is the default.

- Different header for first page - If you select this option, the first page will use a different header than the other pages. After the first page, all pages have use the same header

- Different header for even and odd pages - If you select this option, the even pages will use one header, the odd pages use another header. You can use this to ensure the page numbers are always on the outside of the page, or to list the title of the document on odd pages and the chapter number on the even pages.

Footers

This section lets you determine the placement of footers, and which pages have which footers on them.

In the text box labled "Spacing between footer and body", you can specify how much empty space should be placed between the top of the footer, and the bottom of the main frame.

You are also presented with three options. You must choose one:

- Same footer for all pages - If you select this option, all pages, even or odd, including the first page, will have the same footer. This is the default.

- Different footer for first page - If you select this option, the first page will use a different footer than the other pages. After the first page, all pages have use the same footer

- Different footer for even and odd pages - If you select this option, the even pages will use one footer, the odd pages use another footer.

When you are satisfied with the changes you are ready to make, click "OK".

If you click "Cancel", all your changes will be ignored.

## 8.1.2. Formatting the Page (DeskTop Publishing)

When you are working with a DTP Template, you control the size and shape of all the frames individually.

Formating the page is usually done by selecting:

Format->Page...

From the menubar.

| You can also go straight to the "Format Page" options by double clicking on either of the rulers.

A dialog box will appear with 2 tabs, labled "Format and Borders" and "Header and Footer".

The "Format and Borders" tab is for altering the paper size.

First you will notice, that a preview box appears on the right half of this dialog. This will approximate the final look of your document. It is updated with each change, and should be used as a guide for your changes.

On the left, the dialog first informs you what unit of measurement it is using. This unit of measurement is the same unit of measurement you have set for your rulers. (In this example, we are using inches.)

Below that, you can determine the paper format you will eventually print to. Your choices are:

- DIN A3

- DIN A4

- DIN A5

- DIN B5

- US Letter

- US Legal

- US Exective

- Screen

- Custom

All of these options (with the exception of Screen and Custom), refers to standard paper sizes.

Screen is used to generate a document where each "page" has an aspect ratio (shape) which matches the aspect ratios of computer monitors.

If you select the "Custom" paper size, two text entry boxes (labled "Width" and "Height") become active. Using these two boxes you can now enter any size paper you need.

Next to the paper format, you can select either Portrait or Landscape layout for your document.

Below the page format options, is the Page Borders Options, which consists of 4 entry boxes labled ("Right", "Left", "Top" and "Bottom"). These boxes are inactive and cannot be changed.

Clicking on the "Header and Footer" tab changes the dialog options.

This dialog can be broken into two major sections, with each section being divided in to smaller divisions.

If you are not familiar with Headers and Footers yet, you should first read the section entitled Headers/Footers

Headers

This section lets you determine the placement of headers, and which pages have which headers on them.

In the text box labled "Spacing between header and body", you can specify how much empty space should be placed between the bottom of the header, and the top of the main frame.

You are also presented with three options. You must choose one:

- Same header for all pages - If you select this option, all pages, even or odd, including the first page, will have the same headers. This is the default.

- Different header for first page - If you select this option, the first page will use a different header than the other pages. After the first page, all pages have use the same header

- Different header for even and odd pages - If you select this option, the even pages will use one header, the odd pages use another header. You can use this to ensure the page numbers are always on the outside of the page, or to list the title of the document on odd pages and the chapter number on the even pages.

Footers

This section lets you determine the placement of footers, and which pages have which footers on them.

In the text box labled "Spacing between footer and body", you can specify how much empty space should be placed between the top of the footer, and the bottom of the main frame.

You are also presented with three options. You must choose one:

- Same footer for all pages - If you select this option, all pages, even or odd, including the first page, will have the same footer. This is the default.

- Different footer for first page - If you select this option, the first page will use a different footer than the other pages. After the first page, all pages have use the same footer

- Different footer for even and odd pages - If you select this option, the even pages will use one footer, the odd pages use another footer.

When you are satisfied with the changes you are ready to make, click "OK".

If you click "Cancel", all your changes will be ignored.

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