Desktop Publishing (Word)

Transcription

1 Desktop Publishing (Word) In addition to word processing, Microsoft Word is a suprisingly capable desktop publishing application. It is no substitute for a professional grade program like Adobe PageMaker (replaced by Adobe InDesign ) or QuarkXPress, but it does include features that allow users to create relatively sophisticated designs and page spreads. We will explore some of these capabilities today including how to use drawing tools, fill effects and text boxes to create great looking documents! Tip: An excellent short read on the principles of graphic design is Robin William s (not the comedian!:-) The Non-Designer s Design Book. Quick Tips & Techniques Customize Your Toolbars You can customize or create your own toolbars by dragging buttons on and off menus. You can also show, move, and hide toolbars. Select Page View from the view menu. Drag from command window to the toolbar. Use Styles A style is a set of formatting characteristics that you can apply to text in your document to quickly change its appearance. When you apply a style, you apply a whole group of formats in one simple step. You apply styles to text and paragraphs, and you can even define your own style!. Use the Format Painter Use the FP to copy a paragraphs format style. To apply to several locations, double-click the Format Painter. When finished, press Command+Period. Set Tabs & Hanging Indents Set tabs from the Format menu. Use Headers and Footers Headers and footers are typically used in printed documents. You can create headers and footers that include text or graphics for example, page numbers, the date, a company logo, the document s title or file name, or the author s name that are usually printed at the top or bottom of each page in a document. A header is printed in the top margin; a footer is printed in the bottom margin. Access under the View menu. Use Columns Very useful when laying out newspaper-like documents, but linked text boxes are more versatile. Use Grids The drawing grid is an invisible network of lines that helps you align drawing objects, such as AutoShapes. As you drag or draw an object or an AutoShape, Word pulls it into alignment with the nearest intersection of gridlines. By default, gridlines are not visible on the screen, but you can display gridlines to view the drawing grid. You make objects snap to the gridlines.

2 Insert and Draw Objects Use objects to architect pages. More versatile than tables because you can group and layer objects in front of one another. To select, point cursor over object s border until it becomes a hand. You can fill objects with colors, gradients and textures. Objects including straight lines are available from the Drawing toolbar. Be sure to use the lock option. (set Auto Default) Insert Graphics and Images Graphic resolution that prints well should be at least 144 ppi (dpi). You can crop and set a graphic s transparency level, too. To add a watermark on every page, use Headers and Footers and adjust the image s transparency or color levels. Use Linked Text Boxes Linked text boxes allow you to continue a story into another area of the document. Group Objects Select the objects you want to group by holding down SHIFT as you click each object. Then, on the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Group. Layer Objects You can layer text and graphics by using either the In front of text or Behind text text-wrapping styles. You can also create a watermark that appears behind the text on the printed pages of a document. Arrange Objects Use the Align or Distribute command to line up two or more drawing objects by their edges, centers (horizontally), or middles (vertically). You can also align one or more drawing objects relative to the entire page or other anchor, and you can arrange or distribute drawing objects equal distances from each other vertically, horizontally, or in relation to the entire page. You can align and distribute pictures, but you must first change the text-wrapping style from Inline with text to another textwrapping style. Use Kerning. Kerning is the adjustment of text that involves slightly decreasing or increasing the amount of space between any two adjacent letters to improve the overall appearance of text. The amount of kerning depends on the font design and the specific pair of letters. desktop_publishing.pdf

3 Desktop Publishing (Word) Special Tip!! Atomic Learning has very good online training videos for those users who would like additional training on Microsoft Word and other Office Applications! Username: Password: 1. Microsoft provides some really incredible free templates on their Office Web site. You can download calendars, brochures, newsletters and even clip art from Take a minute to browse the templates and click on one to download. The template should then open up directly in in MS Word. You can also do this with clipart you find on the Office Web site!

4 2. One of the first things to do is save your document. The FIRST time you save it you can use the Save As... command; from then on just choose Save... (Ctrl+S). You can always save your document again with a different title using the Save As... command, which is just another way of renaming your document. 3. You can set different views for your document under View > Normal or View > Print Layout... You will need to switch to Print Layout to set tab stops or view your Headers and Footers! Print Layout View Normal View desktop_publishing.pdf

5 Desktop Publishing (Word) 4. You can view and customize your toolbars from the View > Toolbars command. From here, if you choose Customize... you can drag commands on AND off your toolbar and set different options. The Drawing toolbar is a good toolbar to always have open when working in MS Word... Drag command icons ON and OFF the toolbar to customize your menus... Uncheck the Menus show recently used commands first box under the Options tab to get rid of the doubledown arrows on your toolbars (if applicable)!

6 5. You can adjust your document s page margins and set other page properties including portrait or landscape orientation from File > Page Setup... Select the Paper Source tab to change the page s orientation to Landscape or Portrait.. Remember, you have the option to print ONLY the current page or a range of pages in an extra long document! 6. The keyboard shortcut for cutting text is CTRL+X and the shortcut for pasting text is CTRL+V. 7. Adjust the appearance of your text using various formatting commands such as font type, color, font size, etc. desktop_publishing.pdf

7 Desktop Publishing (Word) 8. Insert bullets or numbered lists from the icons shortcuts on the menu toolbar. Remember to use the Increase Indent and Decrease Indent buttons to promote or demote sub topics appropriately! 9. Set hanging indents by adjusting the markers. To set TAB stops, switch to Print Layout view and click spots on the ruler above the document where you want your tab stops to appear. Click on the ruler to add tab stops! Drag the top or bottom marks to set first line and hanging indents. Hanging indents are frequently used for bulleted lists, resumes, and bibligraphies.

8 10. Place text into columns using the command Format > Columns Set or create NEW styles for your document that you will use over and over again from Format > Style... From Microsoft Office Help: A style is a set of formatting characteristics that you can apply to text in your document to quickly change its appearance. When you apply a style, you apply a group of elements in one step. For example, you may want to format the title of a report to make it stand out. Instead of taking three separate steps to format your title as 16pt, Arial and center-aligned, you can achieve the same result by applying the Title style. A paragraph style controls all aspects of a paragraph s appearance, such as text alignment, tab stops, line spacing and borders AND can include character formatting. A character style affects selected text within a paragraph such as the font face and size of text, and bold and italic formatting. Characters within a paragraph can have their own style even if a paragraph style is applied to the paragraph AS A WHOLE. desktop_publishing.pdf

9 Desktop Publishing (Word) 12. Add clipart using the Insert > Picture > Clip Art... command. resize handle. 13. Use headers and footers to add page numbers, dates and other items you d like to appear on every page View > Header and Footer including images used as watermarks!

10 To adjust a picture s properties, right-click on it and choose Format Picture... Right-click on the picture or object to send the picture in front of or behind text, or to change its saturation in order to use it as a watermark Control an image s color cast under the Picture tab and its postion under the Layout tab. desktop_publishing.pdf

11 Desktop Publishing (Word) Insert a table into your document using the Table > Insert > Table menu command. You can format a table s properties including its shading and border design by right clicking on it after it has been inserted into your document. 17. Insert WordArt or AutoShapes and group objects from the Drawing toolbar to spice up your document! Remember, to format any object right-click on it.

12 12 To group shapes, hold down the Shift key when clicking to select multiple objects. Then choose Group from the Drawing toolbar. You can also arrange objects (Bring Forward, Send to Back, etc.) from the Drawing toolbar using the Order command. When working with text boxes, one of the hardest things is SELECTING it as opposed to typing INTO it. To type text INTO the text box, click INSIDE the box. You can start typing your text when you see the blinking cursor that looks like a vertical line in the box like the figure above. To SELECT the box, click on the very outside of the border. You can move or format the text box when your cursor switches to a cross-hair like the figure above. desktop_publishing.pdf

13 Desktop Publishing (Word) 13 After you place and align your shapes and text boxes on the page, consider grouping them (drawing toolbar) to better manage their layout. Create shapes from the drawing menu and fill them with colors including gradients. Then, use text boxes with clear borders for the font and arrange them so the text box is in front of the shape(s). Use a gradient as a fill in rectangle shapes to spice up the colorful look of your page. Use kerning effects to spread out your letters; this will give your titles a more unique and professional look. It s usually a good idea to include captions under pictures. Remember, not all the text has to be assigned a dark font color. Consider using a lighter shade of gray in your subtitles to add variety to your layout. Quotations in sidebars give the document a professional edge. Consider the use of drop caps for the first letter in the opening paragraph. A drop cap is when the first letter of a paragraph is larger than the rest of the text. Consider the use of well placed vertical and horizontal lines to break the visual space in the document and guide readers to different areas of the page. Use the align objects feature available from the drawing toolbar to align your objects (text boxes) vertically and horizontally. You can create text boxes that flow text automatically from one box to the other.