Unit Summary
This unit introduces the commands necessary to format a word processor document to
improve its appearance and readability. A document can be reviewed by selecting the
Print Preview command. In print preview, a document’s pages are displayed on the
screen as they will appear when printed.
To reverse the effects of the last action performed, the Undo command from the Edit
menu is used. The repeat or redo command performs as an action again. The Undo and
Redo buttons on the Standard Toolbar can be used instead of the commands.
Tabs are used to position text within a line. Tab stops are locations specifying the
position of the tab character. Different types of tab stops are left, right, center, and
decimal. A left tab stop aligns the beginning of the text at the stop. A right tab stop
aligns the end of the text at the stop, and a center tab stop centers the text equidistant over
the stop. Decimal tab stops align the decimal point (period charter) at the stop. Multiple
tab stops are set using the Tabs command from the Format menu. Individual tab stops
can be set using the Tab Selection button on the Ruler.
Text can be selected by dragging the I-beam pointer over it to create a highlighted block.
When a formatting command is selected, the format is then applied to the block. A
highlighted block can be deleted by pressing the backspace key or Delete key.
The way text appears on a page is called its format. There are three levels that describe
how the format will affect the document: character, paragraph, and page. Character
formats affect the currently highlighted text, paragraph formats affect the entire
paragraph that contains the cursor, and page formats affect the entire document.
The Font command from the Format menu displays the font dialog box that contains
options for changing the style, font, and size of highlighted text. The font dialog box can
also be displayed by clicking on highlighted text and selecting the Font command from
the menu that appears. Bold and italic styles are common character formats. Text can
also be made to appear superscripted or subscripted using options in this dialog box. The
Bold, Italic, and Underline buttons on the Formatting Toolbar and Ctrl key shortcuts can
also be used to format text.
Selecting the Paragraph command form the Format menu displays the Paragraph dialog
box which contains options for changing the alignment and line spacing of a paragraph.
This dialog box can also be displayed by right-clicking in any paragraph and selecting the
Paragraph command from the menu that appears. A left aligned paragraph has a straight
left edge and a right aligned paragraph has a straight right edge. Centered text is
equidistant from the left and right sides of the page, and a justified paragraph has straight
edges at both sides. The Align Left, Align Right, Center, and Justify buttons on the
Formatting Toolbar and Ctrl key shortcuts may also be used to format alignment. Line
spacing can be formatted as single spacing of double spacing. When alignment of line
spacing is set, it affects the paragraph containing the cursor or all the paragraphs in a
highlighted block.
Margins are the white regions shown around text in Print Layout view. The margins for a
document can be changed using the Page Setup command from the File menu.
Headers and footers are text displayed at the top or bottom of each page in a document
and can be created by selecting the Header and Footer command from the View menu
and then entering the text. The cursor is moved from the header to the footer using the
Switch between Header and Footer button on the Header and Footer Toolbar. Page
numbers and information such as a title or name can be printed in a header of footer. The
current page number can be printed by placing the cursor in the header or footer and
selecting the Insert Page Number button on the Header and Footer Toolbar.
Pagination is the process by which Word determines where one page ends and the next
begins. When it is necessary to end the current page, a manual page break can be
inserted using the Break command from the Insert menu. Pressing the Delete key
removes the page break to the right of the cursor.
The Font command from the Format menu displays the font dialog box which contains
options for changing the style, font, and size of highlighted text. The font dialog box can
also be displayed by clicking on highlighted text and selecting the Font command from
the menu that appears. Bold and italic styles are common character formats. Text can
also be made to appear superscripted or subscripted using options in this dialog box. The
Bold, Italic, and Underline buttons on the Formatting Toolbar and Ctrl key shortcuts can
also be used to format text.
Tabs are used to position text within a line. Tab stops are locations specifying the
position of the tab character. Different types of tab stops are left, right, center, and
decimal. A left tab stop aligns the beginning of the text at the stop. A right tab stop
aligns the end of the text at the stop, and a center tab stop centers the text equidistant over
the stop. Decimal tab stops align the decimal point (period charter) at the stop. Multiple
tab stops are set using the Tabs command from the Format menu. Individual tab stops
can be set using the Tab Selection button on the Ruler.