Microsoft® Office 2008 for Mac® Bible

Chapter 7. Formatting Word Text

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Setting fonts and color

• Using AutoFormat

• Creating lists with bullets and numbering

• Modifying alignment, spacing, and margins

Word processing is more than simply typing words on a page. In the past, your only formatting options when creating a document were the margin settings and indenting. Word processing now affords desktop publishing options and control to even the simplest of documents. Your choice of font and color, application of bold and underscoring, and use of spacing often contribute as much to the message conveyed by your document as the text itself. Bulleted and numbered lists can be used to further highlight key points, and they automatically renumber and reformat themselves as you modify the document. Finally, borders and shading columns can provide a final, professional touch to your work.

In this chapter, you learn to use the Formatting Palette for quick changes to your fonts and paragraphs and various dialog boxes that provide even greater control over these options. You learn to control the alignment and spacing of your lines and paragraphs down to the very pixel. You also learn how to format your text with lists, borders, and shading to create the look you want.

Understanding Formatting

In order to consistently format a document, it's important to know the difference between various elements of your document. Each Word document has three major elements, and different types of formatting can be applied to each:

• Characters ...