Formatting Text and Paragraphs in Word Processors

Posted on Nov 13, 2024 in Computers

Improving Text Appearance

It’s possible to change the font and size, highlight text with bold, italics, underline, or change paragraph alignment (left, center, right) and add borders. This process is called formatting.

There are two ways to format text:

  1. Write the document, select the text to modify, and apply the formatting.
  2. Choose the format first, then write the text.

Font and Style

Font refers to the characteristics of displayed and printed characters. The available fonts depend on the word processor and printer.

Style refers to the use of italics, superscripts, and subscripts, often needed for scientific formulas.

You can apply text formatting using the “Font” dialog box:

  1. Open the Format menu.
  2. Select the “Font” option.
  3. Enter the font, size, color, position, and style.
  4. Click “OK”.

Formatting Paragraphs

To format a paragraph, place the cursor anywhere within it. To format multiple paragraphs, select them.

You can use the “Paragraph” dialog box for formatting.

Line Spacing

Line spacing is called leading. To adjust it:

  1. Open the Format menu and select “Paragraph”.
  2. Go to the “Indentation and Spacing” tab.
  3. Select the desired line spacing.
  4. Click “OK”.

You can also define spacing before and after paragraphs.

Paragraph Alignment

Text alignment refers to how text aligns with margins.

You can adjust alignment using the “Paragraph” dialog box or the formatting toolbar. Alignment options include:

  • Left: Aligned to the left margin.
  • Center: Centered between margins.
  • Right: Aligned to the right margin.
  • Justified: Aligned to both margins.

Lines, Boxes, and Shading

To add a line or box:

  1. Place the cursor in the paragraph.
  2. Open the Format menu and select “Paragraph”.
  3. Select “Borders and Shading”.
  4. Choose the line style, color, and position.

To add shading:

  1. Go to the “Shading” tab.
  2. Select the style and color.
  3. Click “OK”.

To format individual words or characters, select them first.

Tabs and Tables

You can organize text using tabs or tables.

Using Tabs

Tabs help align text without using the spacebar.

Managing Tabs with the Ruler

The ruler simplifies tab management:

  • Click the tab type button to select the desired tab.
  • Click on the ruler to add a tab stop.
  • Drag a tab to move it.
  • Drag a tab off the ruler to remove it.

Tables

To insert a table:

  1. Open the “Table” menu.
  2. Select “Insert” and then “Table”.

Page Design

Headers and Footers

Headers and footers display information at the top and bottom of pages.

To add a header or footer:

  1. Open the “View” menu.
  2. Select “Header and Footer”.
  3. Enter the header text.
  4. Click the “Footer” button.
  5. Enter the footer text.
  6. Click “Close”.

You can insert codes for automatic page numbers, file name, date, etc.

Page Borders

To add a page border:

  1. Open the “Format” menu.
  2. Select “Borders and Shading”.
  3. Go to the “Page Border” tab.
  4. Select the border type, line style, and color.
  5. Click “OK”.

Graphic Objects

Inserting Artistic Text

WordArt lets you create stylized text:

  1. Place the cursor where you want to insert the text.
  2. Open the “Insert” menu, then “Picture”, and then “WordArt”.
  3. Select a style.
  4. Enter the text.
  5. Choose the font and size, then click “OK”.
  6. Use the WordArt toolbar for further customization.
  7. Click outside the title to close WordArt.

Click on the text to edit it and access the WordArt toolbar again.