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[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=3]Introduction[h=4]By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=3]Line Spacing
Document text can be formatted to show a number of line spacing options. The most
common spacing options are single-spaced and double-spaced.
Line spacing is measured in lines or points.
When line spacing is measured in points, it is referred to as leading (rhymes with wedding). When you
reduce the leading you automatically bring the lines of text closer together, sometimes making it
difficult to read. Increasing the leading will space the lines out, allowing for improved
readability. For example, the 10 point font usually uses 12 point leading. This is the
default and, in general, should be used.
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=5]To Format Line Spacing:
- Select the text you want to format.
- Choose Reveal Formatting on the Task Pane and click on any of the blue links under the Paragraph heading.
OR
- Click Format on the menu bar.
- Select Paragraph. The Paragraph dialog box appears.
- Click on the Indents and Spacing tab.
- In the Line spacing drop down menu, you may select single, 1.5, or double spacing. The default is single spacing.
OR
- Select the text you want to format.
- Click on the Line Spacing button on the Formatting Menu.
- Select an option from the drop-down menu.
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=3]Paragraph Dialog Box
You can use the At Least, Exactly and Multiple options in the
Paragraph Dialog Box to customize your
line spacing. If you select one of these options you will need to use the At: box to further define your selection.
When you make a line spacing change, it affects only the text in a paragraph that contains the insertion point.
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=3]Paragraph Spacing
Just as you can add spacing between lines in your document, you can also choose spacing
options between each paragraph. Typically, extra spaces are added between paragraphs, headings, or
subheadings. Extra spacing between paragraphs adds emphasis and makes a document easier to read.
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=5]Choose extra space:
- Or, before and after each paragraph.
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=5]To Specify Paragraph Spacing:
- Select the text you want to format.
- Choose Reveal Formatting on the Task Pane and click on any of the blue links under the Paragraph heading.
OR
- Click Format on the menu bar.
- Select Paragraph, The Paragraph dialog box appears.
- Click the Indents and Spacing tab.
- Alignment: Choose left, right, center, or justified.
- Indentation: Adjust the left and right margins by clicking the up and down
- arrows. Use the Special drop-down menu to select the first line as having the indent or to create a hanging indent.
- Spacing: To emphasize a block of text, click the up and down arrows.
- Preview: Gives an idea how your text will look.
[h=2]Set Line and Paragraph Spacing
[h=3]Challenge!
Download and save the
Cover Letter Word document to complete challenges 7 through 13
Open the cover letter document.
Select the text in paragraph 1 and change the
line spacing from 1.5 lines to single space.
- Use the line spacing and paragraph spacing features to practice how the features can change your document.
Be sure to use the
Undo feature (from
Edit on the main menu or the
Undo arrow on the toolbar) to
undo any of the changes you may have made while exploring these features.
Save and close the document.
[h=2]Margins
[h=3]Introduction[h=4]By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:
- Use Page Setup Dialog Box
- Adjust Margins using the Page Setup Dialog Box
[h=2]Margins
[h=3]Using Page Setup to Specify Margins
In order to change the margins (space along the top, left, right and bottom) in your
document, you will need to access the
Page Setup dialog box.
- Click File on the menu bar.
- Select Margins tab in the Page Setup dialog box.
OR
- Choose Reveal Formatting on the Task Pane and click on the blue link, Margin, under the Section heading.
- You can change the margin in precise steps by clicking on the up or down arrows next to
- the margin that you wish to change or you may type a number in the text box next to the margin you wish to change.
[h=2]Margins
[h=3]More Options on the Page Setup Dialog Box
The Page Setup dialog box gives you several other options for controlling the look of your
document. Not only can you control how your document looks on screen, but you can also
manage how your document will be printed. The Margins, Paper and Layout Tab all contain valuable tools.
[h=2]Margins
[h=5]Margins Tab
Click the Default button in the lower left corner of the Page Setup dialog box to set (or reset) Word's default margins.
You can choose to apply these new margins to the whole document or from this point forward by using the drop-down menu, Apply to:.
Change the Page Orientation by clicking on either the Portrait box (8.5 x 11) or the Landscape box (11 x 8.5).
[h=5]Paper Tab
The default paper size is 8.5 x 11, but you can change the paper size entirely. You can even
customize the paper size to include note cards, envelopes, photo paper, index cards, and much more.
[h=5]Layout Tab
The Layout Tab includes options to customize page numbering, borders, and
headers/footers. A nice feature on the Layout Tab is creating a Title Page for your document.
[h=2]Margins
[h=5]To Create a Title Page for Your Document:
- Enter the text you want on your title page.
- Click File on the Standard toolbar.
- Select Page Setup from the menu bar.
- Under Vertical Alignment, you will find the following options:
- Top: Default. Text lines up with top margin.
- Center: Text on page is centered between the top and bottom margins.
- Justified: Text is spread out so each line is same distance apart.
- Bottom: Text lines up with the bottom page.
[h=2]Margins
[h=3]Challenge! [h=5]Adjust the margins in a document.
Download and save the
Cover Letter Word document to complete challenges 7 through 13.
- Open the cover letter document.
- Set the margins so the top margin is 2 inches and all other margins are 1 inch.
- Verify that the Page Orientation is set to Portrait.
- Change the Paper Size of the document to be 8.5" x 11".
- Save your changes and close the document.
[h=2]Indent Text
[h=3]Introduction[h=4]By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to
- Indent text
- Create Hanging Indents
[h=4]
[h=2]Indent Text
[h=3]Indent Text
An indent is the space between your margin and your text. Don't confuse the
margin and the indent. The indent feature is often used to set a first-line indent for paragraphs.
[h=2]Indent Text
[h=5]To Indent One or More Lines of Text:
- You can use the Paragraph dialog box or select the blue Indentation link under
- Paragraph on the Task Pane. This method allows for a great amount of precision
- for setting left and right indents. Indenting is measured in inches. You can change the indent in tenths of inches.
- In the Indentation section, you can click the increment arrows to enter the amount of indentation.
OR
- Use the Increase/Decrease Indent buttons on the Formatting toolbar.
Clicking the Increase/Decrease Indent buttons is the most convenient way of setting a left or
right indent. Each time you click the Increase or Decrease Indent button your text is moved by the default .5 inches.
Remember, there is a difference between
indents and
tabs. If you set a tab, only
one line of text is indented. If you click one of the
indent buttons or
set an indent
in the
Paragraph dialog box, all of the text you type afterwards will be indented.
[h=2]Indent Text
[h=3]Hanging Indents
When all the lines in a paragraph are indented except the first line, a
hanging indent is created.
Hanging indents
are not standard in documents such as business letters, but you may see examples of the hanging indent on
web pages, newsletters, and often on bibliographic entries. Hanging indents are used for the MLA bibliographic format.
[h=2]Indent Text
[h=5]To Create a Hanging Indent:
- Choose Reveal Formatting on the Task Pane.
- Click the blue link, Indentation, under the Paragraph heading.
OR
- Click Format on the menu bar.
- In the Indentation section, you will see a Special: drop down menu with some options.
- Select the Hanging Indent option in the Special: drop down menu.
- You may specify the amount of indentation in the By: box by clicking on the increment arrows. These increments are measured in inches.
[h=2]Indent Text
[h=3]Challenge!
Download and save the
Cover Letter Word document to complete challenges 7 through 13
- Open the cover letter document.
- Place the insertion point at the end of the first paragraph.
- Write a paragraph stating the skills you have that qualify you for the job.
- Select Format from the menu.
Select the
Hanging Indent option in the
Special: drop down box, which is located in the
Indention section of the dialog box.
- In the By: drop down menu, click the increment arrow until it read .8".
- Watch the ruler at the top of the document and you will see the .8” hanging indent
Open
Edit on the main menu and select
Undo to cancel the change you
made. This challenge was done simply so you could view how the Indent feature works.
Save and close the document.