thecomputersociety.org

Making an MS Word letterhead with

· A graphic

· A variety of fonts

· A Word drawing tool

· A data field

as an example in Word 97, and Print Screen Gold 2.5.

This file can be displayed in MS Word 97 - 2000 - 2002[Word-xP].

This file provided by Glenn Yearous. This file may be copied and distributed free of charge with the first page intact and no alterations to any other page.

This demonstration of Ms Word has a modified set of Toolbars. A special paragraph style is used for the text used in this file. These features are subjects of additional Word files from the thecomputersociety.org.

When a special design is started a drawing or diagram will often save much work in selecting objects and their positions.

Start of with a blank page and use the File - Save As command to place a meaningful name to the start of the project. If a -00 is attached at the end of the name each Save As after can be numbered by changing only the number portion. The 00 is use to force the files to be displayed in their created order, if a 0 is not used in front of single digits the sorted order will place 10 before 2 or 7, etc.

After each object or change is made the file should be saved using the Save As method rather than the Save button on the default toolbar. The icon method saves what you have done on top of the current file under the existing name. The Save As method allows a simple return to the older file without loosing the previous work. Word saves the original file intact and creates a new file from the old file with any changes as a new named file. As the work progresses the most recent file will have the largest number assigned.

If the current work is not worth saving [no Save or Save As] just simply use the Close Window [X] and when the windows dialog box is displayed select No and all the current work is removed and the original file remains intact, and ready for another try.

When work is started at a file number smaller than other existing file names and the Save As method is used and an existing file name is reused a warning dialog box is displayed and the existing file may be replaced with the new file. If the work branches off to another parallel method use a letter after the number and keep the letter for each additional file in that series. The use of special sub-directories may be a more appropriate method.

DESIGN STEPS

1. Start the project on a blank page. Start the project on a blank page and add BLANK lines using the Style - NORMAL. Even a few pages of blank lines will allow many inserted objects without loosing control of the lines below the inserted objects.

2. A graphic is selected. For a letterhead the size is not large enough to require great detail, so reduce the file size by using 90 dpi up to 120 dpi. JPG of TIF file types will allow dynamic change in size after Inserting the graphic.

3. A text box is selected. Text entered in a box is freely moved as an object. The text is not tied to the line structure of the page.

4. Change Font and Size. After the text is placed in the box highlight the text and select the font and size to fit the intended use.

5. A Data Field is placed. The letterhead will have a Date Field placed that will automatically place a formatted date.

6. A Drawing Tool is used. The example uses a simple rectangle from the Drawing Toolbar, the background color is selected and the line style is changed.

7. A AutoText entry is used. After the letterhead is completed the AutoText method is demonstrated.

This method is not intended to illustrate a good design, but to show methods that are available in Ms Word.

1. Start the project on a blank page.

The blank page is shown. The Show/Hide tool button is depressed so each paragraph [Enter Key] location is displayed. The symbols do not print, but the condition of the page would be shown after a Save As method. The page would return to normal when the Show/Hide tool button is depressed to return to the normal condition.

2. A graphic is selected.

Microsoft provides under the: Start - Programs - Accessories - Paint, a program that can convert screen captures, various clip art graphics, other formatted graphics to the .jpg dynamic [the size is not fixed] graphic. Under the Save As method a selection “JPEG File Interchange Format *.jpg, *.jpeg” can be used to provide a free service to a dynamic graphic. This limited program will not be able to reduce the file size by reducing the dpi of the original by re-sampling prior to the conversion.

This letterhead will not use a completely black graphic. A large black graphic will so wet the paper that bleed through may be a problem, some papers may even wrinkle when too much ink is used in an area of a graphic. A modern Photo-Editor provides a conversion to “Gray Scale” [the intensity of various colors converts to a shade of gray]. For normal letter printing a small graphic will not require more than 92 - 150 dpi.

A simple State Florida graphic with a small circle to indicate the geographic area of the N.F.C.S. is used. If an error keeps the graphic from being placed

try opening the graphic and copying it to the clipboard. The graphic can then be placed in Word because Microsoft allows most objects to be placed from the clipboard into Word. This type of error box is often shown.

By use of the Clip Board the image is placed at the point where the cursor is located.

This is the graphic from the Clip Board. It is “dynamic” and can be selected. When selected the Bounding Boxes are displayed and the text can be moved when the cursor changes to a four-pointed arrow. In the actual file the graphic would rest on blank page. The extra lines previously entered will now allow the placement of other objects below the graphic. It is desirable to have at least one blank line between each object.

3. A text box is selected.

Select Insert menu and then Text Box. The box will determine the size of the next object. All the text within the box can be modified just the same as any Word text, and if the size of the box is not large enough for all the text just drag out the handles when the box size is active.

Now use any Format tools that you may require. Our example will have Left text based on the GWY NFCS-1 paragraph style. Then NORTH FLORIDA [Enter] COMPUTER SOCIETY will be entered.

NORTH FLORIDA

COMPUTER SOCIETY

Now highlight the text and then any font type and size changes will be shown as they are selected.

NORTH FLORIDA

COMPUTER SOCIETY

4. Change Font and Size.

After trying various fonts Perpetua Titling MT was selected and the size changed to 32. Any type size may be selected, if the desired size is not on the drop down list just type in a different type size and that size will be displayed [if the text box is large enough for the new type size].

NORTH FLORIDA

COMPUTER SOCIETY

The space between the words could be increased to provide good recognition of each word when seen at a distance.

NORTH FLORIDA

COMPUTER SOCIETY

This is an example of ordinary double space between the words. It looks just a little too much space.

NORTH FLORIDA

COMPUTER SOCIETY

The changes in this example show an En Space between North and Florida, an Em Space between Computer and Society. These special spaces are available as a modification to a Tool Bar. For this project the En Space will be used.

Additional Text Boxes are used to enter the remaining text. These text boxes are shown as completed.

Computer Users Helping Computer Users

501-(3) (c) Florida Corporation

www.nfcs.tripod.com

5. A Data Field is placed.

To save time of typing the first page of the letter a Date Field is placed within a Text Box. Place the Text Box on the page. Go to Insert Menu, Date and Time and at the selection box pick the format of the date, check the lower selection to “update automatically”. The system date will be displayed at the cursor position. The example is shown below.

8. A Drawing Tool is used.

Each of the Text Boxes has some built-in properties that we may not want to be seen.

Each text box has a white background that will not allow the contents of other Text Boxes to be seen. For these changes to have an effect the individual Text Boxes must be selected [Bounding Box visible]. Use the Drawing Icon on the Tool Bar to display the drawing tools [the drawing tools should be seen at the bottom of the screen]. On the Drawing Toolbar use the spilling paint bucket to select from the drop down list the first selection of “No Fill”.

Each Text Box has a line marking the size of the box. This line should be removed to allow overlapping of the Text Boxes. In the Drawing Tool Bar a set of three black lines provides a selection of various line widths and styles. The drop-down selection list has at the bottom “more lines”. When “more lines” is selected a different selection box is displayed. In the middle a “Line Color” selection set is provided, from that selection list select “No Line” and the line is removed. The Text Box is still the same size and can be selected and the Bounding Box will be displayed.

The project can now be completed by making a Drawing Toolbar rectangle with some type of line outline, a transparent background that can be used as a location for all the previous objects.

Then using the techniques described in this project the letterhead can be constructed.

NORTH FLORIDA

COMPUTER SOCIETY

The letterhead is completed and the Text Box retains the black line margin as an emphasis for the date. The date is automatically updated to the computer clock date each time the letterhead is used.

7. A AutoText entry is used.

For those that do not know how to make the letterhead page a template a second method can be used to place the letterhead on any Ms Word document; AutoText.

AutoText saves any selected Text and Objects to a special file that is named during the process. Once saved the AutoText can be placed on any Ms Word page that has sufficient space for the file. In our example it would be placed at the first line. The AutoText then becomes the first line. The cursor will be placed at the end of that line. For this reason a few extra lines should be “Enter”ed on the page so the additional lines can just be used without any delay.

To start the process “Select” all the words, graphics and objects. When the bounding boxes for all items are seen then all will become part of the AutoText file. Some number of trials may be necessary to find an order that will allow the selection of all the items. Lines of words [text] can be selected in the as in any Ms Word document, if other objects do not prevent simple selection by the mouse drag method.

Insert Menu, AutoText, New will open the Create AutoText Name dialog box. Type in an appropriate name for the file. The example NFCSLtrHead is used. When “OK” is selected the file is created.

Now when the letterhead is needed, the sequence Insert Menu, AutoText, AutoText opens the Auto Correct dialog box. Navigate to the file name used and in this example the Insert Button is used to place the AutoText at the current cursor position.

This ends this example for a letterhead. The method can be used to setup a Template with the letterhead as part of the single page letter. The template method is an additional Ms Word example.