This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
14 Set Up Page Formatting
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Before You Begin
See Also
Edit Text
Create a Multicolumn Newsletter
Apply Character Formatting
Apply Paragraph Formatting
You will often need to make format changes to your entire document. Perhaps you want to change the margins that Word uses when you print your document. You may want to add a background color or even put a border around the document.
The Page Layout ribbon contains Word options that enable you to modify your document’s format. Any changes you make apply to all pages in your document.
If you want to start a new section, as you might do if you want to format several pages within a document differently from surrounding pages, click to place the insertion point at the position of the new section. Click the down arrow to the right of the Page Layout ribbon’s Breaks section and select from the available Section Breaks options. Any page formatting that you apply to the section stays in that section.
To end the current page and begin a new one, as you might do at the end of a chapter, you can use the Page Layout ribbon to insert a new page, but most find pressing Ctrl+Enter to be far easier.
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Display the Page Options
Select the Page Layout ribbon to see your page-formatting options. From this ribbon, you can format your themes (see 
About Styles, Themes, and Templates), set margins, insert page and section breaks, add line numbers (useful especially in the legal industry), add background
colors and watermarks (see 
Add a Watermark), and adjust the entire document’s indentation and spacing.
Adjust Your Margins
Word’s live preview feature makes changing margins a breeze. Click the down arrow under the Page Layout ribbon’s Margin section and select from the several available margin settings that appear. Word offers common settings, and you’ll usually find one you want to use.
Specify the Margin Measurements
If the ribbon’s provided margin options aren’t to your liking, select Custom Margins to display the Page Setup dialog box. Here, you can enter precise margin settings for each margin, as well as adjust additional page settings such as the orientation.
Adjust the Paper Size
When you change the type of paper you use in your printer, such as going from letter size to legal, you’ll need to select the proper Size option, such as Legal, from the Size list. If you use a nonstandard paper size, one that is not letter, legal, or one of the other options in the Size list, click More Paper Sizes to display the Page Setup dialog box’s Paper page.
Change the Page Orientation
You also may want to change the orientation of your printed page from portrait to landscape. Use the ribbon’s Orientation button to select the proper orientation for your paper.
Change Your Page’s Background Color
Click the ribbon’s Page Color button to add a background color to your page. Although you may want to use colored paper for extensive coloring, you might want to highlight a report page that appears in your document with a light background color.