The Formatting Toolbar

One of the easiest methods of applying enhancements is using the options on the Formatting toolbar, from which you can change the type and size of font; select bold, italics and underlining; change alignment; and apply bullets or numbering.

Formatting toolbar

To change the font

Fonts that have the letters TT before them are called True Type fonts and are designed to exactly match the screen display with what is printed. Fonts that are not True Type may not appear in exactly the same way on screen and at the printer. The way non-True Type fonts print may also vary depending on the printer used.

• Select the character(s) you want to format
• On the Formatting toolbar, click the arrow on the Font box

The font list is displayed. The most recently used fonts appear at the top of the list.

Drop-down font list

• Select the font to apply

To change the font size

Fonts can be scaled in size using a measurement of points. 72 points will produce lines of text that are 1 inch (2.54cm) in height. Typically 10 or 12 point size fonts are used for normal printed matter.

• Select the character(s) you want to format
• On the Formatting toolbar, click the number in the Size box
• Enter a new number
• Press Enter

OR

• On the Formatting toolbar, click the arrow on the Size box

The Font size box is displayed.

Font size box

• Click on the font size to apply

Tip: To set a font size not displayed, type the number into the size box and press Return.

To change the font colour

• Select the character(s) you want to format
• On the Formatting toolbar, on the Font Color button, click the down arrow

The Font Color menu is displayed.

Font Color menu

• Select a font colour to apply

To apply other enhancements

• Select the character(s) you want to format
• Click the appropriate toolbar buttons, or press the SpeedKeys

The Font Dialogue Box

You can apply many more character effects than appear on the Formatting toolbar by using the Font dialogue box. Special effects such as shadow, strikethrough, superscript and subscript can be applied in one stroke. You can also preview character effects before applying them.

• Select the text you want to apply formatting to or position the insertion point where you want formatting to start from
• From the Format menu, select Font... (SpeedKey: Ctrl+D)

The Font dialogue box is displayed.

Font dialogue box

• From the drop-down list boxes, select a Font:, Font style:, Size: and Font color:
• In the Effects panel, select the check boxes to apply special effects

The Preview panel will display either the font name or any highlighted text from the document with the selected options.

• Click OK

To display the Font dialogue box, click the right mouse button in the text area and select Font...

Tip: To keep the selected settings as standard for all new documents click the Default... button. The Office Assistant will prompt you to confirm this action.

To set character spacing

You can change the amount of spacing between letters and raise or lower text relative to the line.

• Select the text you want to apply formatting to or position the insertion point where you want formatting to start from
• From the Format menu, select Font... then click the Character Spacing tab

• In the Spacing: box, select Expanded (to set the characters further apart) or Condensed (to bring characters closer together) and type the number of points to expand or condense in the By: box · In the Position: box, select Raised or Lowered to set characters above or below a line and type the number of points to raise or lower in the By: box

To remove all text enhancements

You can remove all enhancements from text at one time. The text will revert to the default.

• Select the text containing the enhancements to be removed
• Press Ctrl+Space Bar

The Format Painter

The Format Painter is a tool that allows you to copy formats from existing text and apply it to other text in your document. This saves you having to remember which font, size, colour, and so on, you need to use.

To copy enhancements

• Select the text containing the enhancements to copy
• On the Formatting toolbar, click Format Painter
• Select the text to be enhanced

The text you select is formatted with the enhancements you copied.

Note: To copy enhancements to more than one piece of text, double-click the Format Painter button before copying the formats.
After you have finished copying the enhancements click the Format Painter button again to switch it off.

To copy enhancements using the keyboard

• Select the text containing the enhancements to copy
• Press Ctrl+Shift+C
• Select the text to be enhanced
• Press Ctrl+Shift+V

The text you select is formatted with the enhancements you copied.