Jazz up documents using Word ? Business Management Daily ...

If you generate specialty items using Microsoft Word, familiarize yourself with two of the tool groups: Page Backgrounds and Quick Parts. From certificates and diplomas to announcements and posters, it?s easy to give your documents a creative and polished look with tools you can find in Word.

Page Backgrounds

In Office 2007 and 2010, you will find the Watermark and Page Border buttons. Watermarks have been used for everything from logos to messages like ?Confidential? or ?Draft.?

Here?s how to create a picture watermark for a brochure:

Start with a good-quality photo. On your brochure page, from the Page Layout tab, Page Background group, choose the Watermark button. Select Custom Watermark from the dropdown menu and click Picture Watermark. Be sure to select Washout unless the photo is already faded enough to show text through it.

You can be really creative with Page Borders. In the Page Background group, Page Layout tab, choose Page Borders. Select Art from the dropdown field at the bottom of the dialog box. Now start experimenting, so when it comes time to use one, you?ll have an idea of the balance between creative and conventional. You will find borders at each end of that spectrum. When you?re doing fun posters and announcements, you can afford to stretch over to the more creative side and pick something fun.

You may have noticed Page Colors under the Page Background group. Page Colors generally don?t print well but are quite effective for documents that will only be viewed online.

Quick Parts

You also can jazz up business reports and brochures using Quick Parts. It?s important to keep a balance between attractive and busy, and remember that documents that are easy on the eyes are more likely to be opened and read. That?s where Quick Parts comes in. A few paragraphs into the document, your content will need to hold the reader?s attention.

Add an attractive sidebar text box using Quick Parts: From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click the Quick Parts button and Building Blocks Orga??nizer menu selection. The ?easiest way to sort is by using the Gallery column; then look for what you need. Choose text box first. Look in the description column for ?sidebar.?

Caution: The Insert button is lo??cated directly below the Quick Parts selection in the dialog box. It might seem intuitive to automatically go to the lower right, but that takes you to the close button without inserting your selection.

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Contributor: Melissa P. Esquibel, Microsoft^? ?Certified Trainer

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