Word Processing
Senior 1 · ICT
Word Processing
Lesson 4 of 5
18 min
Let's begin
The S1 class is producing a three-page newsletter. The front page needs two columns like a newspaper, the timetable on page 3 is too wide to fit, and every page should show the school's name at the top and a page number at the bottom. None of this is done by typing spaces or pressing Enter: it is done with page layout tools.
The steps use LibreOffice Writer; Word paths are in brackets. In Word most of these tools are on the Layout tab.
| Setting | Meaning | How |
|---|---|---|
| Paper size | The size of the page. In Rwanda documents are usually A4: 210 mm × 297 mm. | Format > Page Style > Page tab (Word: Layout > Size) |
| Margins | The blank space between the text and the edges of the paper: top, bottom, left and right. For example 2 cm all round (Word's usual margins are 2.54 cm, which is 1 inch). | Page Style > Page tab, or the Page deck in the Sidebar (Word: Layout > Margins) |
| Orientation | Portrait: the page is taller than it is wide (letters, essays). Landscape: wider than it is tall (wide tables, certificates, posters). | Page Style > Page tab > Orientation (Word: Layout > Orientation) |
| Columns | Text flows down one column and continues at the top of the next, like a newspaper. | Format > Columns (Word: Layout > Columns) |
In Writer, page settings belong to the page style, so changing them changes every page that uses the same style.
A header is an area in the top margin, and a footer is an area in the bottom margin. Whatever you type there appears on every page with the same page style: the school's name, the document title, the date, or the page number.
(Word: Insert > Page Number, then choose a position and style.)
Tip
Ctrl + Enter for a new page, never a row of Enters. Put anything that must appear on every page in the header or footer.
Portrait is tall like a person standing; Landscape is wide like a landscape photo.
Which orientation would you choose for (a) a letter to parents, (b) a class timetable with ten columns?
Solution: (a) Portrait; (b) landscape, because the table is wider than it is tall.
Where should the school's name go so that it appears at the top of every page automatically?
Solution: In the header.
Uwase typed page numbers by hand at the bottom of each page. Then she added a paragraph on page 1 and all the numbers ended up in the wrong places. What should she have done?
Solution: Put a page number field in the footer (Insert > Page Number). It appears on every page and always shows the right number.
A student wants a document to show "Page 2 of 5". Which two fields are needed?
Solution: Page Number (for the 2) and Page Count (for the 5), with the words "Page" and "of" typed around them.
Remember
Sources and credits
