Chapter
Margins and Indents
6
Page Margins
Page Margins are the space between the edge of the paper and where your text is
printed. They allow you to control where your text is printed on a page. All printers
require a certain amount of space from the edge of the paper to where the printing starts
and documents would not look very professional if they started very close to the edge of
the paper. The following diagram shows the position of the page margins.
When your document is set to A4 paper, Microsoft Word sets the TOP and BOTTOM
margins to 2.54 cm (1 inch) and the LEFT and RIGHT margins to 3.17 cm (1.25 inches).
These settings can be adjusted as required, but it is unwise to set margins below 1.5 cm.
There are two ways to alter page margins, using PAGE SETUP from the FILE menu or by
using the Ruler.
Loading a Sample Document
A sample document has been prepared for you which needs to be loaded from the
WORD SUPPORT FILES.
1
Load Microsoft Word or close the current file.
2
Select OPEN from the FILE menu.
3
Access the WORD SUPPORT FILES folder, double click on the CHAPTER 6 folder to
open it then double click on the CHAPTER 6 file to load that file.
4
Click on YES to open the file as a READ ONLY file.
© Guided Computer Tutorials 2006
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Learning Microsoft Word 2003
Changing Margins Using Page Setup
1 Notice that the Ruler finishes at
about 15.0 cm.
2
Display the FILE menu and select PAGE SETUP.
3 Click on the PAPER tab and set the
PAPER SIZE box to the paper you will
be using. (It is probably A4 or A4
Letter.)
4 Click on the MARGINS tab to bring
that dialogue box to the front.
5 Change the TOP, BOTTOM, LEFT and
RIGHT margins to 3.5 cm.
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© Guided Computer Tutorials 2006
Margins and Indents
6
6 Select OK to return to the document
and notice that the Ruler now
finishes closer to 14.0 cm as we have
made the left and right margins
larger and reduced the print area.
Manually Adjusting Page Margins Using the Ruler
You can adjust the margins directly on the screen using the Ruler. This needs to be done
in PRINT LAYOUT VIEW or PRINT PREVIEW.
1 Set the screen to PRINT LAYOUT
VIEW by clicking on the PRINT
LAYOUT VIEW button at the bottom
left of the screen.
NOTE:
You can also select PRINT LAYOUT VIEW from the VIEW menu.
© Guided Computer Tutorials 2006
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Learning Microsoft Word 2003
2 Set the ZOOM box to 100%.
3 Scroll the screen so that all of the
left margin is visible in the Ruler. The
shaded LEFT MARGIN BOX should
show 3.5 cm at the moment.
4 Move the pointer over the right
boundary of the left shaded area in
the Ruler until the pointer changes
to an arrowed line.
5 Drag the boundary to the right so
that the LEFT MARGIN box is 5.0 cm
wide.
NOTE: i This has increased the LEFT MARGIN to about 5.0 cm from
the left edge of the paper.
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ii The INDENT markers at the left of the Ruler have been
moved to the right slightly in this document to make it
easier to move the boundary of the LEFT MARGIN box. © Guided Computer Tutorials 2006
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