Page Layout

Note

It's a good idea to also take a look at Page Layout Setup Options on page 83.

Pretty much everything you need to control for one document's page layout is available through choosing Format > Page.

• For page layout regarding books, including more complex page numbering, see Chapter 9, Books and Longer Documents , on page 311.

• For powerful page layout capabilities using frames, see Using Frames for Advanced Page Layout on page 239.

• For information about headers and footers, see Setting Up Headers and Footers, Consistent or Different on Each Page on page 228.

Basic Page Formatting: Margins and More

1. Open the document you want to format.

2. Choose Format > Page.

3. Make the appropriate selections in the windows shown in Figure 7-42.

   Figure 7-42. The Page Style window, Page tab

   

Page Backgrounds and Borders

Jazz up the page a bit with a variety of borders, and backgrounds of colorsstandard or colors you've createdor graphics.

Note

The background is printed only within the page margins, not to the edge of the paper.

1. Choose Format > Page.

2. Click the Borders tab and make selections there. Use Figure 7-43 for guidance.

   Figure 7-43. The Page Style window, Borders tab

   

3. Click the Background tab and make selections there. Use Figure 7-44 for guidance.

   Figure 7-44. The Page Style window, Background tab

   

   See Figure 7-24 to put a graphic in the background of one paragraph.

The following tips pertain to using text borders and backgrounds.

Putting a box around text

To put two paragraphs within a box, such as a heading and a paragraph, add a soft return (Shift+Enter) between the paragraphs and format the heading and body text manually.

Using background colors and graphics

Using a dark or detailed graphic or color can wash out text. However, using a dark graphic or color with white font can produce nice results.

Since a graphic, if it's large, can fill the entire dimensions of a paragraph, the text runs into the edges of the graphic. A background color behaves the same way. If you want to create space between the text and the edges of the graphic or color, try using a text frame inside the paragraph. See Inserting Frames and Floating Frames on page 297.

Setting Up Multicolumn Pages

The column layout feature works really well. Also note that the same multicolumn features are present within a framewhich in turn could be positioned across one or more of your columns. Applies to sections, too. The number of columns is very nearly dizzying.

Note

You can set up a single paragraph, text box, or frame in a multicolumn format, as well.

Standard Column Formatting

1. Choose Format > Page.

2. Click the Columns tab and make the appropriate selections, then click the Borders tab and make selections there. Use Figure 7-45 for guidance.

   Figure 7-45. The Page Style window, Columns tab

   

Quickly Changing Columns Within a Paragraph

Note

When you create a column this way, the columns become a section . If you ever want to use Writer's document comparison tools, be aware that the comparison tool doesn't currently recognize, and therefore can't compare, text in sections.

You can also start with a blank multiple-column area by selecting an empty paragraph and setting columns as described in this procedure.

You can change the number of columns for a selected block of text.

1. Select the text you want.

2. Choose Format > Columns.

3. In the Columns window, set the options you want. See Figure 7-45.

4. Click OK.