Section 4.5. Working with Multiple Columns

4.5. Working with Multiple Columns

Word makes it easy to work with multiple newspaper-style columns. Instead of your having to use tabs or spaces to separate the column one line at a time, Word lets you set up the column guidelines and then type away. When you type text in a multicolumn layout, your words appear in the left column first. After you reach the end or bottom of the column, the insertion point jumps to the top of the next column and you begin to fill it, from top to bottom.

To use multiple columns, go to Page Layout Page Setup Columns, and then click one of the following options:

• One . Whether you know it or not, every page in Word has a column layout. The standard layout is one big column stretching from margin to margin.

• Two . With two columns, your document begins to look like a pamphlet or a school textbook .

• Three . Three columns are about as much as a standard 8.5 x 11-inch page can handle, unless you switch to Landscape orientation. In fact, you may want to reduce the body text size to about 9 or 10 points and turn on hyphenation. Otherwise, you can't fit very many words on a line.

• Left . This layout has two columns, with the narrower column on the left. The narrow column is a great place to introduce the text with a long heading and subheading or a quote pulled from the larger body text.

• Right . The mirror image of the Left layout, this option uses two columns with a narrow column at right.

• More Columns . Use the More Columns option to open the Columns dialog box (Figure 4-13) where you can create a customized column layout.

  Figure 4-13. At the top of the Columns dialog box, you see the same presets as on the Columns menu. Below them, controls let you create your own multicolumn layouts. The preview icon on the right changes as you adjust the settings.

  
  

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Tip: If you want to use keyboard shortcuts to select column options, press Alt+P, J and then use the up and down arrow keys to highlight one of the options. With your choice highlighted, hit Enter.

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When you get to the bottom of a column, Word automatically flows your text to the top of the next one, but you can also force Word to end the column and jump to the next one. There are two ways to create a column break . The quickest way while you're typing is to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Enter (or Alt+P, BC). Or, if you forget the shortcut, you can use the ribbon: Page Layout Page Setup Breaks Column.

4.5.1. Customizing Columns

Go to Page Layout Page Setup Columns More Columns to open the Columns box (Figure 4-13) where you can create custom page layouts with multiple columns. By entering a number in the "Number of columns text box, you can create more than three columns per page.

If you turn on the "Equal column width" checkbox, Word automatically sets all the columns to the same width, so you don't have to do the math (Figure 4-14). Turn off this checkbox, and you can get creative by entering a different width and spacing for each column. Use the scroll bar on the right if you can't see all of the columns. Turn on the "Line between" box to place a line (also known as a rule ) between your columns for a crisp professional look.

Near the bottom of the Columns box is a drop-down menu labeled "Apply to." If you want to use your column settings for your entire document, leave this set to "Whole document." If you want to create a new section with the column settings, select "This point forward" from the menu.

Figure 4-14. You can fine-tune your columns options to create just the right effect. This example uses the "Equal column width" and the "Line between" options.