Working in the Font Dialog Box

Although the Formatting toolbar certainly provides the quickest avenue for controlling various font attributes, such as the font and the font size, you can access several more font attributes in the Font dialog box. The Font dialog box gives you control over common attributes, such as font, font size, bold, and so on, and it also provides you with control over special font attributes, such as superscript, subscript, and strikethrough .

To open the Font dialog box, click the Format menu, and then select Font . The Font dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 5.2.

Figure 5.2. The Font dialog box provides you with control over several font attributes not found on the Formatting toolbar.

As you can see, the Font dialog box enables you to choose from several font attributes. You can control the font, the font style, and other character attributes such as strikethrough, superscript, and shadow.

• To change the font, click the Font drop-down box and select the new font by name .

• To change the font style to italic, bold, or bold italic, make the appropriate selection in the Font Style box.

• To change the size of the font, select the appropriate size in the Size scroll box.

• For underlining, click the Underline Style drop-down box and select an underlining style.

• To change the color of the font, click the Font Color drop-down box and select a new color.

• To select any special effects, such as strikethrough, superscript, or shadow, select the appropriate check box in the lower half of the dialog box.

As you make the various selections in the Font dialog box, a sample of what the text will look like appears in the Preview box at the bottom of the dialog box. After you have made all your selections in the Font dialog box, click OK .

Change the Default Font To change the default font that you use for your documents (those created using the current or desired template), select the font attributes in the Font dialog box and then click the Default button at the lower left of the dialog box. Click Yes when Word asks for a confirmation of the change.