Objective 2. Create Multicolumn Documents

All newspapers and most magazines and newsletters use multiple columns for articles because text in narrower columns is easier to read than text that stretches across a page. Word has a tool that enables you to change a single column of text into two or more columns. The columns can be formatted, and a line can be added between columns. If a column does not end where you want, you can insert a manual column break.

Activity 4.4. Changing One Column to Two Columns

Newsletters are usually two or three columns wide. When using 8.5 x 11-inch paper in portrait orientation, avoid creating four or more columns because they are so narrow that word spacing looks awkward, often resulting in one long word by itself on a line.

1.	Under the border, click to position the insertion point to the left of the line of text that begins Garden Gets NPS Grant. Use the scroll bar to scroll down to the bottom of the document, hold down , and then click at the end of the last line of text. Do not include the blank line at the end of the text. All the text is selected. Do not be concerned about selecting the two picturesthey will be moved later, and they are not affected by changing the number of columns.
2.	On the Standard toolbar, click the Columns button, and from the displayed menu of possible columns, point to the second column. Compare your screen with Figure 4.10.   Figure 4.10.
3.	Click the mouse button and then scroll up as necessary to view the top of your document, click Save , and then compare your screen with Figure 4.11.   Figure 4.11. The text is divided into two columns, and a section break is inserted below the masthead, dividing the one-column section from the two-column section. Do not be concerned with the placement of the picturesone may be displayed on top of the other, or one may display outside the document margin. Also, your columns may not break at the same line as the figure.

Activity 4.5. Formatting Multiple Columns

The uneven right edge of a single page-width column is readable. When you create narrow columns, justified text is preferable. The font you choose should also match the type of newsletter.

1.	With the text still selected, change the font to Comic Sans MS. Alternatively, you can press to move to the first font beginning with that letter, and then scroll down to the desired font. Because the Comic Sans MS font is larger than Times New Roman, the text expands to a second page.
2.	Change the Font Size to 10 and then click the Justify button . Scroll to the top of the document and click anywhere in the document to deselect the text. Compare your screen with Figure 4.12.   Figure 4.12. The font is changed to 10 pt. Comic Sans MS, an informal, easy-to-read font, and the text is justified. The text at the top of the second column may differ from the figure because of the displaced pictures. This will be adjusted later.
3.	Display the Footer area and use the Insert AutoText button to insert the Filename. Close the Header and Footer toolbar and Save your document. Do not be concerned if the flower picture covers part of your footer.

Activity 4.6. Inserting a Column Break

Manual column breaks can be inserted to adjust columns that end or begin awkwardly or to make space for graphics or text boxes.

1.	Click Print Preview and notice that as currently formatted, the columns end unevenly. Close the Print Preview, and then position the insertion point to the left of the paragraph at the bottom of the first column that begins The UPARR program was established.
2.	From the Insert menu, click Break to display the Break dialog box, as shown in Figure 4.13.     Figure 4.13.
3.	Under Break types, click the Column break option button, and then click OK. The column breaks at the insertion point, and the text following the insertion point moves to the top of the next column, as shown in Figure 4.14.   Figure 4.14.
4.	Position the document so that you can view the lower portion on your screen. Drag the picture of the flowers just below the column break you just inserted at the bottom of the first column. Align the top edge of the picture at approximately 6 inches on the vertical ruler. Recall that you can hold down and use the arrow keys to move the picture in small increments to position it more precisely.
5.	In the second column, locate the paragraph that begins Classical music is alive and well. Drag the picture of the musical notes so the right border of the picture aligns with the right side of the column, and then use plus any of the arrow keys to move the image to match Figure 4.15. Click anywhere to deselect the image and then Save your newsletter.   Figure 4.15.

More Knowledge: Balancing Column Breaks

You can also insert a column break to help balance columns so that they end evenly. This is important when the end of the columns is not the end of the document. If you want to balance the columns in a document, switch to Print Layout view, if necessary, and click at the end of the last column. On the Insert menu, click Break and then click the Continuous section break option. This will cause the end of the columns to be approximately even.

Objective 3 Add Special Paragraph Formatting