The Advantages of Using a Template or Wizard

The most obvious advantage of using a template (or wizard) is that either is quicker than creating documents from scratch. If you use a template that includes the standard text that doesn't change from one document to the next , you can avoid the tedium of typing this text yourself.

Another benefit of using templates is that the formatting is handled for you. Professionals who know how to use Word's formatting features to their best advantage designed the templates that come with Word. With the help of templates, you can produce documents with sophisticated formatting that you haven't yet learned how to apply yourself (although by the end of this book, you will know how to apply most of the formatting included in Word templates).

Templates also enable you to create a consistent look for all your documents. This is especially helpful in an office, where you can use templates to standardize the letters , memos, reports , and so on that you and your co-workers generate.

Finally, templates can be used repeatedly without ever being overwritten. If you have to type the same basic document over and over, each time making only minor changes to it, a template can contain all the standard text and formatting and you simply make changes as needed and save those changes in a separate document.

Wizards are step-by-step questions that Word asks you as Word creates a new document template that suits your needs.