Applying Font Formatting

To make any changes to Word's default format setting, you use one of the font-formatting features. Keep these three points in mind:

• Typically, you need to select the text you want to format before issuing the formatting command.

  

  If you haven't yet typed the text that you want to format, you can place your insertion point at the location where you want to type, turn on the formatting options, and then type your text. The text takes on the formatting you chose.

  
  

• The easiest way to tell what font, font size, font style (boldface, italic, underline), and font color has been applied to a block of text is to click in it. The options in the Formatting toolbar show you the formatting in effect wherever the insertion point is resting.

• If you want to apply the same font formatting to several blocks of text, a fast way to do it is to use the F4 key. F4, the repeat key , repeats whatever command you last issued. To increase the font size of several headings, for example, you could apply the new font size to the first heading, and then select the next heading, press F4, select the next heading, press F4, and so on.

Changing Fonts

The term font is used to refer to the typeface of your text. Each computer has a different set of fonts, depending on what software is installed and what printer you're using. Office detects what fonts you have available and enables you to select them in Word. As a general rule, it's best to use only one or two fonts in a document; any more and your document is likely to look overly busy.

The quickest way to change a font is to the use Font drop-down list in the Formatting toolbar, although you can also change fonts in the Font dialog box.

To apply a font using the Font list, follow these steps:

1. Select the text you want to change.

2. Click the down-arrow to the right of the Font list in the Formatting toolbar. The list of fonts shows you what each font looks like (see Figure 6.1). Scroll down until you find the one you want to use, and click it.

   Figure 6.1. The Font list shows you what the fonts look like. Click the one you want to use.

   

Word applies the font to the selected text. To see the change more clearly, click once to deselect the text.

Word places the fonts you use frequently above the double line in the Font list (refer back to Figure 6.1) so that you can get at them easily. Below the double line is an alphabetical list of all your fonts.

If you'd like to change other font formatting at the same time as you're changing the font, you may find it more convenient to use the Font dialog box. The dialog box gives you a " one-stop shopping" experience. All the font formatting features described here, and more, are accessible in this dialog box.

To apply a font using the Font dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Select the text you want to change.

2. Choose Format, Font or press Ctrl+D to display the Font dialog box (see Figure 6.2).

   Figure 6.2. The Font dialog box provides access to all of the font-formatting commands.

   

3. Click the Font tab if it isn't already in front.

4. Scroll through the Font list and click the fonts that you're interested in to see what they look like in the Preview area at the bottom of the dialog box.

5. When you find the font that you want to use, select it and click OK. (Again, you may want to deselect the text to see the font more clearly.)

Changing Font Size

Font size is measured in points . The larger the point size, the taller the font. There are approximately 72 points in an inch, so a 72-point font is about one inch tall. Typically, business documents are written in a 10- or 12-point font.

As with changing fonts, you can change font size by using either the Formatting toolbar or the Font dialog box.

To change the font size by using the Font Size list, follow these steps:

1. Select the text you want to change.

2. Click the down-arrow to the right of the Font Size list in the Formatting toolbar, scroll down the list, and click the size that you want to use (see Figure 6.3).

   Figure 6.3. Word includes commonly used font sizes in the Font Size list. Click the one you want to use.

   

Word applies the font size to the selected text. To see the change more clearly, click to deselect.

Applying Bold, Italic, and Underline

The most common type of font formatting other than font and font size is font style. This term refers collectively to boldface, italic, and underline. You can apply font styles individually, or you can apply two or more to the same block of text. For example, you could add boldface and italic to a word. Judicious use of font styles can add just the right emphasis to a documentoveruse can make a document cluttered and difficult to read.

The easiest way to apply font styles is via the Formatting toolbar or a keyboard shortcut:

1. Select the text to which you want to apply a font style.

2. Click the Bold, Italic, or Underline button in the Formatting toolbar. Alternatively, you can also press Ctrl+B for bold, Ctrl+I for italic, or Ctrl+U for underline.

To remove a font style from a block of text, select the text and then click the toolbar button (or press the keyboard shortcut) again.

Changing Font Color

Changing the color of your text can brighten up a document and make key parts of it stand out. Remember that changing font color won't do much if you're printing on a black-and-white printer. (The colors print in shades of gray.) If, on the other hand, you have a color printer or your readers view the document onscreen, font colors can greatly enhance your document's appearance.

As usual, the easiest way to apply font color is to use the Formatting toolbar, as described in these steps:

1. Select the text to which you want to apply font color.

2. Click the down-arrow to the right of the Font Color toolbar button at the right end of the Formatting toolbar. A palette appears with a large selection of colors (see Figure 6.4). Pointing to a color displays a ScreenTip with the color's name . Click the one you want to use.

   Figure 6.4. Word gives you many colors to choose from. Click the one you want to use.

   

Word applies the color to the selected text. To see what it looks like, deselect the text. If you don't see a color that you want to use in the Font Color palette, click the More Colors button at the bottom of the palette to display the Colors dialog box. Click a color you like, and click OK.

Adding Effects

If you're feeling adventurous, try some of the effects available in the Font dialog box. Depending on the kind of documents you create, you may need to use one or two of thesesuperscript and subscript, perhapsall the time. Other more specialized ones, such as emboss and engrave, you may never need.