Modifying Styles

Suppose that you often print worksheets to fax to others, and your fax requires boldfaced worksheets so that the recipients can read the numbers . Instead of changing your worksheet text to boldface before faxing the worksheet, you can make boldface the default font style. Excel enables you to change several of the font defaults. So if you find yourself applying the same font style over and over, consider making that style part of Excel's default style.

To Do: Modify the Default Style

To modify the default style, follow these steps:

1. Select Format, Style to display the Style dialog box, as shown in Figure 9.3.

   Figure 9.3. You can change any named style.

   

2. Select the default style, Normal, from the Style Name drop-down list box. (The Normal style is probably already the style you see when you open the dialog box.)

3. To change the Normal style, click the Modify button. Excel displays the Format Cells dialog box, as shown in Figure 9.4, from which you can modify the named style.

   Figure 9.4. The Format Cells dialog box allows you to modify any format currently set.

   

4. Indicate the changes you want to make to the style in the Format Cells dialog box. When you're finished, click OK to close the Format Cells dialog box.

5. Click OK to close the Style dialog box. Excel applies your style to the selected cells. If you made changes to the Normal style, Excel automatically uses that format on future worksheets unless you modify the format or style.

If you plan to create additional worksheets that are similar to the one you just created, consider saving the worksheet as a template. To do this, choose File, Save As and then select Template on the Save As Type list. When you are ready to create the next similar worksheet, load the template; your formats will already be in place.