Tutorial

Flowing text from page to page

Word will flow text from page to page. It works out when text will no longer fit on a page, and put the text on the next page. Word isn't a typewriter, so you don't need to tell it where the end of each page is to occur. Word works out where a page break will occur based on the way you set up and format your document.

In general, let Word flow the text from page to page. Word controls the text flow using the following information.

What printer do you have?

Word knows how your printer works. For example, it knows how close to the edge of the paper your printer can print. To change the printer that Word is working with, choose File > Print and choose a printer in the Name box.

What size paper are you using?

Choose File > Page Setup and click the Paper tab. Choose your Paper Size. In the Paper Size box, Word will list the paper sizes that your printer can deal with.

What margins have you set up?

Choose File > Page Setup and choose the Margins tab. Set your page margins here, and Word will place your text within the margins.

How are your styles formatted?

The formatting of your styles affects how the text flows from page to page.

When you modify a paragraph style, you can modify the settings on the Line and Page Breaks tab. To reach the Line and Page Breaks tab:

• in Word 2002: Format > Styles and Formatting. Right-click on the name of your style and choose Modify. Click Format, then Paragraph
• in earlier versions of Word: Format > Styles > Modify > Format > Paragraph.

On the Line and Page Breaks tab, you'll find four important settings. From those with the biggest to the smallest effect, these are:

Tip for tables

"Keep with next" works on paragraphs in tables. If a table is not breaking across a page where you think it should, make sure that all the paragraphs aren't set to "Keep with Next".

• Page Break Before
• Tells Word to put a page break before paragraphs in this style. That is, paragraphs in this style will always appear at the top of a page. Useful for heading styles. Avoid using Insert > Break > Page Break.
• Keep with next
• Tells Word to keep paragraphs in this style on the same page as the next paragraph. That is, there will never be a page break immediately after paragraphs in this style. Useful for headings, but also useful for making captions stick together with the pictures they're captioning, and for rows in a table.
• Keep lines together
• Tells Word to keep all the lines of paragraphs in this style together on one page. That is, there will never be a page break within this paragraph. Useful for text that consists of many short paragraphs, although it results in an uneven bottom edge to the pages.
• [concepts/_private/word_includes/BugPicture.htm]Keep lines together doesn't work on paragraphs in tables. To my mind, that's a bug.
• Widow/Orphan Control
• Prevents Word from having the first line of a paragraph alone at the bottom of a page, or the last line of a paragraph stranded at the top of a page. Useful for just about all kinds of text.

How is each individual paragraph formatted?

You can apply direct formatting to a paragraph, over the top of the formatting of its style. Put the cursor in a paragraph and choose Format > Paragraph and click the Line and Page Breaks tab. You'll find the same controls listed above for use with styles. When these controls are used to define a style, they control all paragraphs formatted in that style. When these controls are used to format an individual paragraph, they affect only that individual paragraph.

Controls you can use for individual paragraphs using Format > Paragraph and choosing the Line and Page Breaks tab:

• Page Break Before. Avoid using Insert > Break > Page Break.
• Keep with next
• Keep lines together
• Widow/Orphan Control

Page numbering

If you want to insert page numbers in your document, you might reasonably assume that Insert > Page Numbers would be the way to go. That will work, but it doesn't give you much flexibility or control. Newbies use Insert > Page Numbers. It's not for grown ups.

To insert a page number on the bottom of every page, do this:

• View > Header and Footer.
• On the Header and Footer toolbar, click the Switch Between Header and Footer button.
• If you want the page number in the centre of the page, press Tab once. If you want the page number on the right-hand side of the page, press Tab twice.
• On the Header and Footer toolbar, click the Insert Page Number button (it's the button with one #).
• If you don't want the page number on the first page of your document, continue with these steps:
  • On the Header and Footer toolbar, click the Page Setup button (the button that looks like a book).
  • You'll be taken to the Page Setup dialog, on the Layout tab. Click Different First Page, then OK.
• Click Close.