Microsoft Office Word Tutorial

You can create labels based on an existing list, such as an Excel spreadsheet or Outlook Contacts using Word 2003 Mail Merge features.

Getting Started

To start Mail Merge:
1. Create a new blank document
2. Click Tools | Letters and Mailings | Mail Merge...
3. Your Task Pane will appear on the right-hand side of the screen, displaying the Mail Merge Wizard

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Creating Labels

To create Labels:
1. Under the heading Select document type, choose Labels
2. At the bottom on the Task Pane, click Next: Starting document

3. Under the Select starting document heading, ensure Change document layout is selected

4. Under the Change document layout heading, click Label options...
5. Select the label you are using in the Label Options dialog box

Note: Start by selecting the brand of label you are using, remembering to select A4 sizes if available. Then select the product code of the label you are using, usually found on the box or the side of the label sheet.

6. Click OK
7. If a warning appears, click OK

8. Click Next: Select recipients at the bottom of the task pane

9. Select the list for your labels under the Select Recipients heading

a. To use an Excel list, select Use an existing list
b. To use your Outlook contacts, choose Select from Outlook contacts

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To use an Excel list:
1. Under the heading Use an existing list, click Browse...
2. In the Select Data Source dialog box, navigate to the file you want to use

3. In the Select Table dialog box, select the Excel worksheet that contains your data

4. Click OK

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To use Outlook Contacts:
1. Under the heading Select from Outlook contacts, click Choose Contacts Folder

2. Select the Contact list you want to use

3. Click OK

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To Setup the Labels:
1. When the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box appears, click OK

2. Click Next: Arrange your labels

3. Select how you want to add your information to the label. If you are using Outlook Contacts and would like to create Address Labels, the Address block... option might be the best choice. The option which most closely resembles Word 2000 is More Items...

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Arranging labels using the Address block option

1. Click on Address block... under the Arrange your labels heading
2. Select options in the Insert Address Block dialog box to determine how you want your labels to appear

3. If you are using the Address Block option with a data source other than Outlook Contacts, it is recommended that you click on the Match Fields... button at the bottom of the dialog box. This will allow you to ensure that the fields in your data source match with the fields Word is expecting in order to complete the address block.

4. Click on OK until all dialog boxes are closed
5. Your labels will appear as below

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Arranging labels using the More Items option

1. Click on the More Items... option under the Arrange your labels heading
2. Ensure that the Database Fields option is selected

3. For each field you would like included on your label:

a. Click once to select the field
b. Click on the Insert button
Note: The fields will be entered onto the label in the order you select and insert them. They will be added without any spaces or line breaks - these can be added in once all the fields have been added to the label

4. When all fields have been added to the label, click the Close button
5. Add spaces and line breaks between the fields on your label by clicking between the field names and using the spacebar or Enter key

click between the fields to add spaces and line breaks

label after spaces and line breaks have been added

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Copying your label layout to all labels

1. When you have decided on the label layout, click Update all labels to copy the layout to all other labels

Note: If you are unsure how your labels will appear, choose Next: Preview your labels at the bottom of the Task Pane to check them. If you want to make any changes, you can then choose Previous: Arrange your labels

2. Click Next: Preview your labels

3. Preview your labels. Use Previous: Arrange your labels at the bottom of the screen if you need to make adjustments

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To complete the Merge:
1. Click Next: Complete the merge

2. Select your merge option:

a. Print... will send the labels directly to the printer
b. Edit individual labels... will create a separate document of labels, which you can edit, save and print

9. Don't forget to save your mail merge document. This will allow you to create the labels again without having to repeat all the steps above.

Tadaaa... simple aint it? =D

It's really quite easy to convert Microsoft Word to a pdf file, or rather, a Microsoft Word document to a pdf file.

Method 1. This is the easiest if you have Adobe Acrobat installed in your hard drive. Take note that you need the full program of Adobe Acrobat and not just the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free to download.

If you don't have Adobe Acrobat, you can purchase it from http://www.adobe.com or you can read on to find out where you can convert Microsoft Word to a pdf file.

Assuming you have Adobe Acrobat in your hard drive, we can also assume the conversion program, Acrobat Distiller, has been automatically installed as well. In this case, open the Microsoft Word document you want to convert to a pdf file.

Click on 'File' at the menu on top of the document. Then click 'Print.' A dialogue box will appear. If you have one or more printers connected to your computer, they will be listed there. One of the options will be 'Acrobat Distiller.' Click on that. The conversion will then begin.

After a few moments a dialogue box appears prompting you to save the document. It will have the same file name of the original Word document but with a pdf extension. You can change the file name if you want. Choose the directory where you want to save the file and then click on the 'Save' button.

Once the file is converted and saved, Acrobat automatically opens with the saved file so you can look at how your Word document appears as a pdf file. You can also do finishing touches such as encrypting the file so it can't be changed by the reader. This is good if you're selling the documnet as an e-book and you don't want it altered by those who buy it.

Method 2. This is what you can do if you don't have Adobe Acrobat installed. You can download a free converter at http://www.primopdf.com. It works the same way as Method 1 above, the difference is you print to PrimoPDF® printer instead of Acrobat Distiller. PrimoPDF will convert Microsoft Word to a pdf file. It can also convert other files such as Excel, PowerPoint, and virtually any other printable file type.

You can also convert Microsoft Word to a pdf file online through the Adobe site at http://createpdf.adobe.com. They have a free trial in which you can convert up to 5 documents to pdf (when I last checked the site).

PDF files are a great way to share documents because they can be read by almost all kinds of operating systems and are easy to read or print out. To convert Microsoft Word to a pdf file is not difficult as you just read.

So write away and share. Better yet, write away and sell!

You would like to protect your documents, wouldn't you? Reasons may vary but the problem is the same – you need to protect your Microsoft Word documents from unauthorized editing or viewing. What document protection features does Microsoft® Office Word 2003, a part of Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 provide?

Microsoft Word features for document protection. Microsoft Word offers three types of password protection.

1) Password to open requires a password to open a document. By assigning a password to open a document you deny access to this document to anyone who doesn't know the password.

You may assign a password to open both a new document (Save As > Tools > Security Options) and an existing one (Main Menu > Tools > Options > Security).

2) Password to modify requires password to save currently made changes. Password to modify allows every user to view and to edit a document (with a special read-only setting) but not to save these changes. Only an authorized user is allowed to save changes. Please note that by opening a document as read-only and copying it to a new document with a clipboard it is possible to obtain an unprotected copy of your document.

This password is set the same way and in the same window as password to open.

3) Protect Document – document protection. With this type of protection you prevent your document from any alterations. Any user can freely view it but no one is allowed to edit, copy, or format it. To a certain point it is similar to a pdf file viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

It is possible to set or delete this type of protection with : Tools > Protect Document or Unprotect Document; select exclusions and apply protection.

These are the main features provided by Microsoft Word 2003. It is nice when everything is working fine but what happens if somebody cracks your protection by guessing your password? And what are you going to do if you lose or forget the password for your document? How powerful and reliable is Microsoft Word 2003 protection?

When assigning a password the program warns you not to lose it as you can't recover the password. This is not exactly right. Any password can be cracked. The point is how much time it will take for special program to crack your password. For instance, Protect Document password uses a rather easy protection method and a few seconds is enough to recover this kind of password. It is similar with Password to modify. But it is not that easy with Password to open:

The first versions of Microsoft Word had rather weak security; it took a bit more time to crack it compared to the other types used in Microsoft Word. But starting from Microsoft Word 97 version the situation has been improving. The new version had more cryptoproof security; it would take many years to crack it with the brute-force and PIV computer. Please note that it doesn't apply to Microsoft Word 97 version supplied to the French market as these versions had the old protection from the previous Microsoft Office 95. Cryptoprotection options were further advanced in Microsoft Office XP (realization in Office 2003 is the same). At the moment, the user can chose encryption mode to protect his documents.

This option is customized by assigning password to open (Advanced... button). In the window you will see a list of possible algorithms of document protection. Almost all of them are hard nuts for a hacker; it would take him a long time to crack your document.

I love Venn Diagrams because nothing comes to close to expressing the logical relationships between different sets of elements that well.

With Microsoft Word 2003 you can create fantastic looking and colorful Venn Diagrams on the fly, with as many elements and colors as you need.

It helps to launch your DRAW toolbar first before you do anything else.

Then follow these steps:

1) Click the 3-balls icon (the tooltip text should read “Insert Diagram or Organization Chart”) to display the Diagram Gallery dialog box.

2) Click and select the Venn Diagram icon on the lower-center to insert a default Venn diagram and also to display the Diagram mini tool-bar.

3) To add a new set of elements (represented by each CIRCLE in the diagram), click the Insert Shape button on the mini tool-bar.

4) To move the circle shapes around, click the clockwise or counterclockwise buttons until you get the desired positioning.

5) Click the “Click to Add text” text to enter any text you want to identify the individual elements.

6) Click the Text Wrap button to apply text wrapping, if there is any need.

7) Click Autoformatting button on the mini tool-bar to select a pre-saved format template for the whole diagram.

8) You can change the formatting of any individual slice by selecting it and then clicking the appropriate formatting buttons on the DRAW toolbar.

Microsoft Word contains a feature called AutoCorrect, that will fix common typographical errors as the user types. By default, AutoCorrect is enabled, but there are several configurable options the user can set to change or control the behaviour of AutoCorrect.

To open AutoCorrect within Word 2007 choose Office > Word Options to open the Word Options dialogue box. Select Proofing > AutoCorrect Options to display the AutoCorrect dialogue box.

The box will contain several tabs, including AutoCorrect, Math AutoCorrect, AutoFormat As You Type, AutoFormat and Smart Tags.

The AutoCorrect tab options will allow you to:

• Show or hide the AutoCorrect buttons
• Automatically correct any occurrences of two adjacent, capitalised letters
• Capitalise the first letter of any sentence.
• Capitalise the first letter in any table cell
• Capitalise the names of days
• Correct accidental usage of the cAPS LOCK key

In the bottom half of the tab, Word also allows you to customise the occurrence of any word you choose. You can create a list of common typographical errors you make, and Word will automatically correct the spelling of these listed words. You can choose to substitute plain or formatted text on your customised word list.

Finally, you can direct the software to replace misspelt words automatically with suggestions from the spell checker.

The behaviour of AutoCorrect can come in handy, but at times, you may find yourself arguing with it when it "corrects" a legitimate text entry. In this case, you can "undo" any unwanted corrections by pressing Ctrl-Z. You can also take advantage of the Smart Tag to restore your uncorrected text.

To use the Smart Tag, hover the mouse over the corrected text. An underline will appear. Mouse over the underline to show the Smart Tag. Select Change back to [N]. [N] represents the original text entry.

The AutoCorrect feature also allows users to insert graphics. This is particularly helpful if you need to insert an electronic signature into a document. By associating an image with a textual phrase, AutoCorrect will insert a graphic in place of a word.

If you wish to use Word in this way, you'll need to scan a copy of your signature and insert it into a document.

Select your signature and choose Office > Word Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect to display the AutoCorrect dialogue box. Click the AutoCorrect tab.

The highlighted signature will appear in the "With" box, in the user-definable replacements section of the tab. Choose "Formatted Text." Under the column labeled "Replace:" enter a distinctive word, code or abbreviation for the signature, and click ok. Avoid using common words like "signature" or "sign" because each time you use the word in a document, your signature will appear!

Click OK and you're finished.

We'll continue our tour of AutoCorrect in future posts.

Did you know that Microsoft Word 2003 can compare two related but different documents and merge them nicely, creating a single document out of them?

What's more, MS Word also gives you full manual control about the changes. You can accept or reject each change individually since they are all listed as red text balloons on the right margin of the new document, with the deleted items clearly linked to the exact location in the text where the change is made.

What's important here is the ORDER in which the documents are merged and compared. MS Word will take the SECOND document as a base and will try to pour the FIRST document into the mold of the second one.

For example, let's say we have two documents:

DOCUMENT A is a list of "10 things to do on Saturday."

DOCUMENT B is a list of "5 things to do on Monday."

Now, comparing and merging Doc A with Doc B will yield different results than comparing and merging Doc B with Doc A. (In the language of mathematics, the "compare and merge" operation is NOT commutative.)

If we first open Doc A and then select Tools > Compare and Merge Documents… and then browse and select Doc B and click the MERGE button, the merged document will have a list of 5 items.

If we first open Doc B and then select Tools > Compare and Merge Documents… and then browse and select Doc A and click the MERGE button, the merged document will have a list of 10 items.

By right-clicking on every change you can accept or reject Word's suggestion.

This is a handy feature that can be useful in comparing two versions of the same document or two related lists with different features.

When it comes to journaling in our scrapbooks, many of us look for alternatives to old fashioned pen and paper. I know I’ve used stickers and diecuts to help write my message. I find just pen and paper sometimes are not quite what I want.

Next time you want to journal, but don’t wish to handwrite, consider using your computer and a word processor.

There are so many ways to use a word processor to manipulate text. The very basics are to open a word document, type your text and then alter the font and sizing to your liking. You can also shade and underline words in a simple text document.

Both Microsoft Word and Word Perfect have a feature called “word art”. In Microsoft Word, go to the “insert” column in the top menu. Click on “picture” and then “word art”. In Word Perfect, again go to the “insert” column in the top menu, then click on “graphics” and “text art”.

Both programs allow you take words and make them into an arc, a circle etc. Have fun and play around with the many features of both programs and look at all of the various ways your text can appear.

In Microsoft Word, once you type the text, you can click on it and you’ll get another menu box along side the text. If you click on the “abc”, which is “word art shape” you can choose to have your text any shape you’d like. In Word Perfect, the shape is available on the first text screen.

There are just so many options to choose from. You can create page titles for your pages. You can journal about a particular photo. You can make a cover page for the entire album.

With these text features, you truly can match text size, shape and color to the rest of your layout, the overall theme of a page, or an entire album.

After you’ve created your text, print it out first on a white sheet of paper to see exactly how it will look and if it needs to be moved or changed. Once you are happy with the layout of the text, insert a sheet of acid free paper into your printer and print your text. Then cut out the text according to how you want the text on your scrapbook page. You can also print the text directly on your background sheet, eliminating the need to cut the text.

You can also create outline text, make it large and then color it in, according to the color theme of your page. Truly the ideas are limitless as to what you can do with computer generated text.