Why won’t Word single-space my text?
One of the most frequent distress calls I get from Word users is, “Why won’t Word single-space my text?” If that’s what’s tripping you up, here’s what’s really happening.
Resetting table cell margins and text alignment
Need to give the text in your table a little breathing room? I’ll show you how to customize the interior margins, both for the table as a whole and for individual cells.
3 ways to create a deposition summary in Word
So you’re creating a deposition summary where you list the page numbers to the left and the testimony description to the right (and maybe some other information on the right as well). How on earth do you format that? Here are three ways you can accomplish that.
7 Table Tricks You (Probably) Don’t Know
If you use tables in your Microsoft Word documents, you may not know about these 7 formatting and/or functional tricks for getting the most out of your tables. Plus, view a free sample lesson from the Tables section of my Basic Word Skills for Legal Professionals course.
“Where did that line come from (and how do I get rid of it)?”
Have you ever typed a few dashes in between paragraphs (like as a placeholder or something), hit enter, and somehow wound up with a line all the way across the page that you can’t get rid of, no matter how many times you hit the Delete key?
Infuriating, isn’t it? But I’m here to tell you: It’s both fixable and preventable. (Yay!) Here’s how.
Does Publish as PDF create monster PDFs?
A reader recently pointed out a flaw in my method for one-click conversion of Word to PDF, so I took to the internet to investigate. Here’s what I found. How does it affect your workflow? Join the discussion in the comments.
The 4 Fastest Formatting Fixes I Know
Hands down, the biggest complaint I get is that Microsoft Word seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to formatting. People swear they did nothing more than breathe on their document, and things went completely wonky!Of course, without actually standing over their shoulder and watching them work, it’s really impossible for…
Copying vertical columns of text in Word
If you’ve ever needed to copy columns of text from a tabbed list and thought you had to retype them, think again. Try this trick instead.
Cutting and pasting from WordPerfect (or elsewhere)
Copying text from a WordPerfect document into Word can result in formatting disasters. Here’s how to avoid problems.
Reader Question: How to double indent faster
Ever wanted one-click access to double-indent a paragraph (like for a lengthy quote)? One reader did, and here are the three methods I recommended.
Want your next raise? You’ll have to test for it
Here’s a new (but not entirely unexepected) development: law firms basing annual staff raises on tech test scores. How would you fare?
Easy-to-read file folder labels for trial exhibits using Mail Merge
The last thing you need to be doing during a trial is frantically searching for the right exhibit. Laying your hands on the correct document becomes a whole lot easier when they’re in file folders marked with clear, easy-to-read labels. Here’s how to use Microsoft Word’s Mail Merge feature to transform your exhibit list into a set of labels with the exhibit number in large spot-it-from-across-the-room print.
Why hanging indents are beautiful things
I used to be afraid to do hanging indents. (Silly, right?) But now I use them with confidence, and I’ve found they’re really handy. Click the link below to find out how I overcame my fear and the quick and easy way to fix hanging indents when they go wrong.
Printing Envelopes and Labels, Part 2: Labels
In a very belated follow-up to my post on how to create and format envelopes in Microsoft Word, here’s a post on how to create and format labels. Both originate from the Mailings tab in versions 2007 and 2010 of Word or from the Tools menu of versions 2002 and 2003 – not exactly the easiest places to find! I’ve included instructions for both the ribbon and non-ribbon versions of Word for those who haven’t upgraded to the latest release. Click the link below to see the full illustrated tutorial.
How to keep two words together on a single line
Need to make sure two words appear together on the same line, regardless of line wrap? Here’s how to do that by inserting nonbreaking spaces and hyphens.
When a tab is not just a tab, part 3: Center tabs
If you’ve ever wanted to center text on a point somewhere other than dead center between the page margins, you need to learn how to use Center tabs. Click through to the full article for a quick video showing you how to set one up.
How to set tabs (without tearing your hair out)
Having trouble setting tabs in Microsoft Word? Here are two quick methods, plus a tip on how to set tabs for one section of your document without messing up the rest of your text.
Reader Question: Underlining trailing spaces
Ever wanted Microsoft Word to underline blank spaces … and it wouldn’t? Fixing that couldn’t be simpler. Click the “Read More” link to learn how.
Save those trees! Printing compressed copies of large documents
If you’re not anywhere close to having a paperless office, but you still want to save room in those bulging files of yours, here’s an option you might not have considered before: condensed printing. Think “travel transcript,” like those 4-up duplex printed deposition mini-transcripts you get. If some of your hard copies could just as easily be printed in “mini” form for your file, then click Read More to learn this trick in Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, your default Windows photo printer, and virtually any other application you have.
How to print an envelope in Microsoft Word
A WordPerfect Lover asked me to go “back to the basics” with some tutorials on essential Word functions, so I’m starting that effort with a tutorial on how to print envelopes in Microsoft Word. Click the “read more” link for a complete illustrated tutorial.
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