Word Processing and Desktop Publishing

Software

lesson 13

This lesson includes the following sections:

• Word Processing Programs and Their Uses

• The Word Processor's Interface

• Entering and Editing Text

• Formatting Text

• Special Features of Word Processing Software

• Desktop Publishing Software

• Converting Documents into World Wide Web Pages

• Word processors provide tools for creating, editing, and formatting text-based documents.

• You can use a word processor to create virtually any type of document, from a simple letter to a complete book.

• A word processor's formatting tools let you create professional-quality documents easily.

Word Processing Programs and Their Uses

Word processors provide tools to produceprofessional looking documents.

• Document area

• Menu bar

• Toolbars

• Rulers

• Scroll Bars

• Status Bar

Most Windows-based word processors offer a similar set of tools, which you use to navigate, edit, and format documents:

The Word Processor's Interface

Menu bar Toolbars

Ruler

Document areaStatus bar

Scroll barScroll boxes

• You create a document by entering text in the document window.

• A blinking insertion point shows you where characters will be placed as you type.

• When you type to the end of a line, the program automatically moves the insertion point to the next line. This feature is called word wrap.

Entering and Editing Text –Adding Text to a Document

Entering and Editing Text –Editing a Document

• The Backspace and Delete keys let you erase one or more characters.

• Overtype mode lets you type over previously entered text.

• AutoCorrect can automatically correct spelling and typing errors.

• Undo and Redo let you reverse the effect of a previous action.

Making changes to an existing document is called editing. Tools are provided for erasing and retyping text quickly:

• Word processors let you work with entire blocks of text. You can format, move, copy, or delete a block.

• To work with a block of text, you must first select it, using one of many selection options. Selected text is highlighted on the screen.

• When you are finished working with selected text, you can deselect it.

Entering and Editing Text - Selecting Text

Here, a selected block of text is deleted.

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• Character formats

• Paragraph formats

• Document formats

Formatting a document means controlling its appearance.

Formats fall into three broad categories:

Formatting Text

• You can use multiple fonts in a document, such as Arial or Times.

• Word processors let you apply different sizes – measured in points – to the text in a document.

• You can apply type styles to your text, such as bold, italic, and underline, among others.

Formatting Text - Character Formats

• In a word processor, you create a new paragraph whenever you press Enter. You can format each paragraph in a different way.

• You can set the amount of blank space between lines in a paragraph and between paragraphs in a document.

• To align a paragraph, you set the space between its edges and the page's margins. You can also indent a paragraph's first line.

• Borders and shading create special effects for paragraphs.

Formatting Text - Paragraph Formats

• Margins are the amount of blank space between the edges of the text and the edges of the page.

• Word processors let you print documents on different size paper, in portrait or landscape orientation.

• Headers and footers are commonly used in long documents, to provide continuing information along the top or bottom of the pages.

Formatting Text - Document Formats

As shown on the next graphic, documents can be divided into sections to give each a unique format.

Heading section

Three-column format section

• Language tools

• Tables

• Mail Merge

• Support for graphics and sounds

• Templates

Today's word processors provide a variety of specialized tools, including:

Special Features of Word Processing Software

• Spell checkers, which can help you find and correct misspelled words.

• Grammar checkers, which help your document conform to accepted grammatical rules.

• Thesauri, which can help you make the best word choices.

Language tools can help you improve the quality of your documents by catching language errors. Language tools include:

Special Features of Word Processing Software - Language Tools

Whoops!

• Tables let you set up rows and columns of information.

• You can format a table in dozens of ways, add headings, and more.

Special Features of Word ProcessingSoftware - Tables

• Mail merge is the process of combining a form letter with contents of an address database.

• Using mail merge, you can create a standard letter and automatically make a copy for each person in your database.

Special Features of Word ProcessingSoftware - Mail Merge

• Word processors allow you to add images to your documents.

• Once you add a graphic to a document, you can select it, move it, resize it, and more.

• You also can add sound files to a document. A sound file appears as an icon; click the icon on screen and the file plays.

Special Features of Word ProcessingSoftware - Support for Graphics and Sounds

Imported graphic

Embedded sound file

• A template is a predesigned document.

• A template simplifies document design. You simply open the document and type your text.

Special Features of Word ProcessingSoftware - Templates

• Desktop publishing (DTP) software is specialized for designing and laying out long documents, such as magazines or books.

• DTP software provides special tools for fine-tuning the appearance of text and graphics in a document.

• DTP software can produce documents that are ready to be sent to a professional printer.

Desktop Publishing Software

• Word processors can create documents in HTML format, ready to be published on the World Wide Web.

• To create an HTML document, create a normal document then save it in HTML format. The word processor inserts all the required HTML tags.

• Many word processors include HTML templates, which let you easily create finished Web pages.

Converting Documents Into World Wide Web Pages

• Identify three basic word processing tools that simplify document editing.

• Explain what is meant by "selecting" parts of a document.

• Identify five special features commonly found in modern word processors.

• Distinguish desktop publishing software from word processing software.

• Describe how word processors can convert normal documents into World Wide Web pages.

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