Working with Text Boxes in Microsoft Word

  1. Changing the Top, Bottom, Left, and Right Margins to .5”

(This will give you more room on your paper for your text boxes!)

  1. Click on File.
  2. Click on Page Setup.
  3. Change the Top, Bottom, Left and Right Margins to .5.

* If the computer changes it to a different number, don’t worry. It needs to be as close to .5 as possible.

* If you get a message about the settings being outside the margins, choose Fix.

  1. Click on OK.

B.Adding a Text Box - Text Boxes are very helpful to create defined spaces for text, images, etc.

  1. Click on Insert.
  2. Click on Text Box.
  3. Your cursor will turn into a plus sign. Remember that your cursor must be a plus sign in order for you to draw a text box!
  4. To start your first box in the upper left corner, place your plus sign over your cursor in the upper left corner.
  5. Click the mouse button and hold it down.
  6. Drag the mouse to size your box.
  7. Release the mouse to stop drawing your box..
  8. Notice your text box has boxes on its border, which is a thick line. This means that your box is "active" and you can still work with it to make changes to its size.
  9. Move your cursor slowly along the edge of the thick line. Notice your cursor changes in appearance.
  1. A plus sign with 4 arrows – If you hold the mouse button down and drag, you can move the text box.
  2. A single line with arrows – If you hold the mouse button down and drag, you can change the size of the text box.

C. Viewing Your Text Boxes - To see what your text boxes look like:

  1. Click on File.
  2. Click on Print Preview.
  3. Press Esc to return to your document.

D.Deleting a Text Box

  1. Click inside the box once to make it active.
  2. Click on one of the border's boxes.
  3. Press the delete key to delete the box.

**** Practice making and deleting text boxes of different sizes!

**** Be sure to leave approximately .5” of space between your text boxes!

**** Remember to view your page in Print Preview!

  1. Adding Text to a Box
  1. Click inside the box to type information.
  2. Make any corrections or changes to the text as you would while typing inside a regular document.

**** Make sure your font is set to size 12 or greater! Do not use fancy or script fonts that will be difficult to read!

  1. Inserting an Image inside a Text Box
  1. Click inside the text box.
  2. Place your cursor where you want your image to appear.
  3. Click on Insert.
  4. Click on Picture.
  5. If you have scanned or saved an image to a disk, click on From File.
  6. Make sure the Look in: box has the correct drive listed. Change it to 3 1/2 Floppy [A:] if the image is on your disk.
  7. Double click on the correct filename to open the image and load it in your text box.
  8. Click on the image to make its boxes appear. Now it is active and you can change its size, align it, or press Delete to delete the image. If you delete your image, it may also remove the text box!
  1. Working with WordArt - Microsoft Word has different text art styles you can use. To place a WordArt inside a text box:
  1. Click on Insert.
  2. Click on Picture.
  3. Click on WordArt.
  4. Click on the WordArt Style you want to use.
  5. Click on OK.
  6. Type your text. You can also change the WordArt’s font style, size and appearance.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Make sure your WordArt text is active, so you can move it to your text box and edit its size.

H.Changing the Appearance of WordArt using the WordArt Toolbar

  1. Click on View.
  2. Move your cursor to Toolbars.
  3. Click on WordArt.
  4. The WordArt toolbar should appear. If the WordArt toolbar is in your way, click on the WordArt toolbar’s blue title bar, hold the mouse down and drag it to a place on your screen so it will be out of your way.
  5. To change the WordArt’s color:
  1. Click on the icon with the paint can and paint brush to select Format.
  2. The Colors and Lines option should appear. If not, click on the Colors and Lines tab.
  3. Click on the down arrow of the Fill Color: box.
  4. Click on a color.
  5. Click on OK.
  1. If you don’t want your WordArt toolbar to be displayed:
  1. Click on View.
  2. Move your cursor to Toolbars.
  3. Click on WordArt to remove the check.