BlogOffice

Table Tips

category : office XP : Word tables

Thanks to Nick Trautmann for sending along these Word table tips for fitting text into table columns:

Trick one: Press ALT while using the mouse to move the column or row dividers. This stops them from "jumping" and you can move them anywhere you want, not just the regular positions. [You'll also see the exact measurements of the column width appear in the ruler bar at the top of the screen, which can be helpful for those times when you're watching your margins closely.]

Trick two: Right click on a cell, choose Table Properties, Cell, Options. This opens a window where you can define cell margins and control the cell padding. Remove the check in the Same as the whole table checkbox so you can enter values for the margins. Reducing the padding allows you to put more into one cell. This can be especially useful if the text is to long to fit the proper column.

We appreciate the insights, Nick. Have a good weekend, everyone! :) k

It's Coming...

category : office 2003 : general info

This week Microsoft put the ship date (Oct 21) and new pricing on Office System. I'm pleasantly surprised. They've slashed prices of the new edition to make it more affordable for the rest of us...teachers, sole proprietors, individuals. Nice. Here's an article with the details: Microsoft puts price, date on new Office (CNet, 2003).

My opinion, as you've probably gathered if you're read previous posts, is that the new Office System is worth upgrading to. I was really able to dig into the software (up to my eyeballs!) and work with it through all its beta versions, and I've been impressed all along. I love the collaboration features and the convenience items, but it's the smart reuse of data and integration that really fires me up. This summer I've worked more intensely (in less time) and played more joyfully than any summer I can remember. I love it when software really does help us get things done faster. We're just at the start of a learning curve with how we can really use Office System 2003, but I think it has the right elements to help us streamline what we do and work together better.