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Microsoft Publisher 2007

Working with Styles

A style is simply a definition of the type, paragraph, tab, and hyphenation settings for a specific type of text in your document. Styles are helpful for documents that have several formatting changes (e.g., titles, section headings, text, lists) and for projects that more than one person is working on. They can make documents more consistent and will save you time (especially if you decide to make global changes to your document).

There are two basic steps to working with styles: defining the style and applying the style. As with most programs, planning ahead and thinking about your document can save you a lot of time when creating and modifying your styles. This document contains the following sections:

return to topCreating a Style

You have several options for creating a style. For example, you can define a new style based on an already existing one and/or work ahead by choosing a style for the paragraph following the newly created one.

  1. Open your publication

  2. From the Format menu, select Styles...
    OR
    From the Formatting toolbar, click STYLESStyles and Formatting button
    The Styles task pane appears.
    Styles and Formatting task pane

  3. Click NEW STYLE...
    The New Style dialog box appears.
    New Style dialog box

  4. In the Enter new style name text box, type a name for your new style
    NOTE: The style name you type will also appear in the Style for the following paragraph pull-down list.

  5. To base the new style on an existing style, from the Style based on pull-down list, select a desired style

  6. To designate a style for the paragraph that follows the new style, from the Style from the following paragraph pull-down list, select a desired style

  7. Under Click to change, click a style property you wish to change
    NOTE: The style options are also discussed in the introduction for this section.

    Style Function
    Font Allows you to format the font for this style.
    Character spacing Allows you to adjust the scaling, tracking, and kerning of text. 
    NOTE: For more information, refer to Advanced Character Formatting.
    Paragraph Allows you to change spacing between lines, before paragraphs, and after paragraphs. 
    NOTE: For more information, refer to Working with Text Spacing.
    Bullets and numbering Allows you to change how paragraphs (including lists) with this style are indented and aligned.
    Horizontal rules Allows you to change the appearance and position for horizontal rules.
    Tabs Allows you to set tabs for this style.

  8. Make the desired changes

  9. To return to the New Style dialog box, click OK

  10. OPTIONAL: Repeat steps 7 - 9 for additional properties that you want to change

  11. Click OK
    Your new style appears under Pick formatting to apply.

return to topApplying a Style

To apply a style for one complete paragraph, you need to place your insertion point within the paragraph. When you want to apply a style to multiple paragraphs at once, you must select at least one character from each paragraph.

Applying a Style: Task Pane

  1. To apply a style to one paragraph, place your insertion point within the paragraph you wish to apply the style to
    OR
    To apply a style to multiple paragraphs, highlight the paragraphs you wish to apply the style to

  2. From the Styles task pane, select the name of your style
    The style is now applied.
    Example of styles in the task pane

return to topModifying a Style

You may decide later that the specifications originally set for a style are not what you want. You can edit the style so that the change you make occurs for every instance of that style in your document.

  1. On the Styles and Formatting task pane, under Pick formatting to apply, move your pointer over the style you wish to modify
    An arrow for a pull-down list appears.
    Style pull-down list, modify selection

  2. From the pull-down list, select Modify...
    The Modify Style dialog box appears.

  3. Under Click to change, click a style property you wish to change

  4. Make the desired changes

  5. Click OK

  6. OPTIONAL: Repeat steps 3 - 5 for additional properties that you want to change

  7. Click OK

return to topDeleting a Style

  1. On the Styles and Formatting task pane, under Pick formatting to apply, move your pointer over the style you wish to delete
    An arrow for a pull-down list appears

  2. From the pull-down list, select Delete...
    A confirmation dialog box appears.

  3. Click YES
    All text formatted with the deleted style reverts to the Normal style.

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