Microsoft Word 2004
The Formatting Palette
The Formatting Palette offers an easy way to format your text and objects with a single click. Since it is located in your workspace on the right side of the screen, it bypasses using less efficient menu options to format text, objects, and images, giving users easy access to quick changes when formatting text.
Accessing the Formatting Palette
The Formatting Palette should automatically appear on the right side of your screen when you open Word. If it is not visible, you can access it easily.
Viewing the Formatting Palette
- From the View menu, select Formatting Palette
NOTE: If the menu option is checked, the Formatting Palette is visible.
OR
From the Standard toolbar, click FORMATTING PALETTE
The Formatting Palette appears on the right side of the screen.
Expanding the Formatting Palette
To optimize your workspace, the Formatting Palette consists of collapsible sections. Each section is indicated by a colored bar with the section title and a triangular arrow. These sections expand to reveal common functions of the individual sections.
- Access the Formatting Palette
- Click the heading of the section you want to expand (e.g. Font)
The section expands below the selected heading.
NOTE: The triangular arrow points to the right when the section is closed or points down when the section is open.
Formatting Palette Options
The Formatting Palette consists of four sections for adjusting font, alignment and spacing, borders and shading, and document margins and layout. Each section contains different formatting options for the element you are working with.
Formatting Palette Options: Font
The Font section of the Formatting Palette allows you to prescribe a paragraph or document style, font type, font size, font color, text style and apply subscript or superscript text. You can apply strikethrough options, caps, and highlighting to text. You also can add bullets or numbered lists and increase and decrease paragraph indentation.
| Palette Button | Function |
|---|---|
 |
Selects font style |
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Selects font size |
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Selects font color |
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Applies boldface, italics, underline, and shadow to text |
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Creates superscript or subscript text |
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Applies single or double strikethrough |
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Applies small caps or all caps |
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Adds highlighting to text |
Formatting Palette Options: Alignment and Spacing
The Alignment and Spacing section of the Formatting Palette allows you to format the horizontal and vertical alignment, paragraph spacing, and paragraph indentation.
| Palette Button | Function |
|---|---|
 |
Designates horizontal alignment for text: right, center, left, or justified |
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Designates spacing between lines: single, 1.5, double |
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Changes text direction to horizontal or vertical |
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Applies spacing before and after paragraphs |
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Sets left, right, and first line paragraph indentations |
Formatting Palette Options: Bullets and Numbering
The Bullets and Numbering section of the Formatting Palette allows you to format type of list, indentation for list items, the style of bullet or number characters, and the starting number of numbered list items.
| Palette Button | Function |
|---|---|
 |
Creates a bulleted or numbered list |
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Decreases or increases the indent of a list item |
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Changes the style of the number or bullet character |
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Starts the list item at a specified number |
Formatting Palette Options: Borders and Shading
The Borders and Shading section of the Formatting Palette allows you create and design borders for tables, pages, drawing objects, and text sections. You can select from several types of borders and line styles while applying color and line weight to make distinctive borders. You can design unique backgrounds with color, shading, texture, and patterns.
| Palette Button | Function |
|---|---|
 |
Designates type of border: inside, outside, all, partial, or none |
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Selects border styles like solid line, dashed line, or multi line |
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Changes border color |
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Applies border size from 1/4 point to 6 point |
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Select degree of fill shading and/or patterns |
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Applies background colors |
