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Microsoft Publisher 2003

Working with Rulers & Guides

Publisher provides the ruler and ruler guides to help you position or align text, objects, or graphics with a great deal of precision. You can choose to display or hide the rulers and guides as your needs change. You can also choose to have objects which are placed close to a guide "snap to" the guide for easy alignment.

return to topDisplaying Rulers

The horizontal and vertical rulers assist you in positioning elements on your page.

  1. From the View menu, select Rulers 
    NOTES:
    If the rulers are showing, the icon in front of the menu choice will have a box around itMenu choice.
    If the rulers are hidden, the icon will not have a box around it.
    The ruler must be displayed in order to place and use guides.

return to topChanging Ruler Measurements

Publisher allows you to choose the system of measurement that will be used in the vertical and horizontal rulers.

  1. From the Tools menu, select Options...
    The Options dialog box appears.

  2. Select the General tab

  3. From the Measurement units pull-down list, select a measurement unit
    Change measurement units dialog box

  4. Click OK
    The measurement system is now changed.

return to topPlacing Ruler Guides

New ruler guides can be placed as you need them for alignment. You can place a guide regardless of what tool you currently have selected.

NOTE: The ruler from which you will be placing the guide must be displayed. For more information, refer to Displaying Rulers.

  1. To place a vertical guide, place your tool over the vertical ruler area
    To place a horizontal guide, place your tool over the horizontal ruler area

  2. With your tool over the ruler area, click and hold down the left mouse button
    The mouse becomes a double-sided arrow:
    Vertical Adjust Horizontal Adjust

  3. Drag the guide onto your page
    A colored line appears.

  4. Release the mouse button

Moving Existing Guides

  1. To place a vertical guide, place your tool over the vertical ruler area
    To place a horizontal guide, place your tool over the horizontal ruler area

  2. With the cursor over the guide, click and hold down the left mouse button
    The mouse becomes a double-sided arrow:
    Vertical Adjust Horizontal Adjust

  3. To reposition a guide, drag the guide to its new location
    To remove the guide, drag the guide into the ruler area

  4. Release the mouse button

return to topHiding All Guides

While working with guides in your publication, you may want to see the elements on your page without the guides. You do not have to remove the guides in order to do so.

Hiding All Guides: Menu Option

  1. From the View menu, deselect Boundaries and Guides
    If this option is selected, the menu choice with have a checkmark in front of it.

Hiding All Guides: Keyboard Shortcut

  1. Press [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [O]
    NOTES:
    [O] is the letter "O"
    This feature can be toggled on and off by repeating this keyboard shortcut.

return to topRemoving All Ruler Guides

As your publication progresses, you may find that you have placed a large number of guides. In addition to dragging ruler guides off of your page. You have the option to clear all guides at one time. This option will clear all placed ruler guides. For more information, refer to Moving Existing Guides.

  1. From the Arrange menu, select Ruler Guides » Clear All Ruler Guides
    All ruler guides are removed.

return to topUsing Snap To

Publisher offers three options for forcing alignment. You can make objects snap to ruler increments, to guides, and/or to other objects. This feature makes consistent alignment of multiple objects easy.

NOTE: You can use one or any combination of the following options:

Snap to Rulers

Snap to Rulers pulls objects to the nearest ruler increment as you move them.

  1. From the Arrange menu, select Snap » To Ruler Marks
    The option is active if it is checked.

Snap to Guides

Snap to Guides will align objects to a guide. The guide does not have to rest on a ruler increment.

  1. From the Arrange menu, select Snap » To Guides
    The option is active if it is checked.

Snap to Objects

Snap to Objects will pull an object toward the object nearest to it.

  1. From the Arrange menu, select Snap » To Objects
    The option is active if the icon in front of the menu choice has a box around it.

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