Archive for the 'Microsoft Word Tips' Category

Hints & Tips: Microsoft Office – Convert a Microsoft Office 2007 document into PDF format

PDF is a fixed-layout electronic file format that preserves document formatting. It ensures that when the file is viewed online or printed, it retains exactly the format that was initially intended, and that data in the file cannot easily be changed.

 

Before the release of Office 2007 we had to either buy Adobe Acrobat for about £450 in order to convert Office files into PDF format, or install a third party software solution.

 

With the release of Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft introduced a file format called XPS. It is similar to PDF in that you can save a file to this format and share or print it at a later date. This XPS format is not the global standard, and not many people know what it is when they receive it.

 

The following Office applications can be used to convert files to PDF format:

 

In order to convert files, you need to install 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS. 

 

Let’s use Microsoft Word application to convert a Word file into PDF format.

 

  1. Open a Microsoft Word document you want to save in PDF format
  2. Click the Microsoft Office Button Microsoft Office Button, and then navigate to Save As, and click PDF Or XPS.
  3.  Microsoft Office Save as PDF or XPS

     

  4.  In Save as Type, make sure that PDF is selected.
  5.  Microsoft Office 2007 Save as PDF or XPS function

     

    If you want to open the file immediately after saving it, select the Open file after publishing check box. This check box is available only if you have a PDF reader installed on your computer.

     

  6. Click Publish to create your PDF.

 Microsoft Office 2007 Convert a document to PDF

 

Hints & Tips: MS Word – Remove Formatting from Text Quickly or Extra Quickly

Ever opened a document where the formatting is terrible; only then to spend hours removing it all?

 

Since I have started blogging I’ve discovered that removing formatting from text before pasting it on a blog page takes lots of time!

 

Here 3 ways to remove formatting from the text.

 

Using the mouse:

  1. Select the text whose formatting you want to remove.
  2. Click Styles and Formatting  Microsoft Word Styles and Formatting Button on the Formatting toolbar
  3. Click Clear Formatting.

Microsoft Word restores the formatting to the Normal style for your document.

 

You can achieve the same result by:

  1. Selecting the text whose formatting you want to remove.
  2. Going to EditClearFormats from the Standard toolbar.

 

Or use my favourite method by using a keyboard:

Select the text and press a combination of keys <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <N>.

 

This saves you from having to manually remove all the formatting yourself.

From Error message to Easy access – Using Earlier Versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, to Open & Save files from Office 2007 programs

A few friends of mine recently told me they don’t have a new .docx format and couldn’t open a file in Word format.

 

Do you have Microsoft Office 2000, Office XP, or Office 2003 and receive an error message when you try to open a file in Word, Excel or PowerPoint?

 

Error messages include:

  • Windows cannot open this file
  • The file is not in a recognizable format
  • PowerPoint can’t open the type of file represented by filename

 

This article may help you to get rid of the problem.

 

Microsoft has added the new Office Open XML Formats to the following 2007 Microsoft Office programs:

  • Microsoft Office Excel 2007
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
  • Microsoft Office Word 2007

 

Some of the formats have been changed and are now:

  • Word Document (*.docx)
  • Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)
  • PowerPoint Presentation (*.pptx)

 

To be able to read files in new formats from the earlier versions of Microsoft Office you will need to install and download a Compatibility Pack.

 

A compatibility pack is available to help you open and save Office Open XML formats in earlier versions of Microsoft Office. You can install the compatibility pack on a computer that is running Microsoft Office 2003 programs, Microsoft Office XP programs, or Microsoft Office 2000 programs. When you install the compatibility pack, you can open, edit, save, and create files in the Office Open XML Formats.

 

All you need to do is:

 

1. Make sure that you have all High-Priority updates from Microsoft Update. Just press the Express button from the Welcome to Microsoft Update page and follow the instructions.

 

2. Download the Compatibility Pack by clicking the Download button from the Microsoft website on http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en and save the file to your hard disk.

 

3. Double-click the FileFormatConverters.exe program file on your hard disk to start the setup program.

 

4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

 

These simple steps will ensure you can open and save files in the Office Open XML Formats. They will also mean you have the latest Microsoft Update for your Windows application, which is a MUST for protecting your computer from threats.

Hints & Tips: MS Word – Increase/ Decrease the Font Size by 1 Point at a Time

If you would like to quickly change the font size by using keyboard, highlight a text and press

 

CTRL+]    to Increase the font size by 1 point

CTRL+[    to Decrease the font size by 1 point