Control page layout
OOoWriter controls page layout somewhat differently than Word does. Some functions may be closer to those in FrameMaker, a program I’m not very familiar with.
In Word, the page setup (paper size, orientation, margins, and so on) that you set up for a document are the default for that document, unless you define different setups for separate sections. If you specify headers and footers, they apply to the entire document (unless you change them in specific sections). You can specify different headers and footers for the first page of a document or section and for the odd and even pages in the document or section.
In OOWriter, the default page style does not carry over to any other page style; you have to define each each page style explicitly. (You can also create templates and then base other documents on those templates.) I would normally set up at least three standard page styles: First Page, Left Page, and Right Page; I might also define a Landscape page. When you set up a page style, you can specify which page style applies to the next page, so when text flows from one page to the next, the correct page style will automatically apply to the following pages. A typical setup would be First Page (which is normally a right-hand page) with "next page style" of Left Page, which would have a "next page style" of Right Page, which has a "next page style" of Left Page.
Note: "Sections" in OOoWriter serve a slightly different purpose than they do in Word. More information on this topic to be added later.
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To do this… |
In Microsoft Word… |
In OOoWriter… |
|---|---|---|
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Define margins |
File > Page Setup > Margins |
Format > Page > Page |
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Specify different headers and footers on first, odd, and even pages |
File > Page Setup > Layout > Headers and Footers section |
Define different page styles for First, Left (even), and Right (odd) pages, |
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Edit headers and footers |
View > Headers and Footers, then type or insert fields; can also double-click in existing header or footer regions |
After you have specified Header and Footer areas for a page, they are always active. Single-click to type or insert fields |
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Change from roman to arabic page numbers in the footer of a page |
Insert a section break, deselect "Same as Previous" in the footer of the second section, then define a new footer with page numbers restarting at 1 in arabic numerals |
Insert a manual page break and apply a different page style; specify a starting page number of 1. |
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Use paragraph styles for page layout |
Can define paragraph styles with offset from left margin, with heading styles aligned left or right |
Can define paragraph styles with offset from left margin, with heading styles aligned left or right |
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Use columns for page layout |
Insert continuous sections to switch from single to multiple columns on one page |
Format > Page > Columns (or) Insert/Format > Section > Columns (or) other methods |
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Use frames or text boxes for page layout |
Frames are used in Word 97 but mostly replaced by text boxes in Word 2000 and 2002; can be linked to flow text from one to next, as in a newsletter |
Insert > Frame (can link frames to flow text from one to next, as in a newsletter); "text boxes" are fields, not positioning devices |
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Use tables for page layout |
Table > Insert > Table (use dialog to format) |
Insert > Table (use dialog to format) |
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Put portrait headers on landscape pages |
Use rotated text box linked to header – can include fields for page numbers etc |
Use rotated text frame — but cannot include fields, therefore of limited usefulness |
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Set first page number to greater than 1 |
Insert > Page Numbers > Format |
See How to start page numbering with a number greater than 1 |
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View and edit facing pages |
File > Print Preview; click Zoom button to enable editing |
File > Page Preview; cannot edit when previewing |