Word 2000 in a Nutshell

Creating the Page Layout

Once I’ve created the new file, I have a blank page awaiting me. I always like to start the creation of a template by setting up the overall dimensions of the page. For this template, I’m going to start by opening the Page Setup dialog (Figure 14-2). Use File → Page Setup to do this or double-click the gray area of Word’s horizontal ruler. Figure 14-2 shows the default margins dictated by normal.dot when the new file was created. According to the MLA style, margins on all four sides must be one inch, so I’m going to make that change first. Headers and footers, mirror margins, and gutters are not allowed in the MLA style, so I’m just going to leave those items alone.

The paper size required by MLA is a standard 8.5” by 11”. This is also the default Word setting, so I can leave the Paper Size tab alone. The default settings on the Layout tab (for vertical alignment, line numbering, and so on) are also correct.

Figure 14-2. Setting margins for the template