Word 2007: The Missing Manual

Chapter 14. Creating Forms with Word

Apply for a job, driver’s license, or bank account, and you have to fill out a form. Forms collect information, and every day it seems there’s more information to collect. If you need to create a form to collect information, Word can help. With Word, you can create forms to print and hand to someone on paper, as well as computer-based forms that you can distribute by email or display as a Web page.

This chapter shows you how to create both paper-and computer-based forms, which you can do using the tools you’ve already learned in this book. (If you’re not familiar with tables, you may want to review Chapter 10 first, since tables are a big help when making forms.) The second part of this chapter shows you how to make computer-based forms using content controls—objects you insert into Word documents to make it easier to collect information. Content controls let your audience fill in the blanks, while protecting the permanent text from changes or deletions.

Creating a Paper Form

Most forms have the same basic elements—permanent text and blanks. Permanent text includes things like the heading at the top of the page, labels, and perhaps tips on how to fill out the form. The blanks collect information from the people filling out the form. Take the IRS 1040 Income Tax form, for example. On second thought, scratch that—too depressing. Suppose you’re a magazine distributor creating a subscription form, and as incentive you’re running a sweepstakes so new ...