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Creating a Newsletter

Margins

Create a new Word document and change the margins to .5” on all sides.  Ignore the warning that margins are set outside the printable area.

Columns

Click the Columns button and drag to choose 2 columns or choose Format, Columns and click 2.  You may click line between if you want a line separating the columns. 

Choose Options from the Tools menu and select Text Boundaries then OK.  This will allow you to view the column boundaries.

Banner

Click the Rectangle tool on the Draw toolbar and draw a rectangle across the top of the page to mark the banner location.

Click the WordArt icon or choose Picture, WordArt from the Insert menu.  Type the name of your newsletter.

Click the Clip Art icon or choose Picture, Clip Art from the Insert menu.

Now insert your clip art choice in your banner

Click the Text Box icon or choose Text Box from the Insert menu and Draw a text box and type your professional name.  Move it to the bottom of the banner.

Click the Line Color icon and choose No line to hide the line around the text box

Create another text box and Choose Date and Time from the Insert menu.  Choose a date style.  Be sure update automatically is NOT checked so that the date won’t change every time you open the file.  You want to keep the date constant for the issue of the newsletter.

Insert or draw any other graphics you want on the banner

Press shift and click each element of the banner to select it.  Click the Draw menu and choose Group.  The banner will show only 8 handles to indicate that it is all one object.  If you start typing your newsletter stories now, they will move behind the banner.  You need the banner to force the text to stay below it.  So…

Right click the banner or choose Format, Object from the Format menu.

Click the Layout tab and Then Square.  Click Advanced.  Click the Text Wrapping tab.  Type “.4” in the box next to Bottom to allow white space between the banner and the text.  Click the Picture Position tab.  Remove the check mark from the Move object with text, Click OK, then OK again

(For Office 97)

Right click the banner or choose Format Object from Format menu.  Click Wrapping tab.  Choose Square.  Type “.4” in the box next to bottom.  Click OK.  Click the insertion point so that the cursor is below the banner.  Choose Break from the Insert menu.  Choose Continuous and click OK

Template

Saving your newsletter at this point as a Template will save you a lot of work later.  Newsletters are ideal documents to save so that you can make each edition look the same without recreating the document each time. 

Choose Save As from the File menu

Give the file the name Newsletter

Choose Document Template from the Save as Type menu.  The default place is in the Word Template folder.  You may save it there or create your own Folder location. 

Inserting Stories

You can type original stories into your newsletter or you can use documents already prepared and copy and paste them into your newsletter.  To move between columns of the two column format use key combination Control + Shift + Enter

Formatting Headings

Select heading and format in normal way or use the keystroke Shift + Control + > to increase text size and Control + B for boldface

Drop Cap

Select the letter you wish to be a drop cap at the beginning of your story

Choose Drop Cap from the Format menu

Select the size of the font and the type of drop cap then Click OK and you are done

Inserting Clip Art

Choose Insert, Picture, Clip Art or From File

Make your choice

Select Tight from the Format Picture box or Word Wrap from the Picture toolbar and Tight

Watermark

Insert a Picture

Choose Order, Send Behind Text from the Draw menu

Choose Picture, Format

Click the Picture Tab and Choose Watermark in the Picture dropdown menu

Inserting a Border

Select the text you want in the border area

Choose Borders and Shading from the Format menu

Select the Borders tab then choose Shadow form the Settings and determine the Width you want and click OK

Saving

Save the file and change the name so use File Save As

You change the name so that you do not affect your template.  Be sure that you the Save as Type to Word Document and save your newsletter

Print

Press Control + P or Print from the File menu or the Print Icon from the toolbar

Sources:

Caughlin, Janet.  Word Workshop for Teachers.  Tom Snyder Productions:  Watertown, Massachusetts. 2000.

Sebastian, Bonita.  Microsoft Office 97 Step by Step.  Computer Literacy Press:  Cincinnati, Ohio.  1997.