I use Microsoft word for writting. After some time of trying to find a way to do it, I took to using inserted text boxes to do the whole business of putting both page number and name in the top corner of each page of a manuscript. Same for contact info on the top left corner of the first page etc.

Trouble is, I'm having to insert and modify a box for each page. Is there a better way to do this?
 

I don't think I did anything special with my toolbar so see if you have an Insert tab.

Your name/title will require header fussing though.
 

I've tried header/footer stuff but nothing has worked so far. Its always too short.
 

I use headers/footers. I do a header for standard MS formatting, which generally calls for last name/title or word from title of work/page number. I use headers, tab twice to get to the right-justified position, then type my last name, a slash, a word from the or whole title if it's short enough, another slash, page number (using the # sign button on the header/footer toolbar.)

I adjust the font type and size by selecting all, just like in the main manuscript (because my default font is not courier.)

I adjust margins and other global settings when back on the main document.

I haven't had any trouble. Far easier than trying to control the position of a text box on each page. That makes my brain itch just thinking about it.

Only vertically. Not horizontally.

[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited May 23, 2008).]
 

Most MS formatting style guidelines indicate you should have author last name/title/page number in upper right corner, so when I open header, I tab twice to get to the right justified sticky position, then start typing.

If it doesn't look right, if it looks like it's too close to the center of the document, for instance, odds are good that I have the page margins set incorrectly. I go back to the main document and jimmy the margins on the whole document (I have no idea if the margin functions are available while in the header view.)

From your description it sounds like you're just stuck in the left or center position of the header. Try tabbing again. If you keep tabbing in the header, I believe it will wrap and give you second and third lines, which you don't want. You just want to get to the right-justified position.

Hope this helps.
 

But because with ms you generally need to include name and title, headers are usually the best solution.
 

Pretty much the only thing I can get it to do is get wider or narrower horizontally.
 

Nevermind. It screws up the margins for the whole document.

[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited May 24, 2008).]
 

And theres the little issue of getting it not to repeat the same number in the header of every page...

Found a way to do that, but as it stands the whole proccess with the header/footer is actually worse than the text boxes

Basically to have something different in the header/footer for each page you have to have secions. But I can't find a way to make sections without either adding extra blank pages, or have to do three or four clicks with each page.

[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited May 24, 2008).]

[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited May 24, 2008).]

[This message has been edited by Merlion-Emrys (edited May 24, 2008).]
 

Before selecting "Insert", position the cursor in the header or footer area. (When you do so, you should see a toolbar called Header and Footer and it offers buttons for page numbers, etc, as a quick alternative to some of the menu options.)

Also, you can control the header and footer format to some degree with "File--Page Setup" and the Layout tab, although it's mostly automatic.

The feature works well in my experience and delivers entirely automatic headers with author name, title of the piece and an automatic page number. If it's behaving badly something messed up, in which case it's easiest (rather than debug the mess) to start with a completely fresh, blank document and begin all over again with "View--Header and Footer." Once it's working properly, import the text from the broken doc.

Hope this helps,
Pat

[This message has been edited by TaleSpinner (edited May 24, 2008).]
 

I'd suggest:

Use a text box for stuff you don't want copied to each page like the contact info you want on the title or cover page only.

Use a header for the stuff you do want copied to each page like your name and title of the piece. Also in the header, use page numbering autotext to automatically insert the correct page number.

(Some people like to do myName/pageNumber in the top right corner so for me it would look like TaleSpinner/1, TaleSpinner/2 etc; that is a bit fiddly to set up but you do it like this: tab over to the right margin of the header and type Merlion-Emrys/, then leaving the cursor just after the slash hit the insert page number button on the header and footer toolbar.)

In the header there should be no special formatting (aside from character font, perhaps). If you "Format--para" it should be aligned left, zero indents, nothing fancy. By default it has a left tab at the left margin, a centre tab in the middle, and a right tab at the right margin.

If you use the defaults the header will lie outside the normal printed page, just inside the edges of the paper. From your description of it above--"a space about a half inch from the top, in the middle, with its edges about an inch and a half from each side of the page"--it sounds right. It will use the same left and right margins as the main text and they'll be fine. (If for any reason you want the margins for the header different from the main text I have no idea how you'd do that.) When you open the header for the first time the cursor should be at the left; use the tab key to get to the centre and right margin tabs.

Also check the File--Page Setup--Layout tab options, where you can choose to have or not have a header on the first page, different headers on alternating pages, etc. Header and footer should be 0.5" from (top and bottom) edges.

In File--Page Setup--Margins the margins should be 1" top and bottom, 1.25" left and right--in other words, leaving sufficient at the top and bottom for the headers and footers. Gutter should be zero.

And finally yes, one purpose of the Sections feature is, amongst several, to enable you to have different header and footer information in different sections--chapter headings, for example, or for restarting page numbering after a prologue or a preface, or in an appendix.

Hope this helps--if not, I'm out of ideas.
Pat

[This message has been edited by TaleSpinner (edited May 24, 2008).]

[This message has been edited by TaleSpinner (edited May 24, 2008).]

[This message has been edited by TaleSpinner (edited May 24, 2008).]
 

But thanks anyway to everyone who offered ideas.
 

When you ve got the ruler put the header on your page and click your mouse inside of it. There may be little arrows appearing on the ruler that show how wide the header is. If so, you can click on the arrows to move them, and that will widen the header.

My last thought. Good luck! Don't let your technology kick your butt!
 

These instructions apply to MS Word 2003

Open your document
Choose View - Header and Footer
(Note: If your document has a cover page, do this while your cursor is on page 2 or later.)
A dotted box at the top of the page called "Header" will open, with your blinking cursor in the lefmost position in the dotted box.
Press Tab twice
Your blinking cursor should now be in the rightmost position of the dotted box.
Type your last name, type a slash, type a word from the title of your work, type a slash, then press the # button that is in the "Header and Footer" toolbar that automatically opened when you chose "Header and Footer" from the View menu.
You should see something that looks like this:
KayTi/Magnum Opus/10

It should all be right-justified, meaning the text is stuck to the right side of the screen.

If the margins aren't right, you can choose "Page Setup" from that same "Header and Footer" toolbar, but I recommend setting margins at the global document level and only adjusting the header/footer ones if they are waaaay off. I have never had a problem using the default ones.

Press Close in the "Header and Footer" toolbar.

To check if you did it right, use the "Print Layout" option from the View menu. You should see the header information in the upper right corner of each page in a slightly grayer text than your document text. This is MS Word's way of telling you that text isn't *directly* editable from the main page. To edit that header text, either repeat steps above (view - Header and Footer) or doubleclick on any part of the header you inserted.

Good luck!
 

Well either way, thanks a lot KayTi!
 

Go to Shimmer Magazine's submission guideline page, scroll to the formatting requirements, and download their templates. All the basics are taken care of for you already, including those pesky running headers.

Regards,
Oliver