Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Apply font formatting (typeface, size, color, style)
  • Format paragraphs (alignment, spacing, indentation)
  • Use the Format Painter tool
  • Apply text effects and highlighting
  • Create professional-looking documents

Font Formatting

Changing Font Typeface

The font typeface (or font family) determines the overall appearance of text.

Method 1: Using the Ribbon

  1. Select the text you want to format
  2. Go to Home tab
  3. Click the Font dropdown (shows current font name)
  4. Choose a font from the list

Method 2: Using Font Dialog Box

  1. Select text
  2. Press Ctrl + D (or click small arrow in Font group)
  3. Choose font from the Font tab
  4. Click OK

Common Business Fonts:

  • Serif fonts (professional, traditional): Times New Roman, Georgia, Garamond
  • Sans-serif fonts (modern, clean): Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Segoe UI
  • Monospace fonts (coding, technical): Courier New, Consolas

Best Practice: Use maximum 2-3 different fonts in a document (one for headings, one for body text).

Changing Font Size

Font size is measured in points (pt). Standard sizes range from 8pt to 72pt.

Quick Method:

  1. Select text
  2. Click Font Size dropdown in Home tab
  3. Choose size (or type custom size)

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + Shift + > β€” Increase font size
  • Ctrl + Shift + < β€” Decrease font size
  • Ctrl + ] β€” Increase by 1 point
  • Ctrl + [ β€” Decrease by 1 point

Standard Sizes for Business Documents:

  • Body text: 11-12 pt
  • Headings: 14-18 pt
  • Subheadings: 12-14 pt
  • Footnotes: 9-10 pt

Font Styles and Effects

Basic Styles

Style Keyboard Shortcut Button Use Case
Bold Ctrl + B B Emphasis, headings
Italic Ctrl + I I Titles, foreign words, emphasis
Underline Ctrl + U U Headings, important terms
Strikethrough Alt + Shift + 5 abcΜΆ Deleted text, revisions

Advanced Text Effects

Accessing Text Effects:

  1. Select text
  2. Go to Home tab > Font group
  3. Click Text Effects and Typography button (A with blue glow)

Available Effects:

  • Shadow: Adds shadow behind text
  • Reflection: Creates mirror effect below text
  • Glow: Adds colored glow around text
  • Outline: Adds border around letters
  • 3D Format: Makes text appear three-dimensional

Subscript and Superscript:

  • Subscript (Hβ‚‚O): Ctrl + =
  • Superscript (xΒ²): Ctrl + Shift + +

Font Color

Changing Text Color:

  1. Select text
  2. Click Font Color button (A with colored underline)
  3. Choose from:
    • Theme Colors: Match document theme
    • Standard Colors: Basic color palette
    • More Colors: Custom colors

Best Practices:

  • Use dark text on light background (or vice versa) for readability
  • Limit to 2-3 colors in professional documents
  • Ensure sufficient contrast for accessibility
  • Avoid pure red or green (difficult for colorblind readers)

Highlighting Text

Applying Highlight:

  1. Select text
  2. Click Text Highlight Color button (marker icon)
  3. Choose highlight color

Removing Highlight:

  1. Select highlighted text
  2. Click Text Highlight Color dropdown
  3. Select No Color

Use Cases:

  • Mark important information for review
  • Color-code different types of content
  • Indicate sections needing revision

Paragraph Formatting

Text Alignment

Four Alignment Options:

Alignment Keyboard Shortcut Icon Description
Left Ctrl + L ≑ Text aligned to left margin (default)
Center Ctrl + E ≑ Text centered between margins
Right Ctrl + R ≑ Text aligned to right margin
Justify Ctrl + J ≑ Text aligned to both margins

When to Use:

  • Left: Body text, most content (easiest to read)
  • Center: Titles, headings, invitations
  • Right: Dates, addresses in letters
  • Justify: Formal documents, newspapers, books (creates clean edges)

Line Spacing

Line spacing controls the vertical space between lines of text.

Quick Access:

  1. Select paragraph(s)
  2. Go to Home tab > Paragraph group
  3. Click Line and Paragraph Spacing button
  4. Choose spacing:
    • 1.0 (single spacing)
    • 1.15 (default in Word)
    • 1.5
    • 2.0 (double spacing)

Custom Line Spacing:

  1. Click Line and Paragraph Spacing > Line Spacing Options
  2. In Indents and Spacing tab:
    • Single: 1.0
    • 1.5 lines: 1.5
    • Double: 2.0
    • At least: Minimum spacing (adjusts for large fonts)
    • Exactly: Fixed spacing
    • Multiple: Custom (e.g., 1.25, 2.5)

Academic Standards:

  • APA, MLA: Double spacing (2.0)
  • Business letters: Single or 1.15
  • Reports: 1.5 or double

Paragraph Spacing

Paragraph spacing adds space before or after paragraphs.

Quick Method:

  1. Select paragraph(s)
  2. Go to Home > Paragraph group
  3. Click Line and Paragraph Spacing
  4. Choose:
    • Add Space Before Paragraph
    • Add Space After Paragraph
    • Remove Space After Paragraph

Custom Spacing:

  1. Right-click paragraph > Paragraph
  2. In Indents and Spacing tab:
    • Before: Space before paragraph (e.g., 6 pt)
    • After: Space after paragraph (e.g., 6 pt)

Best Practice: Use paragraph spacing instead of pressing Enter multiple times.

Indentation

Indentation moves text away from the margin.

Types of Indentation:

1. First Line Indent

Only the first line of paragraph is indented.

Setting First Line Indent:

  1. Select paragraph
  2. Go to Home > Paragraph dialog launcher
  3. Under Indentation > Special > Select First line
  4. Set measurement (typically 0.5”)

Keyboard Shortcut: Press Tab at beginning of paragraph

2. Hanging Indent

All lines except the first are indented (used for bibliographies).

Setting Hanging Indent:

  1. Select paragraph
  2. Paragraph dialog > Special > Hanging
  3. Set measurement (typically 0.5”)

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl + T

3. Left and Right Indent

Moves entire paragraph from left or right margin.

Methods:

  • Increase Left Indent: Ctrl + M
  • Decrease Left Indent: Ctrl + Shift + M
  • Use Increase/Decrease Indent buttons in Home tab
  • Drag indent markers on ruler

Using the Ruler

The ruler provides visual control over indents and tabs.

Showing the Ruler:

  1. Go to View tab
  2. Check Ruler box

Ruler Markers:

  • First Line Indent (top triangle): Controls first line
  • Hanging Indent (bottom triangle): Controls all lines except first
  • Left Indent (rectangle): Moves both triangles together
  • Right Indent (triangle on right): Controls right margin

Using the Ruler:

  • Drag markers to adjust indents
  • Click on ruler to set tab stops

Format Painter

Format Painter copies formatting from one location and applies it to another.

Using Format Painter:

Single Use:

  1. Select text with desired formatting
  2. Click Format Painter button (paintbrush icon) in Home tab
  3. Select text to apply formatting
  4. Formatting is applied and Format Painter turns off

Multiple Use:

  1. Select text with desired formatting
  2. Double-click Format Painter button
  3. Select multiple text sections to apply formatting
  4. Press Esc or click Format Painter again to turn off

Keyboard Shortcut:

  • Copy formatting: Ctrl + Shift + C
  • Paste formatting: Ctrl + Shift + V

Styles

Styles are pre-defined combinations of formatting that can be applied with one click.

Using Built-in Styles

Applying a Style:

  1. Select text or place cursor in paragraph
  2. Go to Home tab > Styles group
  3. Click a style (Heading 1, Heading 2, Title, etc.)

Benefits of Using Styles:

  • Consistent formatting throughout document
  • Easy to update formatting globally
  • Enables automatic table of contents
  • Professional appearance

Modifying Styles

Customizing a Style:

  1. Right-click on style in Styles gallery
  2. Select Modify
  3. Change formatting (font, size, color, spacing, etc.)
  4. Check Update automatically to apply changes to all instances
  5. Click OK

Practical Examples

Example 1: Business Letter Format

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

[Date]

[Recipient Name]
[Title]
[Company]
[Address]

Dear [Recipient Name],

[Body paragraphs with 1.15 line spacing, left aligned]

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Typed Name]

Formatting:

  • Font: Arial or Times New Roman, 11-12 pt
  • Alignment: Left
  • Line spacing: 1.0 or 1.15
  • Paragraph spacing: 6 pt after each paragraph

Example 2: Academic Essay

Title: Centered, Bold, 14-16 pt
Author: Centered, 12 pt
Body: Times New Roman, 12 pt, double-spaced, justified
Headings: Bold, 14 pt
Indentation: First line indent 0.5”

Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Action Shortcut
Bold Ctrl + B
Italic Ctrl + I
Underline Ctrl + U
Font dialog Ctrl + D
Increase font size Ctrl + Shift + >
Decrease font size Ctrl + Shift + <
Left align Ctrl + L
Center align Ctrl + E
Right align Ctrl + R
Justify Ctrl + J
Increase indent Ctrl + M
Decrease indent Ctrl + Shift + M
Copy formatting Ctrl + Shift + C
Paste formatting Ctrl + Shift + V

Key Takeaways

  • Font formatting includes typeface, size, style (bold, italic, underline), and color
  • Paragraph formatting controls alignment, spacing, and indentation
  • Use styles for consistent formatting throughout documents
  • Format Painter quickly copies formatting from one location to another
  • Keyboard shortcuts significantly speed up formatting tasks
  • Professional documents use consistent, appropriate formatting

Next Steps

Now that you understand basic formatting, the next lesson covers:

  • Inserting charts, images, and other elements
  • Adding headers, footers, and page numbers
  • Creating hyperlinks

πŸ“š Continue to: Inserting Elements in MS Word