LESSON 4 Q3 PAGE LAYOUT
Introduction
Word offers a variety of page layout and
formatting options that affect how
content appears on the page. You can
customize the page orientation, paper
size, and page margins depending on
how you want your document to appear.
Optional: Download our practice
document.
Watch the video below to learn more
about page layout in Word.
Page orientation
Word offers two page orientation
options: landscape and portrait.
Compare our example below to see how
orientation can affect the appearance and
spacing of text and images.
Landscape means the page is
oriented horizontally.
Portrait means the page is
oriented vertically.
To change page orientation:
1. Select the Layout tab.
2. Click the Orientation command in
the Page Setup group.
3. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click either Portrait or Landscape to
change the page orientation.
4. The page orientation of the
document will be changed.
Page size
By default, the page size of a new
document is 8.5 inches by 11 inches.
Depending on your project, you may need
to adjust your document's page size. It's
important to note that before modifying
the default page size, you should check to
see which page sizes your printer can
accommodate.
To change the page size:
Word has a variety of predefined page
sizes to choose from.
1. Select the Layout tab, then click
the Size command.
2. A drop-down menu will appear. The
current page size is highlighted. Click
the desired predefined page size.
3. The page size of the document will
be changed.
To use a custom page size:
Word also allows you to customize the
page size in the Page Setup dialog box.
1. From the Layout tab, click Size.
Select More Paper Sizes from the
drop-down menu.
2. The Page Setup dialog box will
appear.
3. Adjust the values
for Width and Height, then click OK.
4. The page size of the document will
be changed.
Page margins
A margin is the space between the text
and the edge of your document. By
default, a new document's margins are
set to Normal, which means it has a one-
inch space between the text and each
edge. Depending on your needs, Word
allows you to change your document's
margin size.
To format page margins:
Word has a variety of predefined
margin sizes to choose from.
1. Select the Layout tab, then click
the Margins command.
2. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click the predefined margin
size you want.
3. The margins of the document will
be changed.
To use custom margins:
Word also allows you to customize the
size of your margins in the Page
Setup dialog box.
1. From the Layout tab,
click Margins. Select Custom
Margins from the drop-down menu.
2. The Page Setup dialog box will
appear.
3. Adjust the values for each margin,
then click OK.
4. The margins of the document will
be changed.
You can also open the Page Setup dialog
box by navigating to the Layout tab and
clicking the small arrow in the bottom-
right corner of the Page Setup group.
You can use Word's convenient Set as
Default feature to save all of
the formatting changes you've made
and automatically apply them to new
documents. To learn how to do this, read
our lesson on Changing Your Default
Settings in Word.
Challenge!
1. Open our practice document.
2. Change the page
orientation to Portrait.
3. Change the page size to Legal. If
Legal size is not available, you can
choose another size such as A5.
4. Change the margins to
the Narrow setting.
5. When you're finished, your
document should be one page if using
Legal size. It should look something
like this:
