Selecting and Formatting Text in PageMaker

Text formatting means changing the appearance of text.

You can change properties such as font, font size, style, alignment, spacing, and other text characteristics.

Proper formatting makes a publication easier to read and more attractive.

It also helps distinguish headings, subheadings, body text, and important information.

Before formatting text, select the text that you want to modify.

Use the Text Tool to select a word, sentence, paragraph, or larger section of text.

A single word can be selected when you want to change only that word.

For example, you may select a course name and make it bold or change its font.

You can select multiple words when you want to apply the same formatting to several words.

This saves time compared with formatting each word separately.

A complete paragraph can be selected when you want to format all of its text together.

This is useful when changing the font, size, or style of body content.

A font defines the visual design of characters.

You can select text and choose a suitable font for headings, subheadings, or body text.

Choose fonts according to the type of publication.

A clean and readable font is usually better for paragraphs, while decorative fonts may be used carefully for headings.

Font size controls how large or small the text appears.

Headings generally use larger sizes than normal paragraph text.

A heading can be made larger and more prominent than the body text.

For example, an institute name may use a larger font size and bold style.

Bold formatting makes text appear heavier and more prominent.

It can be used for headings, important words, labels, and other information that needs emphasis.

Italic formatting gives text a slanted appearance.

It can be used for emphasis or for specific parts of a publication where an italic style is appropriate.

Underline formatting places a line beneath the selected text.

It can be used for emphasis, although it should not be overused.

Different styles can sometimes be combined.

For example, a heading may use a larger font size together with bold formatting.

Text color can be changed when the publication design requires it.

Use colors carefully so that the text remains readable against its background.

Left alignment places text evenly along the left side of the text area.

It is commonly used for normal paragraphs and general body text.

Center alignment places text in the middle of the text area.

It is commonly useful for titles and headings.

Right alignment places text along the right side of the text area.

It can be useful for specific labels, dates, or design elements.

Justified text is aligned along both the left and right sides of a text area by adjusting spacing between words.

It can be useful for certain multi-column publications.

Select the required paragraph or text and apply the appropriate alignment for the layout.

Choose alignment based on the type of content and overall design.

Headings and body text should normally have different visual treatments.

For example, headings can use larger or bold text, while paragraphs can use a smaller and highly readable font.

Important information such as dates, fees, contact numbers, or special announcements can be emphasized using suitable formatting.

Do not use too many styles at the same time because the page can become difficult to read.

Consistent formatting means using similar styles for similar types of content throughout the publication.

For example, all main headings can use the same font and size.

Good formatting should make information easier to read.

Avoid extremely small fonts, excessive decoration, or poor color combinations.

A common mistake is using many different fonts, colors, and styles on the same page.

Use a limited and consistent set of formatting choices for a professional appearance.

Create a heading:

Select the heading and practice changing its font, font size, style, and alignment.

Create a short paragraph about a computer course. Select the paragraph and practice changing its font and size.

Try left, center, right, and justified alignment.

Create the following information:

Use different formatting to make the heading and important details easy to identify.

• Select text before applying formatting.
• Choose a suitable font.
• Use appropriate font sizes.
• Use bold, italic, and underline carefully.
• Choose suitable text colors.
• Use appropriate alignment.
• Keep formatting consistent.
• Always check readability.

In this lesson, you learned how to select and format text in PageMaker. You learned about fonts, font sizes, bold, italic, underline, text color, and different types of alignment.

You also learned how consistent formatting can make headings, paragraphs, and important information easier to read and more professional.