Word Processing : Text Presentation

The text presentation functions let you specify what printed text will look like and how it will be positioned on the page.

Fonts

A font is a style of writing. Modern word processors are supplied with a wide range of fonts for you to choose from. Different fonts are useful for different purposes. Plain fonts such as Arial and Times New Roman are good for writing letters and reports. Fancier fonts such as Keystroke and Lincoln are suitable for use on posters.

Font Size

Most fonts are scalable. This means that you can use them at any size you want. The size a font appears at is specified by a number known as the font size. Sizes 10 and 12 are the most common for writing letters and reports. Fonts sizes are specified in 1/72ths of an inch. So fonts at size 72 are one inch tall and fonts at size 36 are half an inch tall. Larger fonts can be used for headings, posters etc.

Font Style

Each font can have a range of extra styles applied to it. The six common styles are :

• Normal : No special style is applied to the font.
• Italic : The font will be displayed as if it is leaning slightly to the right.
• Bold : The lines used to draw the font will be drawn extra thick to make the text stand out.
• Underline : A line will be drawn underneath the text.
• Superscript : The text is raised up to the top of the line and printed at a smaller size.
• Subscript : The text is lowered to just below the line and printed at a smaller size.

Alignment

Alignment describes the position at which text appears on a line on the page. Alignment is sometimes known as justification. There are four different type of alignment :

• Left Alignment : Text is lined up with the left hand edge of the page.This is the default alignment in most word processors.
• Right Alignmnent : Text is lined up with the right hand edge of the page. This is mainly used to put addresses onto letters.
• Center Alignment : Text is placed on the middle of the line. This is often used for headings.
• Full Justification : Text is automatically spread out so that it is lined up with both the left and right hand edges of the page. This form of layout is often used in newspapers.

Indentation

Text on the first line of a paragraph is often indented a short distance from the left hand margin. The first line of this paragraph has been indented :

GCSE ICT Companion 04 - (C) P Meakin 2004