Automatic header for new documents in Word 2007

[Larry]

A friend with Word 2007 wants to have each new document automatically set up
so that it has a header starting at the second page. Years ago Suzanne gave
me instructions on setting this up and I've used it ever since. But the
same approach doesn't seem to work for Word 2007.

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Almost everything in Word 2007 works the same as in previous versions -
Finding the way to do it though can be a challenge

Create the header that you want to start on the second page on the First
page of the document, then on the Ribbon, select the Page Layout tab and
then click on the arrow at the right hand end of the lower border of the
Page Setup section of the Ribbon and then go to the Layout tab of the Page
Setup dialog and check the Different First Page box and then click on OK.

The header that you had set up will then disappear, to reappear on the
second and subsequent pages of the document.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Larry]

Doug thanks. I wasn't clear in my question. I want to set up the Normal
template so that each new Word document automatically has the header.

Larry

 

[Graham Mayor]

No you don't! The normal template should not have a header/footer as it will
conflict with other functions eg labels. If you want documents with
header/footers, create a new document template and use that to create your
documents, or insert the header footers as required with macro/autotext etc.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Larry]

Is this different under 2007 than under 97-2003? In my Word 97, I have a
set up I've had for years, in which there is a header in the normal
template. In any new document that I create, as soon as it has more than
one page, the second page automaticaly has a header.

Conflicts with labels are not a concern here, since the person who needs
this does not use that function.

So, is there anything about 2007 that prevents me from doing what I do with
97?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you have Normal.dot set up with "Different first page" and content only
in the Header (not in the First Page Header), this would not pose *as much*
of a problem with labels, since you have to work at it to get more than one
sheet, and when you merge them, each sheet is a separate section (all page
1s, as it were).

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Just by the way--I recently tested this with MacWord, and despite hiding
the header in the second page--the first page of labels *and* the
envelope continued to be as screwed up as if I had put the header on
every page. WinWord may differ, of course--I offer this as a curiosity.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Well, the problem is that if you ever touch the header in Normal.dot (or any
template), you are left with an empty paragraph in the header, which one
would expect to interfere with labels, but when you use Word's built-in
label definitions, it uses its built-in magic to set the header/footer
margin to 0" and somehow suppress any error messages about being outside the
printable area, so I've always been curious about whether putting a header
in Normal.dot would *really* cause problems with labels (much less
envelopes). It's nice to have confirmation of what I was beginning to fear
was just superstition or an old wives' tale.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Yep, it definitely did. I tested it because I wasn't sure I wasn't just
repeating conventional wisdom either--and yeah, the header text showed
up under my return address, and the "single sheet of labels" pushed the
last row onto the second page.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Although, now doesn't Word 2007 refuse to use a customized Normal if you
right-click somewhere and create new document? It pulls the settings
from somewhere else? I wonder if Word 2007 is smart enough to use that
"somewhere else" for labels and envelopes too.

 

[Jay Freedman]

No change -- Word 2007 behaves the same way, using Normal.dotm for the
label document and sticking in the header, even though it's the main
header rather than the first-page header and there is only one page.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I believe that's been reported for using New Word Document from the Start
Menu or some such (haven't been paying close attention).

 

[Larry]

How do you set this up yourself, in your own Word 2007?

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Thanks for confirming, Jay.

No change -- Word 2007 behaves the same way, using Normal.dotm for the
label document and sticking in the header, even though it's the main
header rather than the first-page header and there is only one page.




--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all may benefit.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you're asking me, I'm not using Word 2007, but I would never add a header
or footer to Normal.dot. In fact, I don't customize any part of Normal.dot
that affects documents (margins, font, etc.), only the UI (macros, AutoText,
toolbar buttons, etc.). I use custom templates for all my documents.

 

[Larry]

Ok, but I thought the instructions you gave me years ago, which I've used
ever since, involved putting a header the Normal template.

So I guess the idea is to put the header in a global template located in the
StartUp folder?

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

Not located in the Startup Folder and therefore not a Global Template. Just
create a template with the header/footer information that you require and
save it in the User or Work Group Templates folder and use it as the basis
of any documents that you want to create that will automatically have the
header and footer in them. Put a button on a Quick Access Toolbar to
facilitate use of this template if you want.

--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Larry]

But the person I'm helping wants this feature in all new documents, not just
some. In other words, what is desired is that whenever a new document is
created (no matter what the means of creating it), it will have this
feature.

 

[Graham Mayor]

Sometimes you just have to tell people that what they want is not practical.
Why not give them a toolbar button that will add the information with vba?

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Larry]

So, for the record, there's another thing that was possible with Word
97-2003, but not in Word 2007.