Templates & what are they used for?

[Cherri]

I have a price quote that my boss wants me to put the
word "Confidential" in a wordArt object as a watermark
across each page. Are templates the way to go? I don't
know how to use a template. We have hundreds of quotes
that he wants me to apply this to. Do you know of a
better way?

Thank you,
Cherri

 

[Charles Kenyon]

You could use templates and/or create these as AutoText entries in a global
template. It depends on exactly what you want. I have a number of such
WordArt words in AutoText and a custom menu that inserts them.
--
For more on the different kinds of templates and locations of templates
folders see <URL: http://addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm>.
--
See <URL: http://addbalance.com/word/movetotemplate.htm> for step-by-step
instructions on moving / sharing / copying customizations including
AutoText, AutoCorrect, keyboard assignments, macros, etc.

(These links may not be available for a couple of more days. I'm in the
process of trying to move my site.)
--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory:
<URL: http://addbalance.com/word/index.htm>

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide)
<URL: http://addbalance.com/usersguide/index.htm>

See also the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
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[Mark Tangard]

Hi Cherri,

Templates are definitely the way to go IF these hundreds
of quotes are things you'll be producing shortly, versus
things that are all done and sitting in a heap waiting.
In the latter case, it's a bit tougher but still doable
with a nice violent macro, assuming your WordArt object
is, or can be, converted into a drawing object (Shape).
(As I recall, creating & manipulating WordArt objects
is outside the scope of Word macros, but messing with
their positioning, etc., once they're converted into
something Word recognizes directly, is pretty easy.)

Post back with the details. I couldn't tell from your
post if you meant that these docs don't exist yet.

 

[Larry Randall]

Cherri,

A Word "template" is NOT a "template", in the standard
sense of the word. What you need is what I call a "base
document" - a document from which others will be created.

You may use an existing document as a base, then save the
formatted document as "Quote form.doc" or something like
that.

You can make a simple watermark by using the
Format->Background->Printed Watermark menu, then
select "Text Watermark". "Confidential" is one of the
options.

You can also use the
Format->Background->Printed Watermark menu, then
select "Picture Watermark". This lets you choose an
image, and offers you the most control.

I create images for watermarks using WordArt in
PowerPoint:

Set the Powerpoint page up for Portrait orientation
Select the WordArt style and size (about 80 points)
Type the text
Place and rotate the text
Set the fill and line colors (Use the "More Colors"
option, then select one of the three softest grays as a
starting point.)

When you have a "candidate", select File->Save as.. and
save the slide as a Portable Network Graphic (PNG).

In Word, select Format->Background->Printed Watermark,
then select "Picture Watermark".
Scale = Auto
Uncheck "Washout"
Choose "Select Picture" and browse to the PNG file.

Test the output on your printer. (Watermarks NEVER look
right on screen.)

You will have to experiment with the fills and line color
to get the desired effect. I like about 10% gray, but
others like a bit darker, others lighter.

Good luck,

Larry

 

[Mark Tangard]

Larry,

Unless I'm missing something, you've described the main
purpose of a Word template (a document template, not a
global template storing macros & customizations, etc.).
A Word template can contain all of the 'base' elements,
described, and the user is never in danger of forgetting
the crucial File-> Save As, because opening a fresh doc
based on the template (with either File->New, or by
double-clicking the template from Explorer) creates a
..DOC file from the .DOT file, so the template (.DOT)
is never at risk of being overwritten. In contrast,
absentmindedly doing a (more usual) 'Save' will trash
a 'base document' if the user has made any edits to
it before remembering to save, which is a VERY common
mistake when using this method. Reusing a base document
is a very '80s way of doing things.

It's still uncertain whether Cherri's problem is relevant
to this. I tend to think she has a ton of quotes already
produced and must apply a watermark to them now. We'll
know when she posts back.

--
Mark Tangard <[email protected]>, Microsoft Word MVP
Please reply only to the newsgroup, not by private email.
Note well: MVPs do not work for Microsoft.
"Life is nothing if you're not obsessed." --John Waters