Making Microsoft^® Word More Than A Word Processor: Inserting Graphics And Other Creative Elements In Your Text

Contributed by Jay Schroyer

A lot of Word users have only tapped the word processing capabilities of the program. They know that it is great for writing letters, textual presentations, and memos, but a growing number of users are learning that Word has the capabilities to perform many more creative functions. Newsletters, whether personal, for a business, or an extra curricular group, are becoming more and more popular. With traditional production layout programs like QuarkXPress® costing hundreds of dollars to own, many are turning to the Microsoft programs included with their computers at the time of purchase.

For some, this may be a hard process as they practically learn how to use Microsoft Word all over again. Below are some tips and hints that you will find very useful should you attempt to create a document like a newsletter within Word that requires the addition of clip art, your own photos, or even movie clips.

Clip Art
If you installed the full version of Word on your computer, you will have access to a large database of clip art images. These are images whose copyright properties have already been taken care of by Microsoft so you are free to use them for you own publications. Simply choose “Insert,” “Picutre,” and “Clip Art” from your pull-down menu and a sidebar will appear on the right side of the screen. This will happen in the most recent versions of Word. Older versions will give you a dialog box that you can search for images from. In the sidebar, you can type in a search term for the specific image you are looking for. You can also choose to only search for sound clips, images from the computer’s database or Microsoft’s online catalogue as well. When you find the image you like, double-click on it and it will appear in your document.

Once you have the image in your document, double-click on it to access its properties. A dialog- box will appear with six tabs. Each of these tabs will allow you to manipulate your image. You can choose all sorts of commands to alter your image. You can crop, change the color from black and white, add or subtract contrast and brightness, add a border, and resize it, but most importantly, you can choose its position. Choose the “Layout” tab and you will see five boxes that feature the silhouette of a dog with lines surrounding it. These are the modes of text wrapping you can choose. You can choose “In line with text,” “Square,” “Tight,” “Behind text,” or “In front of text.” The commands are fairly self-explanatory, but try all five to see which one will work with your publication.

When you choose a style, it will ask you what type of horizontal alignment you want. If you want even more control, click on the “Advanced” button. There are loads of features in here such as allowing the image to move as the text moves, or you can keep it in a specific place. Feel free to experiment with different settings if this is your first time using this feature. You will find out what works best for your specific application.

Pictures from File
If the clip art doesn’t excite you or meet your requirements, you can add your own electronic images. Just about any graphic form will work (jpegs and tiffs seem to be the ideal formats). Again, choose “Insert,” “Picture,” and this time use “From File.” This will allow you to browse the images stored on your computer and make your choice. Word will provide you with a preview as well so that you can select the one you’re looking for without a lot of guesswork. Formating these images is the same as clip art. Enter the properties for the image you want to manipulate and click on the corresponding tabs.

Movies
This feature is best for electronic documents like e-newsletters or if you’re sending the entire Word file as the newsletter. Obviously, for print this wouldn’t work very well. If you have a short clip that you would like to put into the document, select “Insert” and then “Object.” You can then browse through your collection of clips and choose which one you would like to insert. It will show up as an object icon within your document, but you can even change the icon to a specific picture if you’d like to customize it. Just be sure that if you transfer this document from your computer that you include the original movie file. Otherwise, whenever someone tries to access the object within the Word document, Word will attempt to locate the file to play it and will not be able to find it in the original directory.

As easy as a click of a button, you can add these graphical elements to your Word document and weave them fluidly right into the text increasing the impact of your creation and providing readers with a little “eye candy” in a sea of plain text. If you want to learn more about using Word in even greater capacities, try the free Microsoft Word help included with your version of Word. If you’re online, you can link up with the Microsoft web site which will provide you with even more help content. Instead of being so quick to pigeonhole Word, try inserting graphical elements into your next project and learn just how quick, easy, and impactful it can be.

Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation, registered in the U.S. and other countries. QuarkXPress is a trademark of Quark, Inc. and its applicable affiliates, registered in the U.S. and other countries.

About the Author:
Jay Schroyer has worked in the client and customer service end of business for over five years in retail, advertising, and printing. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English writing and communication.

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