Set up page layout, including margins, orientation, page size, columns, headers and footers, page numbers and page breaks, to present a document professionally

What this dot point is asking

This outcome is about controlling the whole page, not just the text on it. You should be able to set margins, choose portrait or landscape orientation and the page size, split text into columns, add headers and footers that repeat on every page, insert automatic page numbers, and use page breaks to start content on a fresh page. These tools make a document look professional and keep the layout stable when you edit it. In the written paper you describe the steps; in the practical you set the page up yourself.

The answer

Margins, orientation and page size

• Margins are the white space around the edge of the page. Wider margins give more breathing room; narrower margins fit more text. You usually set all four margins from the page layout options.
• Orientation is whether the page stands tall (portrait) or lies wide (landscape). Portrait suits letters and reports; landscape suits wide tables or certificates.
• Page size is the paper size, such as A4. Choose the size that matches the paper you will print on.

Columns

Columns split the text into vertical blocks, like a newspaper or newsletter. You choose the number of columns (for example two), and the text flows down the first column then continues at the top of the next. Columns make a newsletter look professional and are easier to read for short blocks of text.

Headers and footers

A header is an area at the top of every page and a footer is an area at the bottom. Anything you type there repeats on every page automatically, so they are perfect for a document title, the author name, the date or page numbers. You only type the text once and the software shows it on every page.

Page numbers

Page numbers are added as a field, usually in the footer. Because they are a field and not typed text, the software fills in the correct number on each page and updates them all if pages are added or removed.

Page breaks

A page break forces the next content onto a fresh page. This is far more reliable than pressing Enter many times, because the break stays in place even if you add or delete text before it. Use a page break to start a new chapter or section on its own page.

Examples in context

Example 1. A certificate. An award certificate is set to landscape orientation so the wide design fits, with generous margins and a centred title. The single page needs no header or footer, but the orientation choice is what makes it look right.

Example 2. A multi-page report. A five-page report uses portrait orientation, a header with the report title, a footer with automatic page numbers, and a page break before each new section so every section starts on a fresh page. Editing the text never breaks the layout because breaks and fields adjust themselves.

Try this

• Cue. State when you would choose landscape orientation instead of portrait, and give an example. (Choose landscape when the content is wider than it is tall, for example a wide table or a certificate.)

• Cue. Describe how to make a document title appear at the top of every page. (Open the header area, type the title once; it then repeats on every page automatically.)

• Cue. Explain why a page break is more reliable than pressing Enter to start a new page. (A page break stays in place even if you add or delete text before it, so the new page does not drift to the wrong spot.)