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You can change the background color of Microsoft Word from White to Blue.

For some people, this makes it easier on the eye as it reduces the glare from the screen.

I have to admit, I prefer blue to white but have difficulties when adding images or inserting text with different color schemes.

Anyway, it’s a nice option to have. Here’s how I do it:

1. From the Tools menu, choose Options.

2. Click Blue Background, White Text.

That’s it!

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Portable Document Format (PDF) is the defacto file format for presenting device-independent documents on and off the Web. While PDFs have become quite popular on the Web, many PDFs used in web sites are designed for high quality print output and are not optimized for the Web.

Creating Small PDFs

The main factors in creating small PDFs are image resolution, image type (bitmap or vector), the number of fonts used and how they are embedded, PDF version, and the level of compression. In general the higher the PDF version number, the smaller the file. Acrobat 5 (PDF version 1.4) added JBIG2 compression, which is superior to the CCITT or Zip algorithms when compressing scanned monochromatic copy.

JBIG2 (Joint Bilevel Image Experts Group) encoding compresses monochrome (1 bit per pixel) image data from 20:1 to 50:1 for pages full of text. Like other dictionary-based algorithms (LZW, ZIP) JBIG2 creates a table of unique symbols and when a subsequent symbol matches one in the table, it substitutes a token pointing to the table index. JBIG2 also compresses the entire table.

Acrobat 6 (PDF version 1.5) added the ability to compress the entire file (Clean Up Settings dialog). However, since over 90% of Acrobat users have version 5.0 or greater, using PDF 1.4 is a safer alternative. Acrobat will usually display (with a warning) a more recent PDF version, but new compression schemes will spawn an error when opened in older versions of Acrobat. At the time of this writing, Adobe says that of those 90%, 50% use version 5 and 40% use version 6.

To create the smallest possible PDFs file size for the Web minimize the number of fonts, bitmapped images, and substitute vector based-graphics instead. Minimize the number and complexity of forms in your PDF document, and avoid the use of multimedia.

There are different methods to create PDFs, including outputting to PostScript and Distilling, GDI/Printing, one-click “Direct to PDF,” and dynamically on the server-side. However you create a PDF, the techniques and tools listed below can help you enhance and optimize your PDFs for the Web.

Avoid Refried Graphics

For graphics that must be inserted as bitmaps, prepare them for maximum compressibility and minimum dimensions. Use the best quality images that you can at the output resolution of the PDF. Inserting compressed JPEGs into PDFs and Distilling them may recompress JPEGs, which can create noticeable artifacts. Use black and white images and text instead of color images to allow the use of the newer JBIG2 standard that excels in monochromatic compression. Be sure to turn off thumbnails when saving PDFs for the Web.

Use Vector Graphics

Use vector-based graphics wherever possible for images that would normally be made into GIFs. Vector images scale perfectly, look marvelous, and their mathematical formulas usually take up less space than bitmapped graphics that describe every pixel (although there are some cases where bitmap graphics are actually smaller than vector graphics). You can also compress vector image data using ZIP compression, which is built into the PDF format. Acrobat Reader version 5 and 6 also support the SVG standard.

Minimize Fonts

How you use fonts, especially in smaller PDFs, can have a significant impact on file size. Minimize the number of fonts you use in your documents to minimize their impact on file size. Each additional fully embedded font can easily take 40K in file size, which is why most authors create “subsetted” fonts that only include the glyphs actually used.

Fix Fat Forms

Acrobat forms can take up a lot of space in your PDFs. You can use PDF Enhancer from Apago to reduce forms by 50% by removing information present in the file but never actually used. You can also combine a refried PDF with the old form pages to create a hybrid PDF in Acrobat.

Optimizing Existing PDFs

In many cases you won’t have access to the original document, just the resulting PDF file. Many PDFs we’ve seen are not fully optimized for the Web, using conservative settings more appropriate to high-resolution printers. For computer monitors viewing web-based PDFs, you don’t need high resolution images and exact reproduction of font faces, you just want to convey your information in an efficient way. Using the techniques outlined below, you can shrink your PDFs, while still maintaining the textual data for search engines, and reasonable quality for print output. Some webmasters offer two versions of their PDFs, once for fast web display, and one for printing.

Save As…

Once you’re done making changes to your PDF document choose File -> Save As and overwrite your existing PDF file. By default, save as removes changes that are appended to PDFs by the Save command, linearizes the file for fast web viewing, and removes unused objects.

The result is a compact, linearized PDF that displays the first page (or an arbitrary page) quickly, while the rest of the file downloads in the background. Although linearized PDFs are slightly larger, they also increase perceived speed. Note that optimizing a signed document will invalidate its signature.

By Andy King
http://www.websiteoptimization.com

More at: http://www.usedarticles.com/view/web-design-and-development/294.html

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Instead of using field codes to add filenames and file paths to your document, you can setup Word so that it displays these in the toolbar. You can then add these links to any page in an open document.

1. Right-click on the toolbar.

2. Select Customize and then the Commands tab.

3. Scroll down the Categories list and click on All Commands.

4. Scroll down the Commands list to Web Address.

5. Drag the Web Address onto your toolbar.

The web address bar is now displayed on your document’s path and filename.

6. To add the file path to your document, click anywhere in the page, right-click in the web address bar, and then copy and paste it into your document.

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Technical Writing is not difficult when you know where and how to start. So, when you write a technical document, consider the following 7 points:

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1. Glossary – make a glossary, even for a half dozen words.
2. Definitions – create a list of definitions and acronyms. Always explain what the acronym means when it’s first encountered.
   Use bold for the definition or acronym to make it easy to find it again.
3. Analogy – provide a comparison or analogy.
4. Graphics – Provide graphics to illustrate the object in question, how it is assembled, or how it is used by operatives.
5. Replace general, abstract, and needlessly objective words with more concrete, specific, and simpler words.
6. Break long sentences into shorter sentences.
7. Use terminology consistently.

These points are not meant to be all-inclusive. However, if you are new to tech writing, this should put you on the right road.

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Before you start, make sure that the Text boundaries option in Word is not selected.

FWIW: these steps worked at the time of writing but (as you may know) things change with Microsoft applications, so you may have to experiment a little.

To do this, follow these steps:

• Start Word 2003.
• On the Tools menu, click Options.
• In the View tab, under Print and Web Layout options, verify that the Text boundaries check box is selected.
• If the Text boundaries check box is selected, click to clear the Text boundaries check box.
• Remove all the Asian languages from the Enabled languages list.

To do this, follow these steps:

• Click Start, All Programs, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Tools, and then click Microsoft Office 2003 Language Settings.

• In the Enabled languages list, select and remove all the languages that you do not use except English (U.S.).

To do this, follow these steps:

• In the Enabled languages list, select a language that you want to remove, and then click Remove.

• Click OK to update the language settings.

Note: You can also press the CTRL key and select more than one language, and then click Remove to remove those languages.

XXXX

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The bright white text area of most word processors can become a quite tiring on the eyes after a few hours. You can of course jiggle the brightness and contrast settings on your monitor but a far better solution is to give your blank pages a light grey tint. 

1. Open Word so that you can judge the effect. 
2. Click Start, Control Panel and then Display. 
3. Select the Appearance tab and click into the area marked Window Text. 
4. Click in the Color box, open the color palette, and chose the shade of grey that’s most comfortable.

   FYI: The tint only applies to the display and will not affect the way documents look when they are printed. 

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If you are constantly fussing over fonts for your documents then there’s a very handy feature in Windows that allows you to quickly compare typefaces according to style and design.

1. Open the Control Panel and double-click Fonts.
2. From the View drop-down menu, click List Fonts by Similarity.
   
3. Click List Fonts… and choose a font.

This displays a list of comparable typefaces, ranked according to similarity.

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In Word, if you go to the Font Size drop-down menu, the largest value shown is 72 point.

However, to get whatever font size you like – up to 999.5 points – just type in the number and Word will update the font size.

Try it!

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If you frequently need to insert a word, line or block of text into MS Word documents you can easily automate the process with a simple keyboard shortcut. 

Highlight the text and press Alt + F3, to create an AutoText entry, then give it a name or accept the default that appears in the dialogue box that appears and click OK. 

Now go to the Tools menu; select Customize and the Commands Tab. 

Click the Keyboard button then AutoText in the Categories window. 

Highlight your new entry in the Commands Window, click a cursor in the Press New Shortcut Key field, choose a key combination then click Assign. 

To remove an AutoText entry, go to the Insert menu, click AutoText, then AutoText, select the AutoText tab, highlight the entry and click Delete. 

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3. Save As Shortcut

Everyone knows how to add graphics into Microsoft Word. But did you also know you can also add sounds?

1. Place your cursor in the document where you want the sound to be.
2. From the Insert menu, select Object.
3. Scroll down and select Wave Sound.
   A speaker icon appears and Windows Media Player opens.
4. From the Edit menu, select Insert File, and select your audio file.
5. The sound file is played when you double-click on the speaker icon.

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ScreenTips are those little boxes that appear when you ‘hover’ your mouse over a hyperlink. As the name implies, they usually provide a small tip, or piece of information, about the word or phrase in question.

They can be really useful when you’re writing technical documentation and want to include definitions into your text – without the reader having to revert to the glossary.

To create screentips, follow these steps:

1. Select the word or phrase that needs a screentip.
2. Right-click on it and select Hyperlink.
3. Click the ScreenTip button.
   
4. Enter your screen tip text, click OK, and give it a name in the ‘Type the file or web page name’ box.

To test that it works, go back to the document and hover your mouse over the text. The screentip you entered should appear above the words you selected.

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One of the quickest ways to improve the layout of your documents is to use line spacing.

We’ve all seen documents where the material was so densely written that you could hardly read the words? Just a huge block of words. To improve how your text looks, you can increase the line spacing between the sentences. This breathes some life into your page by giving it extra space.

to do this:

1. Select the text that you want to change:

2. On the Formatting toolbar, click Line Spacing.

3. Click the arrow next to Line Spacing, and then the size you want, for example, 2.0. 

This makes your text much easier to read and encourages the reader to approach your material.

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Short descriptions should explain what the subject matter helps the reader to accomplish, the purpose of using it, or the benefits it offers to the reader. 

Do not simply repeat the title of the page or document. Avoid stating the obvious, such as “You can use the Paste option to paste text”. 

Try to add more information about why the task is beneficial. Include information that helps the reader understand when to perform this task and in what circumstances it is necessary to do so.

Example of an ineffective description: 
Creating a proposal template: You can create a proposal template with the proposal wizard. This short description does not tell why using the wizard is important or beneficial. It simply states the obvious and generates no interest in the reader. Will they try it? Not likely. 

Example of an effective description: 
Creating an RFP Proposal template: By using the proposal template, you can speed up the documentation process, use the pre-defined styles and formatting to ensure that your proposal gets submitted on time. 

This description outlines some of the benefits the proposal wizard offers the reader. It is more likely to stimulate their interest.

Example of an ineffective description:
Pasting Text: You can use the Paste option to paste text into your document. This description does not tell users the benefit or purpose of pasting text.

Example of an effective description: 
Pasting Text: Use the Paste option to paste text, objects, or images into your document. Use the Paste Special option to retain formatting, for example, if you want to copy content from a website and bring over both the text and images.

The effective description is better because it describes the different types of pasting and the reasons you’d use Paste Special instead of the standard paste option. After reading this, the reader feels more informed and better placed to make a decision.        

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