MS-Word headers and footers

[euclid]

I'm having problems with MS-Word headers and footers.

I have successfully inserted different headers for odd and even pages, but I don't know:

1. How to get this to start from where the actual book text starts, on page 5 and

2. How to eliminate the header on pages where new chapters start.

Also, how do I get the page numbers to start at 1 from the physical page 5?

Thanks

PS I checked Roger Carlson's Index, but headers and footers and page numbers are both pointing to missing threads.

[alleycat]

You probably need to put a section break at the end of page 4 (choose next page).

It might be better just to take out the headers you have now, put in the section break, then put the header in on page 5 (choosing to start the numbering from that page forward--it will give you that option).

If you need more detailed help, I think this is one case where the Word help is actually useful (seems like there is a little tutorial about headers and footers). Or, there are some instructional videos on YouTube about stuff like this.

Headers and footers are one of those things that are easy to do once you get them figured out (like a lot of things), but can give you headaches until you do.

[euclid]

Thanks, Alleycat. I'll try all that.

[alleycat]

Come back if you have any problem.

I wasn't trying to say we wouldn't try to help you here, just that it might be easier for you to look at some of the other tutorials.

[alleycat]

Oh, one additional hint, you can also use the "Show/Hide" button on the toolbar to display your section breaks and other formatting items. It kind of looks like a musical symbol.

[euclid]

Thanks again.

I'm an idiot.
I spent 35 years telling others to "read the **** manual."

[euclid]

Is that the main toolbar or the Header/Footer toolbar?

[alleycat]

My opinion is we can all be considered idiots at times when it comes to computers.

I've got to install the latest version of Kaspersky Internet Security on my computer today. This should be a ten minute job. We'll see. Kaspersky is really picky about what other security software you have on your computer.

[alleycat]

Is that the main toolbar or the Header/Footer toolbar?

Show/Hide is on the main toolbar (or formatting toolbar, I can't remember which offhand and I don't have a Word file up at the moment).

[euclid]

Never heard of Kaspersky. I use McAfee which uses masses of memory and slows everything down. But it gives me a warm feeling of being protected.

[euclid]

Okay on the show/hide thing. There is a show/hide option on the header/footer toolbar, and I'm not at all sure what it's for.

[alleycat]

Show/Hide is on the Standard toolbar. You can right click an area on the top of the page to see what toolbars you have open.

It's just a display toggle. It's sometimes easier to deal with section breaks when you can see where they are.

[alleycat]

Never heard of Kaspersky. I use McAfee which uses masses of memory and slows everything down. But it gives me a warm feeling of being protected.

I consider Kaspersky the top of the line of the common security packages (McAfee, Norton, Kaspersky).

The main thing is to have something that stays up-to-date; some of the free security packages don't update often enough for me.

[Terie]

You probably need to put a section break at the end of page 4 (choose next page).

Yep. This is the key point.

But at risk of giving more info than you're actually looking for, using section breaks adds one wrinkle that I'll let you know about so it doesn't bite you in the rear later. :)

Once you've broken a file into sections (that is, inserted section breaks), any page formatting you apply will affect only the section in which the cursor is located. This includes headers and footer, of course, since that's what you're trying to accomplish, but also things like page size, page orientation, margins, and so on.

For example, let's say you put your page number in the bottom centre of the page, then divided your document into sections so as to be able to use different headers. Then you decide you want your page numbers to be flush right. You'll have to make the change in each section, not just once.

For another example, let's say you like to work with narrow page margins of 1/2 inch. (I know, I know....like I said, this is just an example.) When you get ready to start submitting, you'll need to change the margins. In this case, you don't have to do each section separately; you can do Ctrl+a to Select All, then change your margins one time. By selecting all, it'll change the margins in all sections.

Headers and footers are one of those things that are easy to do once you get them figured out (like a lot of things), but can give you headaches until you do.

Amen to this. Amen, amen, and amen. It took me absolutely ages to master Word's headers and footer, and I've been doing proper desktop publishing for more than two decades using high-end products like FrameMaker and (20 years ago!) Interleaf. Once you get it, though, as Alleycat says, it's easy to do. Just a weird design to get your head around, but worth spending the time mastering.

[euclid]

Thanks for that Terie. Very helpful.

I'm working with a Word template dowloaded from Amazon's self-publishing site, CreateSpace. They have done most of the "heavy lifting" with left and right margins set for printing, font and font sizes etc. already set.

[BDSEmpire]

This isn't about headers or footers in Word, which is magical voodoo at times, but I'd like to highly recommend Microsoft Security Essentials as a replacement for any of the mentioned antivirus programs so far. It's free, updates regularly and has a great track record of not causing problems on the computer. I recommend this to all my customers and get a special warm glow when I get to remove McAfee or Norton off a machine and put this on. It's free to download at: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials if you want to give it a try. Be sure and remove any antivirus program you currently have before installation.

Terie - Thanks for the info on section breaks. It makes sense that each new section will have its own formatting but boy that would be a real puzzler if you didn't know about it beforehand. "I applied that style already! What is going on???"