To achieve good document formatting results, it’s important to be familiar with the program being used, keep formatting simple, consider the destination medium, and design with the end result in mind. Simple formatting is often the most effective, and a solid plan for formatting and content can prevent problems.
Document formatting can sometimes be very transparent to a user and other times it can be very frustrating. One way to get good formatting results with minimal effort is to be very familiar with the program you are using. Another tip is to keep the formatting as simple as possible and think beyond the basic functionality of the tools available so they can be used to their full potential. Knowing the destination of the formatted document, whether it’s a printer, handheld device, or web page, can help avoid document formatting mechanisms that may not translate into the final medium. Understanding aspects of how your document will be used can help you define objects, such as images, to look professional and have excellent quality when you print your document.
Knowledge of how document editing software works is imperative to using even moderate document formatting. What might seem like a simple set of tools can become increasingly complex as their interactions with text and with each other begin to produce unpredictable results. Text wrapping, line breaks, layers, and inserted objects such as spreadsheet cells can all be stripped away from particular styles or elements. The formatting might even look perfect until it’s exported or sent to a printer. Knowing how and why a program works the way it does can take away much of this frustration.
It is important to design the formatting of the document with the end result in mind. There’s little point in using color clip art in documents that will be printed in black and white. Some complex formatting, especially linked objects across office suites, may not translate well in a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file. E-books, reports, or promotional brochures all have specific formatting requirements that can change the amount of content and the nature of the design. Using templates or plotting the layout of a document before you start can save time and prevent problems.
Most often, simple formatting of the document is the most effective. Complex layouts involving frames or tables nested within other tables may not display correctly through another device or program. Likewise, it’s never a good idea to use individual spaces for formatting. The formatting tools in the editor should be used as they were intended for formatting, with no shortcuts, to ensure the greatest chance of flawless output.
The development of formatting and document content must go hand in hand, although they should be tracked individually before moving on to the editor. Creating a format on the fly can cause the user to lose sight of the larger design. Attempting to create content for the layout while switching between elements can cause formatting to fail or break. With a solid plan for the formatting and content of your documents in place beforehand, the end result can be completed with minimal hassle.
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