Get more from Word templates

Knowing quick ways to create documents in Word might not have people fighting to sit next to you at dinner parties, but it will save you a whole lot of time. So, if you're a regular Word user, it's worth getting up to speed with templates.

Templates are a type of document that already have the style and formatting elements in place. So you don't need to worry about heading sizes, fonts and page layouts - it's all done for you. You just fill in the content.

They're great for documents that you use regularly, such as invoices and letters.

However, they are also handy for one-off documents such as business plans and reports where you can spend a lot of time making your document look pretty when you create it from scratch.

Using a template also ensures that your documents have a consistent, professional appearance.

The Microsoft ready-made templates cover all the usual things such as meeting agendas, fax headers and business plans. They may also have some less mainstream items, such as a seating diagram for a school bus and award certificates.

To get started, open up Word, click on the Microsoft Office button in the top-left corner of your screen and click on New. From there, select Template and a pop-up window appears listing the available templates on the left and thumbnails of them on the right. You can use templates either from the pre-installed ones available in Word, or if you look further down the list, you will see templates available at Microsoft Office Online. (You may have to download them from office.microsoft.com/ templates.)

Here, you'll find more Microsoft templates, along with templates designed by third parties and other users. Some are great and some are a little obscure, but there's plenty of choice, so the chances are that somewhere out there is the template you're looking for. Once you find it, double click and it will open up. All you need to do is insert your own content and save it to your PC.

Many of us already use "sort of" templates. For example, perhaps you have an invoice document you frequently use. Each time you send out a new invoice you open up an old version, change the date, client name and amount then save it with a new file name.

Sometimes, you might forget to change one piece of information and send out something with the wrong name, or accidentally save over the previous version of the invoice. Save yourself time and trouble by creating your own proper template.

First, open up the document you want to use as the basis for your template. Make your changes, take out any variable content and then click Save As and select Word Template'.

If you are creating templates at work, then consider whether the template is for your use only or will be used company- wide and save in an appropriate location.

Once you start using templates, you'll wonder how you got by without them.

- © Fairfax NZ News