So Betty Speller asked me a question and I thought that I would share. She wanted to know how to make patterned text boxes that you can use to make your own printables, signs, name tags or whatever you little heart desires!
Share Your Tech Tip
Here goes mine!
1. Click insert text box
2. Double click on the box and you should see a pop up
3. Make sure the color and lines tab is selected at the top
4. You can change the fill color and transparency in the fill section
5. The next section is the line section
6. Click on the color draw down box and look at the bottom of the box it should say patterned lines
7. You can select the pattern that you want on the same page you can also change the color of the pattern. Make sure to stay on the patterned page and select color otherwise it will not work
Click the foreground drop down menu to change the color of the drop down menu.
8. click ok once you are happy
9. Now click on the style drop down menu under lines and select the width
That should be it! Let me know if it works for you
I have word 2003
How to for borders/background/clipart: Post 10 How to change text direction and WordArt: Post 23
Quick example of what I am talking about
Last edited by runamouth; 07-19-2011 at 06:01 AM..
Go to the insert tab and select shapes. A drop down box will appear with different shapes!!! Select the one you want and click anywhere in your document and make it as large or as small as you want and place where you want it. Select format to select colors, etc.
This might be a "duh" to some of you, but something I learned that saves me when I'm creating "cute" things is that when I enter clipart, I enter it into a text box and make the text box un-lined and transparent. Text boxes can be moved anywhere in the document, where clipart is harder to drag and move (it often warps the text or other images on the page). You have to make sure your cursor is IN the textbox you've created to make sure the clipart goes in and stays in. This should work whether you're entering images from the Word database OR copying and pasting in from an external source.
Also, if you create the textbox first to the size you want the clipart to be, typically the clipart WILL conform to your created size which is so much better than trying to stretch the length and width and ending up with a turtle who looks like he got stepped on, or something like that. =)
I would also suggest this when copying photos onto a word document (such as a newsletter, etc) this technique gives you the same benefits with photos - you control the movement on the page, no warped photos of kids that look 10 ft tall or 10 ft wide. Etc.
Also, with the text box around your image, you can easily add borders and other cute things at will. =)
Loving these tutorials.... Can someone tell me how to download cute fonts that I find? I can't figure it out once I find one I like. I go to my font list and they aren't there after I have thought I have downloaded them. I need font downloading for dummies. Can anyone help?
You have some pretty neat fonts in that example. Were those add on because mine are all one color, no designs in the words....
I did download the fonts I used then changed the color of them
For WordArt you will go to insert pic, word art then type your text
To change the borders you will down clip on the word art close the pop up box and their should be a small task bar need the bottom left side of your screen where you can can the lines and colors just like you would do a text box!
And When you make a border, you then make a text box for any of the things you want to write?
No not when you are adding a border only when you want specific words to change direction
For example if I type ProTEacher is awesome and I want to rotate the word awesome to the right then I will type Proteacher is in one text box then I will add a second text box and write the word awesome and then follow the steps on the text wrap post! Otherwise if you type everyting in one box then it will rotate everything in that box!
I always use Power Point when making designs, etc. that require manipulation.
I took a workshop a long time ago in which the presenter suggested using Power Point for much of what is mentioned here: signs, posters, shaded boxes, shapes, etc. It was a revelation!
It is SOOOOOO much easier to do all the things mentioned above using Power Point. And so much easier to move around whatever you've got. Power point is so much more design friendly than Word.
As a sixth grade teacher, I don't do as much graphically as I used to when teaching 4th, but I still use PowerPoint for most of the worksheets and tests I create. Just create a text box and move it to wherever you want. Makes creating a matching test (or section of a test) easy!
You may know this already, but...
You CAN save as a PDF. You have to click PRINT and when that box comes up, there is a PDF button, and when you click on that, you have the option to SAVE AS A PDF.
That is EXCITING for me because I have all these new fonts on my computer at home, and security is locked up TIGHT at school (I can't even update the Promethean Software for my computer and I HAVE A BOARD!!!!) I know I wouldn't be able to download new fonts... SOOO... I will do stuff here, save or email it to school then print out there (or use my camera tool using Prom. and put it in my charts! YAY!!!