Adding a Gutter Setting in Microsoft Word

Generation Data Matrix in Microsoft Word Adding a Gutter Setting

If you plan to bind the pages of your document, you will want to add extra space to the side or the top margin of the document (see Figure 6-9). This extra space is called a gutter. To add a gutter setting to document margins: 1. Click the Margins button in the Page Setup group. 2. Select Custom Margins in the Margins menu to display the Page Setup dialog box. 3. Under Margins, select a setting in the Gutter box and select Left or Top in the Gutter position box. As you change the settings, the sample in the dialog box under Preview will change to show the effect of the new settings.

Figure 6-9 A gutter has been added to the left side of the document to allow extra space for binding.

If the pages are to be displayed side-by-side and double-sided (duplex), such as in books or magazines, then you want to create mirror margins. This is sometimes referred to as facing pages. With mirror margins, the margins on the left page mirror the margins on the right page. In other words, the outside margin on the left page is identical to the outside margin on the right page. When you format mirror margins, the inside and outside margins are often different. For example, if you plan to bind the pages in a book format, the inside margin may need to be wider. But you can t solve the problem with a gutter setting, because the extra space needs to be alternated between the left and the right pages. That s where mirror margins become useful. Word will automatically alternate the extra space on the right and left pages as shown in Figure 6-10. The right margin on an even-numbered page is the inside margin. The right margin on an odd-numbered page is the outside margin.

Figure 6-10 The margins on the left page mirror the margins on the right page. To create mirror margins: 1. Click the Margins button in the Page Setup group. 2. Do one of the following: Choose Mirrored from the preset options. Select Custom Margins in the Margins menu to display the Page Setup dialog box. Under Pages in the Multiple pages box, select Mirror margins. The settings will automatically display the default settings of 1" for all margins. You can, of course, change these settings. 3. To view how the pages will look side by side, display two pages in Print Layout view. You can add gutter margins to mirror margins and booklets, but you cannot adjust the gutter position. The gutter position is automatically determined based on the type of margin selected. For example, if you have chosen the mirror margin or the book fold formats, the extra space for the gutter setting is added to the inside margins. If you have chosen 2 pages per sheet, the extra space is added to the outside margins.

You also have the option of printing two half-sized pages on one sheet of paper, and you can print the half-size pages on both sides of the paper as well. Word will automatically set the margins when you choose this option. The pages will print in the order they occur in the document. You can choose either portrait or landscape orientation. Figure 6-11 shows examples of two pages on one sheet in both portrait and landscape orientations. However, because the pages print in order, you cannot fold these pages to create a booklet.

You might want to fold printed pages to create a booklet, such as a menu or a program. If you plan to fold the printed pages to create a booklet, the document must be formatted in landscape orientation. You will fold the page from left to right. Also, you must print in duplex (print on both sides of the page) so the pages remain in order when you fold them. Word will automatically adjust the margin settings when you use the book fold, and the margin settings must be applied to the entire document. The preview of the document will display exactly the same as two pages per sheet in landscape orientation. The difference, though, is that the document pages will print in the order needed when the pages are folded. To create a booklet: 1. Make sure Landscape orientation is selected. 2. Click the Margins button in the Page Setup group. 3. Select Custom Margins in the Margins menu to display the Page Setup dialog box. 4. Under Pages in the Multiple pages box, select Mirror margins. 5. Make any necessary adjustments to the margin settings and then click OK. The preview in the dialog box will change to reflect the format you have chosen. If you work with the document in Print Layout view, the arrangement of pages on the screen will reflect the settings you have chosen. You can continue to work with the document as you normally would. Printing a book fold document is also addressed in 12.