Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout.

Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 5, 2016)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


1

There may be many times when your document layout calls for using a single-column section in the middle of a multi-column page layout. For instance, if you are creating a newsletter, you may want three columns in the newsletter, but a headline that spreads across all the columns. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Format your page so that it uses three columns.
  2. Type your newsletter article. It should spread across the three columns as you would expect.
  3. At the beginning of the article, type the text that you want to appear as the headline or banner. (Make sure you press Enter at the end of the headline or banner.)
  4. Select the paragraph containing the headline or banner.
  5. Choose the Columns option from the Format menu. You will see the Columns dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  6. Figure 1. The Columns dialog box.

  7. Choose One from the Preset area at the top of the dialog box.
  8. In the Apply To box, make sure it says Selected Text.
  9. Click on OK.
  10. Format your headline paragraph the way you want it to appear.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1165) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Spell Checking Your Document

One of the final touches that many people perform is to check the spelling of their document. This can help improve the ...

Discover More

Updating Automatically When Opening Under Macro Control

If your workbook contains links, you are normally given the opportunity to update those links when you open the workbook. ...

Discover More

WordTips Ribbon 2022 Archive (Table of Contents)

WordTips is a weekly newsletter that provides tips on how to best use Microsoft's word processing software. At ...

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!

More WordTips (menu)

Quickly Changing Columns

One of the tools on the Formatting toolbar is the Columns tool. You can use this tool to make quick changes to the number ...

Discover More

Self-Adjusting Column Widths

It is important to understand how column widths relate to the margins you may have set in your document. The reason is ...

Discover More

Changing Column Width

Do you use columns in your document layout? You may want to modify the widths of various columns, and Word makes the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 1 + 1?

2020-03-03 13:50:56

Bill

Re Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout

How is this different from using the MERGE CELLS entry in the Table Format menu?


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.