Dividing text into columns in Word

A number of readers have asked how to divide text into columns in Microsoft Word.

Well, there are four basic column types that I call “Book,” “Newspaper,” “Table” and “Tabbed.”

“Book” columns are those in which text normally continues from one column to the next upon reaching the bottom of a page.

“Newspaper” columns are those in which a story is generally continued elsewhere if it’s not completed within a single column on a page.

A “table” column is a vertical field of cells within a table. Columns in a database are called “fields,” while rows are called “records.”

“Tabbed” columns are often used in a menu, in which an item is shown on the left of a page and its price is on the right. If various descriptors appear between the item and its price, they are “columnized” by tabbing to specific measurements within the line.

To create book-type columns in pre-2007 versions of MSWord, click on Format>Columns and choose how many you want. Other options will appear, such as how wide the columns should be and how much space should appear between them. In Word 2007-2013, click on Page Layout>Columns, and click the down arrow for more options.

You can also use the above steps to create newspaper-type columns, in which you might divide a paragraph into three columns, followed by dividing the next one into, say, two columns. Subsequent paragraphs can likewise be divided as needed.

You can also use table columns to achieve a newspaperlike effect. Create a table in pre-2007 versions of Word, by clicking on Table>Insert Table, and designate how many rows and columns it should have. Each cell within a table can be treated as an independent page, in terms of editing and formatting. In fact, although columns are normally the same width from the top to bottom, cells within a table can be stretched or shrunk to different widths. In Word 2007-2013, click on Insert>Table, and click the down arrow for more options.

Tabbed columns can be established by using Word’s horizontal ruler. If you don’t see it, click View>Ruler to make it appear at the top of your window. The tiny “L” at the ruler’s left says the tabs will be aligned to the left. Click the “L” twice to change it to an “R” and cause numbers to be aligned to the right.

Additional clicks will display markers for “center” alignment and “decimal” alignment, among others. Click on the ruler to establish your tab points.