Creating Your Word Template
Once you have outlined your document and are ready to create your Word template.

Adding a Preview Image to Your Documents
When you save Word documents or templates, one way to make them easier to find later is to include a preview image with the document that will display in the Open dialog box when you highlight the document name or in the Templates dialog box when you click on the template name.

Starting the Mail Merge Wizard
With a new, blank document open, on the Task pane options list, select the Mail Merge Wizard...

Using Spreadsheets as Data Sources in a Word Mail Merge
There is a very good reason people spend upwards of US$400 on office suites: The ability to take data created for a specific use in one component and drop it into a document created in another component.

Using Outlook Contacts with Mail Merge
If you use Outlook as your personal information manager (pim) and regularly update it with all the vital information on your contacts, you probably have a good mail merge data source. Fortunately, just as you can use Excel spreadsheets as data sources for a mail merge function, you can use your Outlook contacts folder(s) as a source for your Word mail merge documents.

Embedding and Linking to Excel Files in Word Documents
If you are using Word to create business documents such as reports and business plans, it is inevitable that you will need to insert data created in Excel. While it is an easy process, you have to be aware of your options and the limitations inherent in each of the options.

Working With Word Macros
For many Word users, the term macro strikes fear in their heart, mainly because they do not fully understand Word macros and have most likely never created their own. Fortunately, creating and running macros is not too difficult, and the resulting efficiency is well worth the time spent learning to use them.

Planning Your Word Macro
The most important step in creating effective Word macros is careful planning. While it might seem a bit obvious, you should have a clear idea of what you want the Word macro to perform, how it will make your future work easier, and the circumstances under which you intend to use it.

Recording Your Macro
If you have planned your macro carefully enough, recording it for later use will be the easiest part of the process. It is so easy, in fact, that the only difference between creating a macro and working on the document is that you have to press a few extra buttons and make a couple of selections in dialog boxes.

Assigning Shortcut Keys to Macros
If you have created a lot of macros, searching through the Macros dialog box will eat up a lot of the time you save. If you assign your macros a shortcut key, however, you can bypass the dialog box and access your macro directly from the keyboard.

Assigning Keystrokes to Symbols
If you use a particular symbol on a regular basis, you may want to consider assigning a shortcut key to the symbol; if you choose to do so, you will be able to insert the symbol into your document by using a keystroke and bypassing the Symbol dialog box altogether.

Microsoft Word Help and Tips
Help and tips for Microsoft Word 2003, XP, and 2000, including downloading security updates, tweaking the menus, password protecting documents, using keyboard shortcuts, inserting drop caps, and more.