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The Ruler: Margins and Indents and Tabs in Word 2007, Part 3

Indents

Indents can be used to control the distance between text and the left and right edges of a page. They also over-ride margins and can be applied to multiple or single paragraphs at a time. Each paragraph has only one set of indents that can be changed.

Types of Indents

First line – just the first line of a paragraph is indented, the rest of the paragraph extends to the left and is even. This is usually used to indicate where paragraphs start and stop when there is no additional space between paragraphs.

Hanging – first line of a paragraph sits farther to the left than the rest of the paragraph.

Left or Right – hanging and first line indents can only be applied to the left side of a paragraph. The right side can be indented from or extend beyond the right margin one set distance. An example of using the left and right indent would be for a quote that is set inside the existing margins to make it stand out.

Indent and the Ruler

Before any indents are set, the indent markers line up with the left and right margins. The left-side indents look like an hour-glass, but it actually has three parts. The top of the hour-glass controls the indent for the first line, the lower part controls the indent for the rest of the paragraph, and the little box moves both indents as a group. On the right side of the ruler, there is only one indent marker.

To change or set indents, click and drag the appropriate indent marker to the position you want it, but be sure to select the paragraphs you want it applied to first.

Indents and the Ribbon

Indents are found on the Home tab, in the Paragraph group. There are buttons for Decrease and Increase Indent, and more options can be found in the Paragraph dialog box.

A few more Indent details:

• Indents can be set, removed or changed after or while the document is being typed up.
• Indents don’t show when you turn on Show/Hide Paragraph marks.
• The set indents only show on the ruler when the cursor is in a paragraph they are applied to, or the paragraph is selected.
• If multiple paragraphs that have different indents are selected, the indent markers on the ruler will look faded out, but they can still be clicked and dragged to set.

For more information see: The Ruler: Margins and Indents and Tabs, Part 2 and Part 1.

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