Do you want to jazz up your Word documents by adding borders around certain parts of the text? Applying borders to portions of your documents can help highlight key sections, make text stand out, and add visual interest.
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the easy process for adding borders in Word to just part of your document, not the whole thing. Whether you want to accentuate a heading, make a pull quote pop, or draw attention to a specific paragraph, these tips will show you how.
Why Use Borders in Word Documents?
Before we dive into the step-by-step instructions, let’s look at some of the benefits of using borders in Word:
- Draw attention to important content. Borders are great for highlighting key sections that you want readers to notice.
- Improve readability. Borders can help break up walls of text, making your documents easier on the eyes.
- Add visual appeal. Borders give your documents a polished, professional look.
- Organize information. Use borders to separate different sections of your document.
Now that you know why borders can be useful, let’s look at how to add them.
Selecting the Text to Border
The first step is choosing what content you want to surround with a border. You can add a border around:
- A single word
- A line of text
- An entire paragraph
- Multiple paragraphs
- Images/tables/other objects
To select the text, simply click and drag your mouse over the content. The text will become highlighted in blue.
If you want to apply a border to just a section in the middle of your document, you’ll need to add section breaks above and below that portion of text first. Then, select the section and add your border.
Applying a Border in Word
Once you’ve selected the text, adding a border is simple:
- Go to the Home tab
- Click the small arrow next to the Borders button
- Select the border style you want from the menu
That’s it! The border will automatically apply to the selected text.
Applying a border in Word
Some things to keep in mind:
- For a dotted or dashed line, select one of those border styles instead of a solid line
- To remove borders, choose No Border
- For more options, choose Borders and Shading from the menu
The Borders and Shading dialog box gives you advanced formatting options. Here, you can:
- Specify border placement (top, bottom, left, right, or all sides)
- Choose color, width, and line style
- Add shading/background color to the selected text
- Apply a shadow effect
- See a preview of your border
Feel free to get creative with different border styles!
Adding Borders to Specific Pages
You can also add borders around one or more pages in your document. Here’s how:
- Go to the Design tab
- Click Page Borders
- In the Borders and Shading dialog box, select your border preferences
- Next to Apply to, choose This section – First page only or This section – All pages (if adding borders to multiple pages)
Use the Preview pane to see your changes before inserting the page border.
Formatting Tips for Word Borders
When working with borders in Word, keep these formatting tips in mind:
- Match the border to the document’s purpose. For a professional report, keep it simple. For a fun flyer, go wild with colors and graphics!
- Use borders consistently. If you border one heading, border all headings.
- Be strategic with placement. Use borders to draw attention to what’s most important.
- Don’t overdo it. Borders lose their impact if used excessively.
- Balance borders with white space. Don’t clutter the page.
- View in Print Preview mode to ensure borders are placed properly.
Add Panache to Your Documents with Borders
As you can see, it’s super simple to spruce up your Word documents by adding stylish borders around selected text or entire pages.
Following the steps in this article, feel free to get creative with borders. Highlight key messages, make images pop, and guide readers through different sections.
Just don’t go overboard! Used sparingly and strategically, borders can take your Word documents to the next level.
Let me know if you have any other questions about adding borders in Word. And happy document designing!
