Formatting a Document

1. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

Explain the meaning and importance of document formatting.
Differentiate between character, paragraph and page formatting.
Change font type, size, colour and style.
Apply bold, italic and underline effects.
Align paragraphs appropriately.
Set indentation and line spacing.
Create and format bulleted and numbered lists.
Apply borders and background to document elements.
Understand the purpose of styles in Writer.
Apply appropriate page formatting to create professional documents.

2. What is Formatting?

Formatting is the process of changing the appearance, layout and presentation of document content without changing its basic meaning.

Formatting makes a document easier to read, understand and navigate. It also helps distinguish headings, subheadings, important information and ordinary text.

Example:

The text "Annual Science Exhibition" can be formatted as a large, bold, centred heading while the explanatory information below it can remain in a normal paragraph.

3. Why is Document Formatting Important?

📖 Readability

Proper formatting makes information easier to read.

🧭 Organisation

Headings, lists and spacing help organise information.

🎯 Emphasis

Important information can be highlighted.

💼 Professionalism

Consistent formatting gives documents a professional appearance.

🧠 Understanding

Visual structure helps readers understand relationships between different parts of a document.

🖨️ Presentation

Well-formatted documents are suitable for printing and sharing.

4. Types of Formatting

Type	What It Controls	Examples
Character Formatting	Appearance of individual characters or selected text.	Font, size, bold, italic, underline, colour.
Paragraph Formatting	Appearance and positioning of paragraphs.	Alignment, indentation, spacing, borders.
Page Formatting	Overall page layout.	Margins, orientation, page size, columns.
List Formatting	Organisation of items into lists.	Bullets, numbering, indentation.
Style Formatting	Consistent formatting of document elements.	Title, Heading 1, Heading 2, body text.

5. Character Formatting

Character formatting changes the appearance of selected characters, words or phrases.

Common Character Formatting Options

Option	Purpose
Font	Changes the typeface of text.
Font Size	Changes the size of characters.
Bold	Makes text visually heavier.
Italic	Slants text.
Underline	Places a line below selected text.
Font Colour	Changes the colour of characters.
Highlight	Applies a background highlight to text.

6. Changing Font Type

A font determines the visual design of characters.

Steps

Select the required text.
Open the font selection control.
Choose the desired font.
Review the result.

Good Practice:

Use readable fonts for the main body of a school document. Decorative fonts should be used sparingly.

7. Changing Font Size

Font size determines how large or small characters appear.

Steps

Select the required text.
Choose the font-size control.
Enter or select the desired size.
Check the visual balance of the document.

A document might use a larger size for a title, a medium size for headings and a smaller but readable size for body text.

8. Bold, Italic and Underline

Bold

Used to give visual emphasis to text.

Ctrl + B

Italic

Used for emphasis, titles of certain works and other appropriate contexts.

Ctrl + I

Underline

Places a line below the selected text.

Ctrl + U

Avoid excessive use of bold, italic and underline. If everything is emphasised, nothing stands out.

9. Text Colour and Highlighting

Text colour can be changed to emphasise selected information. Highlighting applies a background colour behind text.

Appropriate Uses

Highlighting key terms.
Drawing attention to warnings.
Distinguishing headings.
Creating visually engaging educational material.

Ensure sufficient contrast between text and its background. Formatting should improve accessibility, not make text difficult to read.

10. Paragraph Formatting

Paragraph formatting controls the positioning, spacing and visual structure of an entire paragraph.

Paragraph formatting is applied to the paragraph containing the cursor or to the selected paragraphs.

11. Paragraph Alignment

Alignment	Description	Typical Use
Left	Aligns text with the left margin.	Most body text.
Centre	Centres the paragraph between the margins.	Titles and headings.
Right	Aligns text with the right margin.	Dates or selected design elements.
Justified	Aligns text with both left and right margins, except where the final line is handled separately.	Reports and formal documents.

12. Indentation

Indentation controls the distance between paragraph text and the page margins.

Common Types

Left Indent: Moves the paragraph inward from the left margin.
Right Indent: Moves the paragraph inward from the right margin.
First-Line Indent: Indents only the first line of a paragraph.
Hanging Indent: Keeps the first line closer to the margin while subsequent lines are indented.

Example: Hanging indents are commonly useful for bibliographies and reference lists.

13. Line and Paragraph Spacing

Spacing controls the amount of empty space between lines and paragraphs.

Line Spacing

Controls the vertical distance between lines within a paragraph.

Paragraph Spacing

Controls the space before or after a paragraph.

Do not create paragraph spacing by repeatedly pressing the Enter key. Use paragraph-spacing controls for consistent document layout.

14. Bulleted Lists

A bulleted list presents related items using symbols rather than sequential numbers.

Example:

Keyboard
Mouse
Monitor
Printer

When to Use Bullets

When the order of items is not important.
For lists of features or characteristics.
For key points in notes.

15. Numbered Lists

A numbered list presents items in a sequential order.

Example:

Open LibreOffice Writer.
Create a new document.
Enter the text.
Format the document.
Save the document.

When to Use Numbering

Instructions.
Procedures.
Steps in a process.
Ranked or sequential information.

16. Borders

Borders can be applied around paragraphs, tables, pages and other document elements.

Uses of Borders

Separating sections.
Emphasising important information.
Improving the visual structure of a document.
Creating boxes around notices or instructions.

A school notice may use a border around the complete notice to visually distinguish it from the rest of the page.

17. Paragraph Background

A background colour can be applied to a paragraph or other suitable document element to make it visually distinct.

Use background colours carefully. Strong backgrounds can reduce readability, particularly when text contrast is low.

18. Page Formatting

Page formatting controls the overall layout of the document page.

Page Property	Purpose
Page Size	Determines the physical dimensions of the page, such as A4.
Margins	Determine the empty space around the document content.
Orientation	Determines whether the page is Portrait or Landscape.
Columns	Divides page content into multiple vertical sections.
Header	Provides a repeated area at the top of pages.
Footer	Provides a repeated area at the bottom of pages.

19. Page Margins

Margins are the blank spaces between the edge of the page and the main document content.

Margins help prevent text from appearing too close to the edges of the page and provide space for binding or annotations where required.

Top Margin

Space between the top edge and document content.

Bottom Margin

Space between the bottom edge and document content.

Left Margin

Space between the left edge and document content.

Right Margin

Space between the right edge and document content.

20. Page Orientation

Portrait

The page is taller than it is wide.

Commonly used for letters, reports and school assignments.

Landscape

The page is wider than it is tall.

Useful for wide tables, charts, presentations and certain project layouts.

21. Styles in LibreOffice Writer

A style is a predefined or customised collection of formatting properties that can be applied consistently to document elements.

Examples

Title
Subtitle
Heading 1
Heading 2
Text Body
Caption

Advantages of Styles

Maintain consistent formatting.
Save time on long documents.
Make headings easier to manage.
Help structure documents logically.
Can support navigation and automatic table of contents generation.

22. Reusing Formatting

When the same formatting needs to be applied to several pieces of content, using styles or a formatting-copy tool is generally more efficient than manually setting each property repeatedly.

Example:

If all section headings should have the same font, size and spacing, apply a consistent heading style rather than formatting every heading independently.

23. Formatting Headings

Headings divide a document into meaningful sections.

Good Heading Practices

Use a clear hierarchy of headings.
Keep heading formatting consistent.
Make headings visually distinct from body text.
Use descriptive headings.
Avoid using excessive decorative effects.

Example hierarchy:

Chapter 1 — Introduction

1.1 Background

1.2 Objectives

24. Page Breaks

A page break forces following content to begin on a new page.

When to Use a Page Break

Starting a new chapter.
Beginning a separate major section.
Separating a cover page from the main content.
Controlling document structure.

Do not repeatedly press Enter to push content onto another page. Use an actual page-break mechanism when a new page is logically required.

25. Headers and Footers

A header appears in the top area of pages, while a footer appears in the bottom area.

Common Uses

School or organisation name.
Document title.
Chapter name.
Page numbers.
Date or other document information.

A school report may have the school name in the header and the page number in the footer.

26. Special Characters and Symbols

Documents sometimes require characters that are not directly available on the keyboard.

LibreOffice Writer provides facilities for inserting special characters and symbols.

Examples:

27. Practical Activity: Format a School Notice 💻

Task

Create a one-page school notice titled "Inter-School Science Exhibition".

Content Requirements

Write a suitable title.
Write two paragraphs describing the event.
Create a numbered list of participation instructions.
Create a bulleted list of required materials.
Add the event date and venue.

Formatting Requirements

Centre-align the title.
Make the title bold.
Use a larger font size for the title.
Use a suitable heading style for subheadings.
Justify the body paragraphs.
Apply appropriate paragraph spacing.
Use bullets and numbering appropriately.
Add a border around the notice.
Add the school name in the header.
Add page information in the footer if appropriate.
Save the file as Science_Exhibition.odt.

28. Competency-Based Questions

Question 1

Riya wants the title of her project to stand out from the body text. Which formatting features could she use?

Answer: She can use a larger font size, bold formatting, appropriate alignment and a suitable heading style.

Question 2

Aman has a ten-page project in which every chapter heading should have the same appearance. Should he format every heading individually?

Answer: It is better to use a consistent heading style. This saves time and keeps the formatting uniform throughout the document.

Question 3

A school wants a wide table to fit comfortably on a page. Which page orientation could be appropriate?

Answer: Landscape orientation may be appropriate because it provides greater horizontal space.

Question 4

A student presses Enter repeatedly to move a heading to the next page. Is this a good formatting practice?

Answer: No. A proper page break should be used when content needs to start on a new page.

Question 5

A student uses bright colours for every sentence in a report. Why might this reduce the quality of the document?

Answer: Excessive formatting reduces visual hierarchy and can make the document difficult to read. Formatting should be purposeful and consistent.

29. Common Formatting Mistakes

Mistake	Better Practice
Using too many fonts.	Use a small, consistent set of readable fonts.
Using excessive colours.	Use colour selectively for emphasis.
Making every word bold.	Reserve emphasis for important information.
Using spaces for alignment.	Use alignment, tabs, tables or other appropriate tools.
Pressing Enter repeatedly for page layout.	Use paragraph spacing and page breaks.
Using different heading formats throughout.	Use consistent heading styles.
Making text too small.	Use a comfortable, readable font size.

30. Good Formatting Practices

Keep formatting consistent throughout the document.
Use headings to create a clear hierarchy.
Choose readable fonts.
Use appropriate font sizes.
Use bold and colour selectively.
Use lists for groups of related items.
Maintain suitable margins and spacing.
Use styles for long documents.
Use page breaks instead of repeated blank lines.
Check the document in Print Preview before printing.
Proofread the content after formatting.

31. Document Formatting Workflow

Plan Content

→

Enter Text

→

Edit

→

Apply Styles

→

Format

→

Proofread

→

Save / Print

32. Think About It 🤔

Why is formatting important in a document?
What is the difference between character and paragraph formatting?
When should a numbered list be preferred over a bulleted list?
Why should spaces not be used for creating document layouts?
What is the purpose of styles?
Why are page breaks better than repeated Enter presses?
When would Landscape orientation be more useful than Portrait orientation?
Why should formatting be consistent throughout a document?

33. Key Terms

Term	Meaning
Formatting	Changing the appearance and layout of document content.
Character Formatting	Formatting applied to individual characters or selected text.
Paragraph Formatting	Formatting that controls paragraph alignment, spacing and indentation.
Page Formatting	Formatting that controls page layout, margins, orientation and related properties.
Alignment	Positioning of text relative to the page margins.
Indentation	Distance between paragraph content and the margins.
Line Spacing	Vertical distance between lines in a paragraph.
Style	A reusable collection of formatting properties.
Margin	Blank space between the page edge and document content.
Page Break	A command that starts following content on a new page.
Header	Repeated content placed in the upper page area.
Footer	Repeated content placed in the lower page area.

34. Lesson Recap

Formatting changes the appearance and layout of document content.
Character formatting includes font, size, bold, italic, underline and text colour.
Paragraph formatting includes alignment, indentation and spacing.
Page formatting includes page size, margins and orientation.
Bullets are suitable when the order of items is not important.
Numbering is useful for sequential steps or ordered information.
Styles help maintain consistent formatting across a document.
Headers and footers can provide repeated information such as document titles and page numbers.
Page breaks should be used when content needs to start on a new page.
Good formatting should improve readability rather than merely add decoration.

35. Homework 📝

Define formatting and explain its importance.
Differentiate between character formatting and paragraph formatting.
Explain the four types of paragraph alignment.
What is indentation? Explain any two types of indentation.
Differentiate between bulleted and numbered lists.
What are styles? Why are they useful?
Explain the difference between Portrait and Landscape orientation.
What are headers and footers? Give two uses of each.
Why should repeated Enter presses not be used to create page breaks?
Create a one-page school notice in LibreOffice Writer and apply appropriate character, paragraph and page formatting.

36. Quick Assessment

What is document formatting?
Name three character-formatting options.
What are the four common paragraph alignments?
What is indentation?
What is line spacing?
When should a numbered list be used?
What is a style?
What is a page margin?
What is the difference between Portrait and Landscape?
What is the purpose of a page break?