Copyright © 2001 by Jolene M. Morris

Alley

The spacing between columns. It can be empty or contain a vertical line (set up in the columns dialog box of Word).

Back Matter

The extra materials at the end of a document. Back matter includes the glossary, appendices, index, endnotes, and bibliography.

Body Text

The main text of the document. Use serif font for extensive text. Use sans-serif text if the document will be read online or if there is limited text. Use Word's style feature to set normal body text.

Byline

The author's name. Usually printed in a smaller or italic font just below the headline.

Callout

Also called a "label." Explanatory note with a line pointing to something else in the document. Usually created with a callout element in Word's AutoShapes button on the Drawing Toolbar. A callout can also be created manually with a text box and a drawing line.

Caption

Phrase used to describe a graphic. Smaller type. Some graphics are self-explanatory and don't need captions. Captions usually appear directly below the graphic. 

Columns, Balanced

Columns that are the same length (contain the same number of lines in each column). This is accomplished in Word by first creating the columns, then place a "Continuous" break at the end.

Columns, Newspaper

Columns that flow into and from each other.  The first column will completely fill with text then flow into the second column. The second column will completely fill with text then flow into the next column (or the next page if there are only two columns).

Continuation

The short note at the bottom of an article fragment explaining where the rest of the article is continued. An example might be "Article continued on page B4." If you use Word's cross reference feature, Word keeps track of the location of the rest of the story in case it is moved to another location. Sometimes, the continuation is simply an arrow showing to turn the page over or to look on the next page.

Deck

A short abstract or summary paragraph that appears just below the title and byline. It is meant to tease or capture the attention of the reader to entice people to read the entire article.

Drop Cap

An initial letter or word in a paragraph that is larger, usually of a different font, and extends down several lines of text.

Endnotes

Parenthetical notes at the end of a document to further explain or reference information in that document. Endnotes are connected to the text they reference with superscript numbers or symbols. Also see "footnotes."

Footer

Text that appears at the bottom of most or all pages in the document. If the footer text changes depending on the section or left-hand/right-hand page, it is called a "running foot."

Footnotes

Parenthetical notes at the bottom of a page to further explain or reference information on that page. Footnotes are connected to the text they reference with superscript numbers or symbols. Also see "endnotes."

Frame

This is a term from desktop publishing software to indicate the invisible box used to contain text on a page layout. Word still has a frame feature but you will generally use a text box instead of a frame. To create a frame in Word, first create a text box then convert it to a frame. Do not confuse a text box frame with a frames page on the World Wide Web.

Front Matter

The extra materials at the beginning of a document. Front matter includes the preface, table of contents, and title page.

Graphic

Any object other than text. A text box is often excluded from the definition of a graphic. Examples of graphics are clip art, AutoShapes, pictures, WordArt, and linked objects.

Grid

A drawing tool used to align objects on a page layout. The grid in Word is available in the Draw button of the Drawing Toolbar.

Gutter

This is the extra space added to the inside margins of a two-page layout to allow for binding.

Header

Text that appears at the top of most or all pages in the document. If the header text changes depending on the section or left-hand/right-hand page, it is called a "running head."

Headline

The title of the article. It is usually placed in a larger, bolder, different type font. Use one of Word's built-in title styles. Depending on the type of document, you can use WordArt™.

Index

A list of significant words contained in a document and the page on which each word appears. The index is usually placed at the end of the document.

Kerning

A measurement of the spacing between letters in a word:  

Kerning  v.  K e r n i n g    -or-   Aesop  v.  Æsop.

Layout

The basic appearance or format of the page. Layout decisions determine the page orientation, whether you will use standard text, tables, columns, and/or text boxes, and how page elements will be placed on the page.

Leading (pronounced "led-ing")

The space between lines. The terms comes from the olden days when typesetters placed strips of lead between lines of type to increase the space. Leading is used when you need to increase or decrease the size of a particular article to fill its allotted space. Do not confuse this with line spacing such as single spaced and double spaced (although this is technically leading also).

Main Heads and Subheads

Titles or headlines to identify or label sections of a document. Use Word's heading styles to create all section headings.

Margins

Includes six measurements: top page margin, bottom page margin, right page margin, left page margin, inside margin of a bound document, and outside margin of a bound document. In a bound document, the left-hand page is called the verso page and the right-hand page is called the recto page.

Page Orientation

The direction on the page the elements are positioned. If elements are positioned vertically up and down the longest side of the paper, this is portrait page orientation. If elements are posited horizontally across the longest side of the paper, this is landscape page orientation. 

Pull Quote

A small sentence or phrase from the body of the text that is repeated inside a graphical box. Pull quotes are used to break up the page and add white space. They are also used as a teaser to entice people to read the entire article.

Sections & Subdocuments

Large documents can be divided into parts called "sections." Even longer documents can be divided into subdocuments controlled by a master document. Subdocuments can each be opened, edited, and saved individually in Word; yet the master document controls how the entire document is numbered and printed.

Sidebar

A child or derivative story related to the main article. It usually appears to the side of the main story but is set off by a border and/or shading. The green strip on the left of this Web page is a sidebar.

Slug

A graphical symbol (usually a WingDing) placed at the end of an article. Slugs not only indicate the end of an article, they give the document a professional look.

Styles

The pre-defined ways text will appear for different types of elements. Before creating a document, define the styles for that document -- what font type, font size, and font color will be used for headings, subheadings, footnotes, captions, body text, etc. Using styles instead of setting the font elements each time you create a heading or caption gives your document a consistent work and saves you time.

Table of Contents

A listing of sections of a document and the pages on which each section begins.

Text Box

A box created with one of Word's Drawing Toolbar buttons. In desktop publishing, text boxes are often used as the primary layout tool in page design. Other design elements that may be used in conjunction with (or instead of) text boxes are columns and tables. Frames are similar to text boxes and are created by converting a text box.

Watermark

A graphic element that may be either a picture, an embedded object, or text. A watermark is placed on the background layer of the document and is generally placed in a faded opacity (40-60%).

White Space

Space on the document not filled with text, graphics, or embedded objects. A professional layout will have plenty of white space to keep the reader from getting tired with information overload.

WingDings

Text font with graphical elements that may be used as slugs or in the place of clip art. Word 2000 comes with three sets of WingDings and one set of WebDings.