Steps to Use Open Office to Make Invitations

Begin by running Open Office Writer, the word processing software. On the top menu, select Format and choose Page. This is where you will get to change the margins of the page. Since you will be printing an invitation, the margins need to be set accordingly. As you are printing an invite, the background image should be extended to the edges of the page, without you having to cut excess paper in the end.

Set the margins to zero inches on all four sides, so that you can print a letter size invitation card. When you save your setting with this margin setting, you will be shown an error message telling you that the margins are out of the print region. This is exactly what you want, so click Yes and save the settings.

Now you will get to choose whether you want to display a color as the background or whether you want to add a picture as a background. Go the Format button and select Page.  On the Page settings box, choose Background. You will be shown a full color palette with an option that says Graphic. This would allow you to add a graphical image to the background. To add an image as the background, browse your system for the image and select Open. This will show the image you selected in the dialog box.

You will have three options to setting the image in the background. You can choose any of the three following options; Position, Tile and Area. The Position option lets you set the image anywhere on the page. If you choose Tile, the image will be repeated to cover the full page. The Area option lets you extend the picture to all four sides of the page.

Now that the background is in place, it will not move around. Simply select your cursor and position it on the page and start typing. You can use the formatting options to format the fonts and colors without altering the background. Once you’re done making the invitation card on Open Office, save the file and print a copy to see how it looks.

If you will be printing your own business cards, it would be wise to have the right tools. You will need a business card printer that prints out cards based on specific inputs you send through USB ports. If you are going to be printing them through a regular printer, it would be wise to print several cards on a single sheet. You can get business card sheets from stationary selling stores such as Office Depot or Staples.

Open Office offers a wide array of processing software that can be used for test, image and spreadsheet needs.

Steps to Make Business Cards in Open Office

The actual information that goes on your business card should be entered in an Open Office Word Processor (Open Office Writer). At the top, click File, go to New and select the option

that indicates Labels.

On the Labels section, you will need to choose the type of card you want. You will need to select Brand and the format of the card you would like. In the options menu, you should choose the option that says Synchronize. Following this, choose to open a New Document.

You will now be shown the overall format for the business card you are going to prepare. Using the given template, you just need to replace the contents with your business name, address, phone number, website, email and logo. Alternatively, you could add or remove images from the business card in Open Office, which is a convenient feature.

Now that you have edited one single card at the top left of the page, simply click on Synchronize. This will automatically fill in the same information for all the other cards on the page. In the event that you need to change something on the first card, you can do so. To apply the changes to all the other business cards, you need to click on Synchronize again.

Tip: You should first print out a sample of the business card page on a regular paper just to see how it will be. On your first try, just print one out on the business card sheet. If you are satisfied, you can move onto printing out the rest.

Steps to Change the Language for the Open Office Spell Checker

Begin by opening the word processing software, Open Office Writer. You can do this by going to the start menu and navigating to the program listing. Alternatively, if you already have a document file, simply open it up. If you opened the program, you need to choose the document you would like to edit.

At the top, you will see a number of editing options for your document. Click on the spell checker to check your document for any errors. On this new dialog box that appears, you should select dictionary language in the menu. This menu will be a drop down menu listing all the languages you have installed on your computer.

Every single language dictionary on your computer is based on the ones you have installed. Without installing a non-default language pack, you won’t be able to run the spell checker in that language.

Once you’ve changed the language in the drop down menu, the tool will automatically begin using the new language pack. Complete the spell check and save your file. If this is just a onetime change, you should go back and change the language to your default one.

How to Get a Language Pack for Open Office

There are no foreign language packs that come preinstalled with Open Office, so you will have to download them on your own. You can download a language pack for Open Office by going to the Download section of their main site.

If you want to change the language of the complete Open Office interface, you would need to go into Tools and select Language Settings from the options. Under the Language settings option, select User Interface and make your preferred language selection.

Adding text that is in a different language would be fine, but you Open Office will just show it as an error. If your computer has a preinstalled language pack, you can implement it into your Open Office software by going to the Language Settings mentioned above.

Steps to Create a Header in an Open Office Document

Begin by opening the file you want to add a header into or you can begin a new Open Office file by opening the Writer.

There is a common menu that runs across the top of the document. In the menu, select the Insert option.  Now choose Header and select the default header option. On its own, there will be a small shaded box at the top of the page. This is the header for the page, in which you’ll need to enter something.

The typing cursor will be in the header section allowing you to type something in the header section of the site. If you want to add in the header after, simply click on the blank region below the header. When you select the header section again, you will have the header editing options visible again.

How to Insert Page Numbers in the Open Office Document Header

Open Office makes it easy to number pages on a sequence basis. If you want Open Office to automatically insert the header with page numbers, you need to go back into the header options where you selected “Default”. In that drop down menu, you should choose the option that adds page numbers.

Based on the number of pages you will be typing out, you should leave the appropriate amount of space after the number, so that it does not get cut off in printing. For example, if your document will be ten pages or more, you should leave two spaces after the word Page, to allow space for the double digits.

Additionally, you could do the same with the footer for your page. In the Insert menu where you selected Header, simply choose Footer and you will have a similar drop down menu. For the footer, you will be able to add your own text, page numbers, reference titles and author names. So, as you can see, adding a header in Open Office is quite straightforward; you just have to know where to look.

Steps to Set Line Spacing Using Open Office

If the whole document needs to be spaced the same way, simply select the whole text. If you only need to space a part of a document, only select that specific portion. A new document could be used to change line spacing as well.

At the top, select the Format tab, which will give you a number of different formatting options. Select the option that says Paragraph and a new small window will appear. This window is for all the formatting settings related to Paragraphs or bulk texts.

In the options that are shown to you, you will see the settings for line spacing. You will have preset settings for line spacing, such as Single, Double, etc. There will be a total of six options to choose from for Line Spacing. Choose the one you want and click on OK to apply the changes. This will now apply the line spacing to your document at the location where you wanted it to apply.

Changing Line Spacing to Meet MLA or APA Format Requirements

For scholarly documents, you may be required to type out the context in specific formats such as MLA or APA. In such cases, you will need to change the line spacing of the document. Simply open the document that needs changes and hold down the buttons CTRL and A, and change the line spacing from the Paragraph settings.

Steps to Make a Brochure on Open Office

Brochures are usually folded into three parts, with six content sides. Some brochures could be two-folds or four-folds, based on the length of the paper. To begin, you will need to start Open Office Writer, as it will be used to make the brochure.

Once you have the blank document, you can start by adding the content of one side of your brochure. A brochure has two sides; the front and back. So, begin by typing out everything that goes on the front side. Do not add any pictures yet.

Next, select the Format tab at the top and choose Page. The default page orientation will be set to portrait, so change it to landscape. Go into the margin settings and set all four sides to 0.75 inches. In the menu options, choose Format and select Columns. You will see a number of different column options, so choose whichever one you want. Most people the three column display, as it allows for a more brochure look.

Adding Pictures to the Brochure

If you wanted to add in pictures to the front side of your brochure, now is the time to do so. You can add, edit or remove text as well as change its color. When you are done with the front side, you can save it and move onto the back side. For the back side of the brochure, you should open a new page and simply re-do what you did for the front page.

When you are ready to print out your brochure, you should print the first page and then print the second page on the back. Using this sample copy, you can make photocopies to create your brochures. In order to get a perfect crease on the fold, you should use the sharp edge of a ruler or any other flat object.

Using Tables for the Brochure

Additionally, if you are experienced in using Open Office, you can create brochures using tables. Begin by setting the page orientation to landscape and margins to 0.75 inches. Next, add a table that extends from one side of the page to the next, with three columns. The border color should be set to white, so that it does not print on the final copy.

Steps to Make Labels in Open Office

To begin, make sure you have the latest version of Open Office. You can get free upgrades by visiting the official site of the software. You need to have Open Office Writer in order to create labels.

To create a label in Open Office, go to File and select New. Now, choose the option that lets you browse through the various templates. Choose the type of label template you want to work with. There are address labels, CD labels and more. When the template is shown in the document editor, simply enter the text and format it to your liking.

As long as the text fits in the label, it should print out like it is shown in Print Preview. You can choose to add a border to your label or even an image. To do this, you will need to go to the Insert tab at the top. To add an image, you can add one from the clipart library or choose one that you have on the computer.

Changing Label Sizes in Open Office

If you would like to make labels according to your own sizes, you will need to make changes to the label margins. This can be done by going to the Format tab at the top and navigating to Page. Under this option, change the margins to your preference. When the time comes to print these custom labels, you need to make sure you have the right sized label paper.

When printing the labels, you need to make sure that you use a label paper. These can be purchased from local stationary supply stores. The most popular brand of label related products is Avery and it makes high quality label papers. Simply insert it into your printer in the right orientation and let it print.

Steps to Add Clipart to Open Office

Start by running any Open Office software that uses clip art. This could be Open Office

Writer or Open Office Impress (Presentation) which is used as a PowerPoint alternative. In the menu at the top, select Tools and open the Gallery that is responsible for the clipart gallery. Now choose the option that says New Theme, and this will open a new box.

In the new dialog box, you will see the options for the new theme. Remove everything that is shown in the listing and type in the name for the new clipart theme you will be adding. Select the files tab in the dialog box. Now choose Find Files and look for the clipart you wish to add to the library. When you have selected the clipart, click on OK. Next, add the folder to the File Type option and move onto the next step.

Choose the files that you want to add as clipart and choose Add. These files will now be added to the new theme folder that you created before. Close the Properties of New Theme box by clicking on OK. The new clipart will now be shown on the clip art gallery on the left side.

Adding New Clipart to the Open Office Gallery

Whether you are using Open Office Writer or Open Office Impress, adding a new clip art is done the same way. Once you save the new clip art to the library, it will be available every time you open up a new document. The next time you need to add another new clipart to the gallery, just follow the steps we went through.

Steps to Set Margins Using Open Office

If you need to change the margins of an existing document, simply open it in Open Office Writer. If a new document needs to be created with a specific margin; then you should open a new empty document on Open Office.

The menu at the top includes a ton of features for editing purposes. You need to choose the Format option from the main file menu. A list of sub-options will appear, in which you need to find “Page”. When you click on Page, it will open a new dialog box showing you some of the features of the page. Select the Page menu tab.

There will be a few options for the page, so look for where it says “Margins” and begin

changing the measurements. The margins are set to inches by default. You will see four different boxes in which you can enter the margin measurements for each side. When you’re done, click OK and the settings should be applied right away.

There is no need to specify the symbol of inches, as Open Office Writer will do this on its own. In terms of educational institutions, you may be asked to follow a specific guideline when typing your document. The two major types of formats include MLA format and APA format. Both these formats require you to leave one inch on all four sides of the document.

Keep in mind that when you change margin settings on an individual document in Open Office Writer that the changes will not necessarily remain for new or other document edits. Also, unless you know the exact look and feel that you desire for the new document, ensure you test the look printed out or in the “Print Preview” view before going final on the modifications.

Steps to Open WPS Files in Open Office Writer

Begin by opening Open Office on your computer. At the top menu, click File and select Open. A browser dialog will appear asking you to select the file you want to open. The default file type will not allow you to open WPS files.

On the box next to Files of Type, you need to select All Files or WPS 2000. This file name will be identified by the .WPS format extension. Now, in the open white space you will see a bunch of files including WPS files. Choose the file you want to open and click Open.

Steps to Convert WPS to ODF Format

In some cases, you may want to convert WPS files to Open Office files. This could easily be done if you have Open Office on your computer. To begin, you will need to open the WPS file on Open Office by following the steps we outlined above. In the event that the file is corrupted, you will need to open it back on the system you created it on.

Once you have opened the file in Open Office, go to the File menu at the top and select Save As. Remember to not select Save as this will save it back to the original file format. When you click Save As, you will be shown a mini window asking you to rename the file. In this open, you need to go to the drop down menu of files and choose the file format you want to save as.

Now you will have two files on the computer with the same context. You will have the original WPS file as well as the Open Office file. According to your needs, you can choose to delete the original file or delete it. As a rule of thumb, you should try to save your files frequently, as anything could happen to the power. When the WPS file is changed to another file format, you should remember that any formatting you may have done will be gone.