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Cambridge IGCSE0417

Document production

Information Communication Technology 0417 Chapter Notes

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Document production
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Document production notes

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In this chapter

  1. 1Page size, orientation and margins
  2. 2Breaks and pagination
  3. 3Spacing and text enhancement
  4. 4Tabs, indents and lists
  5. 5Find and replace, hyperlinks and bookmarks
  6. 6Gutter margin

1. Page size, orientation and margins

Page layout is set in the page setup options. The settings to know are page size, page orientation (portrait or landscape) and the page margins: top, bottom, left and right.

Margins are set in centimetres. A value typed in inches gives a very different page.

Columns are also a page layout setting: the number of columns, the column width and the spacing between columns.

Examiner insight

“Some candidates set the page margins in inches instead of centimetres.” “This could then lead on to a document with very large margins, giving difficulties in fitting things in.”

Worked example 14 marks

A report is to be printed on A4 paper, with the page wider than it is tall and all four margins 2.0 cm. Describe the page setup settings that must be made.

  1. 1

    Open the page setup options. [1]

  2. 2

    Set the paper size to A4. [1]

  3. 3

    Set the orientation to landscape. [1]

  4. 4

    Enter the top, bottom, left and right margins as 2.0 cm (centimetres, not inches). [1]

2. Breaks and pagination

A page break ends a page and starts the next one. A section break starts a new section, so part of a document can have its own layout, such as columns. A column break moves the text after it to the top of the next column.

To put only some text in columns, place a section break before it and after it. A page break is the wrong break for this. Put the column break above the subheading that is to start a column, not below it.

Pagination is controlled by setting page, section and column breaks. A hard break can be set so that a subheading or a single line of text is not left alone at the top or bottom of a column or page. Lines left alone like this are widows and orphans.

Examiner insight

“The space between the columns was not always changed from the default value and the initial column break was occasionally positioned below rather than above the first subheading.” “Many candidates mixed up section breaks with paragraph breaks and seemed to think that a section break was placed to split up the document for aesthetic reasons.”

Worked example 14 marks

A document has a title, an introduction and an article. Only the article is to be laid out in two columns. One subheading in the article must start the second column. Describe how this is done.

  1. 1

    Insert a section break before the article and another after it. [1]

  2. 2

    Apply two columns to the article section only. [1]

  3. 3

    The rest of the document stays in one column. [1]

  4. 4

    Insert a column break above the subheading that is to start the second column. [1]

3. Spacing and text enhancement

Line spacing can be single, 1.5 times, double or multiple. Spacing before and after a paragraph is set separately, in points.

Text enhancement includes bold, underline, italic, superscript, subscript and changes in case.

Apply an enhancement to the selected text only. Select just the characters that need it.

Examiner insight

“Few candidates were able to format the text to display superscript and those that did often applied it to more text than required. Some candidates applied bold or underlined, or made this text larger.” “Some candidates changed the case on the text in the bulleted list, starting one or more lines with an initial capital.”

Worked example 13 marks

The text "the area is 25 m2" has been typed. The 2 must show as a square unit. Describe how the text is formatted.

  1. 1

    Select only the 2. [1]

  2. 2

    Apply superscript. [1]

  3. 3

    Leave the size as it is and add no bold or underline: only the 2 changes. [1]

4. Tabs, indents and lists

Tabs line text up at a set position. A left tab starts the text at the stop, a right tab ends it there, a centred tab centres it on the stop, and a decimal tab lines numbers up on the decimal point.

A paragraph can be indented or hanging. In a hanging paragraph the second line is indented, so that it lines up with the text of the first line.

Lists can be bulleted or numbered. Set the indent of the bullet itself, not of the text, and check the line spacing.

Examiner insight

“Very few evidenced a correct hanging indent so the second line was indented and aligned with ‘Sirocco’.” “The bullet indent was often not set accurately with some candidates using the default measurement or indenting the text rather than the bullet 2 centimetres from the left margin.”

Worked example 13 marks

In a bulleted list each bullet is at the left margin. When an item runs onto a second line, the second line must line up under the first word of the item, not under the bullet. State the paragraph setting needed and describe how it is applied.

  1. 1

    A hanging indent. [1]

  2. 2

    Format the original text of the list: do not retype it. [1]

  3. 3

    The second line is indented and aligned with the first word of the item. [1]

6. Gutter margin

A gutter margin is an extra margin. It is added next to the binding of a document.

Its purpose is to make sure the text is not obscured by the binding.

The word margin is in the question, so the answer must say extra margin.

Examiner insight

“Many candidates explained that it was a margin but did not write extra margin as margin was in the question. Those candidates that did well in the question stated that it was an extra margin and then why it was needed.” “Candidates would have used gutter margins in the practical papers and the topic has been set many times in the theory paper, but few candidates could fully explain what they were.”

Worked example 13 marks

A school prints a booklet that will be bound along one edge. Explain why a gutter margin is set.

  1. 1

    A gutter margin is an extra margin. [1]

  2. 2

    It is added next to the binding. [1]

  3. 3

    So that the text is not obscured by the binding. [1]

Recap

  • Page setup: page size, orientation and margins. Margins are in centimetres.
  • A section break lets part of a document have its own layout. A page break only starts a new page.
  • Put the column break above the subheading that starts the next column.
  • Apply superscript or subscript to the selected character only.
  • Tabs: left, right, centred and decimal. In a hanging paragraph the second line is indented.
  • Find and replace: use match case and whole words only to limit the change.
  • A gutter margin is an extra margin so text is not obscured by the binding.

End-of-chapter exercise

Test yourself on the whole chapter. Work through these before moving on.

  1. State what a gutter margin is and why it is used.2 marks
  2. Anita must set all margins to 2.5 cm. Her software is set to inches and she types 2.5. State what is wrong and how to correct it.2 marks
  3. The formula H2O has been typed with a full-size 2. Describe how to correct it.2 marks
  4. A price list has the prices 4.5, 12.25 and 103 under each other. State which tab lines the prices up correctly and why.2 marks
  5. A subheading is left alone at the bottom of a page, with its text on the next page. State what Ben should insert and its effect.2 marks
  6. A student says "a bookmark saves a website". Explain what is wrong with this and describe what a hyperlink does.3 marks
  7. A bulleted list must be in single line spacing, with 6 points of space after the last item and the bullets 2 cm from the left margin. Kofi leaves the bullet indent at the default measurement and moves the text in by 2 cm instead. Describe the correct settings.4 marks
  8. A document contains the words "Form", "form", "Formula" and "platform". Only "Form" is to be replaced by "Sheet". Describe the find and replace settings and state, for each of the other three words, which setting stops it changing.4 marks
  9. A worksheet must show "10 cm3" with the 3 as superscript and "CO2" with the 2 as subscript. Its bulleted list must have the bullets 1.5 cm from the left margin and the text exactly as supplied. Every whole word "mass" must be replaced by "weight", leaving "Mass" and "massive" unchanged. In Lena's version, "cm3" is all raised and bold, the 2 in "CO2" is only a smaller size, the list text is moved in 1.5 cm with the bullets left at the default and each line now starting with a capital, and the word "weightive" appears. Identify each mistake and state the correct action.6 marks
  10. A sports club prints a handbook, bound along the left edge. Each chapter must start on a new page. The index at the back must be in three columns while the rest stays in one column, and in the index the heading "M" must be at the top of a column. On a test print, words next to the bound edge cannot be read, and the last line of one paragraph sits alone at the top of a page. Explain what the editor should set or insert for each of the five needs, giving the purpose of each.8 marks

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