It can be a chore to change the size and font type of your text every time you create a text box. Presenters who prefer a more stylized font than the default Times New Roman, Times, or Arial may grow tired of repeatedly changing it. If you’re one of these presenters, you might consider modifying PowerPoint’s default text values so they reflect the combination you use most frequently.

A quick change made to the default settings can save you time, and help you maintain consistency among your presentations.


Change your defaults
First, let’s change the default font and font size for one text box. The rest of our techniques will build off of this foundation.

To modify your default font and size:

1. Click the Text Box button on the Drawing toolbar.
2. Click anywhere on your slide and type in some text.
3. Select all of the text in the text box, and then choose the font you wish to set as your default from the Font dropdown list on the Formatting toolbar, as shown in Figure A.
4. With your text still selected, select the size you want as your default from the Font Size dropdown list, also shown in Figure A.
5. Use the Font Color button on the Formatting or Drawing toolbars to select a new color for your default text. If the color you want to use isn’t immediately visible, click More Font Colors to launch the Colors dialog box.

Set default text only for the current presentation
If you’re creating a presentation that requires specific fonts you won’t be using again, setting up a default font for that presentation can still save you time.

To set a default font for new text boxes in the current presentation only:

1. Select the text you’ve just formatted.
2. Choose Format Font to launch the Font dialog box. Here you can further alter the text in the text box and preview the new changes by clicking the Preview button.
3. When you’re satisfied with the formatting, select the Default For New Objects check box in the bottom-right corner of the dialog box, as shown in Figure B.
4. Click OK to apply the defaults for all future text boxes in this presentation.
   

Note: If you don’t have any text selected on your slide, the Default For New
Objects check box isn’t available in the Font dialog box.

From here on, all new text boxes you create are automatically formatted to match the settings you selected for the initial text box. Once you save your presentation, PowerPoint uses these customized default text settings each time you return to the file. However, if you start a new presentation from scratch, PowerPoint relies on the default settings of the Blank Presentation template.


Set default text for all future presentations

To change the default text settings for all future presentations, you need to adjust the settings in the Blank Presentation template.

To change your default text in all future presentations:

1. Launch PowerPoint and select Blank Presentation if prompted. If you don’t receive a prompt, the Blank Presentation template should automatically open (if it doesn’t, simply click the New button on the Standard toolbar).
2. Create and format a text box with the settings you want saved as the default for all future presentations.
3. Select the Default For New Objects check box in the Font dialog box, as we explained earlier in this article.
4. Select the text box you just formatted and press [Delete] so you have an entirely blank slide.
5. Choose File Save As to launch the Save As dialog box, and choose Design Template (*.pot) from the Save As Type dropdown list.
6. Navigate to your PowerPoint templates folder and select Blank Presentation in the Save As dialog box.
7. Click Save, and then click Yes when prompted if you want to replace the existing file.

Now, the next time you start a new presentation from scratch, every text box you create initially has the new default settings you created.

Adapt for PowerPoint 2007
You can insert a text box in PowerPoint 2007 by going to the Insert tab and clicking the Text Box button. From there, you can use the formatting tools on the Home tab to change your selected text. However, remember that there’s a more comprehensive way to change your default text for a presentation in PowerPoint 2007.

Your PowerPoint presentation’s theme stores default text. You can create a custom theme that includes your text defaults. Then, when you apply the theme to any presentation, your text boxes automatically use the theme’s designated text.

Find your blank presentation template
It may be more difficult than you initially think to find your blank presentation template, since the file’s exact name and location depends on which version of PowerPoint you’re using, which operating system (OS) you have, and how you’ve installed and configured both PowerPoint and the OS.

For starters, the file is usually called either Blank Presentation.pot or Blank.pot, as shown in Figure C. If you’re a Windows user, look for the template at C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates or C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates. On the Mac, look in Applications\Microsoft Office X\Templates. If all else fails, simply do a search on your computer for Blank or Blank Presentation and refine it by file type to POT files. If you can’t locate a file by either of these names, the file may have been deleted at some point in the past. If this is the case, simply create a new template in one of the locations we just listed and name it either Blank.pot or Blank Presentation.pot. To be sure you’ve located (or created) the correct file and path, change a feature on your slide, save it over the blank presentation template you think is the default, and then open a new presentation to see if your changes appear.


Related Courses

• PowerPoint 2007 - Level 1
• PowerPoint 2007 - Level 2
• PowerPoint 2007 - New Features

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New Horizons Webinars are a great opportunity for business decision-makers, training professionals, developers, engineers and project managers to see the real value these new technologies can bring to your organization. With new topics every month, there's something for everyone.

Introduction to Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Office 2007 (Level 100)
Get the most out of the Microsoft Office 2007 System. Enroll Today!
As someone beginning to use Microsoft Office 2007, you will learn about new features and timesavers to help you in your day-to-day work. This session is good for beginner, intermediate, or advanced users – everyone will learn something! The Microsoft Office System has evolved from a suite of personal productivity products to a more comprehensive and integrated system. This presentation will demonstrate useful tips and tricks for Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern

Intermediate Tips & Tricks for Microsoft Office 2007 (Level 200)
Get even more out of the Microsoft Office 2007 System. Enroll Today!
As someone who has worked with the Microsoft Office system for some time, you will discover efficient ways to configure, customize and utilize Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook to get the most out of Microsoft Office. The presentation will demonstrate useful tips and tricks for Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. In addition, you will see useful ways to interact between these Microsoft applications.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern

Collaborating with Microsoft SharePoint Service 2007 for Microsoft Office 2007
Enroll Today! Microsoft SharePoint provides a single, integrated location where employees can efficiently collaborate with team members, find organizational resources, search for experts and corporate information, manage content and workflow, and leverage business insight to make better-informed decisions. As a Microsoft Office 2007 worker you have more coming at you than ever before. Get the tools to take on these challenges and be more productive. Business productivity solutions from Microsoft can enable more efficient collaboration and help you find and share critical information faster. Learn Tips and Tricks on how to work together and exchange information with Microsoft Office SharePoint 2007.

• Presenter: Andy Reed, Senior Training Specialist, Microsoft Corporation
• Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009
• Time: 10 am Pacific; 12 pm Central; 1 pm Eastern

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With any OS upgrade, one of your primary concerns is making sure your users can get down to business with their new OS/computer. To migrate hundreds or thousands of users, you’ll use the User State Migration Tool to do the job. However, at this point your Vista plan may be limited to piecemeal upgrades as your company buys new computers to replace existing ones. Since the new computer users will have enough trouble adjusting to the new OS, make sure you transfer their files and settings with Windows Easy Transfer. Bonus: With your guidance, savvy users can save you time by doing it themselves.

Windows Easy Transfer in a nutshell
Windows Easy Transfer is the Vista version of Windows XP’s Files And Settings Transfer Wizard. With this new wizard you can transfer files from Windows 2000 and XP systems. If transferring files from an XP computer, you can also transfer a user’s system and program settings.

What’s an Easy Transfer cable?
Many users and IT pros alike have tried to use a USB Bridge cable to migrate settings from one XP computer to another, without success. Windows just didn’t have the capability built-in. To answer customer demand for the feature, Microsoft added USB functionality to Windows Easy Transfer, so long as you buy the specially designed cable. The Easy Transfer Cable for Windows Vista made by Belkin costs around $40.

Start at the new computer
Begin on the new Vista (target) computer by launching the Windows Easy Transfer wizard from the Welcome Center (click the Transfer Files And Settings button and click the Start Windows Easy Transfer link) or select Start All Programs Accessories System Tools Windows Easy Transfer. The Windows Easy Transfer window appears. Let’s take a look at how to transfer files from a Windows XP computer to a Vista computer using a USB flash drive.

Note: The transfer file can be large depending on the number of users you plan to migrate. For a single user who saves his personal files on the network, a 512 MB USB card will do.

To start a new transfer:

1. Click Next on the Windows Easy Transfer welcome page.
2. If you left any programs running that can’t run during the transfer, the Close Programs page appears. Click Close.
3. Click the Start A New Transfer link.
4. On the Which Computer Are You Using Now page, click on the My New Computer link.
5. On the Do You Have An Easy Transfer Cable page, click on the Yes link if you do, or click on the No link to designate a different transfer method. We clicked on the No link.
6. On the following page, designate whether you need to install Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer. Click on the No, I Need To Install It Now link.
7. As shown in Figure A, the following page asks you to designate the media you’ll use to install Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer. Click on the link for the method you want to use. We clicked on the USB Flash Drive link.
8. On the following page, specifically designate the path to the chosen media type. We selected the G: drive. Click Next.

Note: If you selected USB Flash Drive in step 7 but didn’t connect it to the computer, Windows Easy Transfer will prompt you to insert it before listing the drive letter in the dropdown list.

Windows Easy Transfer copies the wizard to the media. When complete, it instructs you to remove the media and insert it into the old computer.


Jump over to the old computer
Now remove your USB flash drive and insert it into the old (source) computer. The computer should automatically offer to run Windows Easy Transfer on the old computer. If it doesn’t, browse to the MigWiz folder on the USB drive using Windows Explorer and double-click on the file migwiz.exe. The Starting Windows Easy Transfer dialog box appears while it loads.

To collect data from the old computer:

1. Select the media type to which you want to transfer the data. We clicked on the USB Flash Drive link.
2. On the next page, select the drive letter for the USB device you want to use.
3. To password protect the data enter a password in the Create Password (Recommended) and Confirm Password text boxes. Click Next.
4. On the following page, choose which files you want to transfer: All User Accounts, My User Account, or Advanced Options. We clicked on the Advanced link.
5. In the Advanced Options, select the check boxes for each folder you want to transfer.
6. Note the Transfer Size, which we’ve highlighted in Figure B, and make adjustments according to your media’s capability. Click Next.
   Windows Easy Transfer creates a Migration Store (.MIG) file and copies it and other files and folders to your media.

Bring it full circle — transfer to the target PC
When Windows Easy Transfer indicates the transfer is complete, return to the target Vista computer and insert the media. To complete the transfer process:

1. Launch Windows Easy Transfer and click Next.
2. Click on the Continue A Transfer In Progress link.
3. On the following page, select a username for the new user from the User Account On The New Computer dropdown list or type a new username in the text box.
4. On the Review Select Files And Settings page, review the files and click Next to proceed with the transfer.

When complete, Windows Easy Transfer lists the number and type of files it transferred. For a complete list, click on the Show Me Everything That Was Transferred link. Figure C shows a sample of the resulting report which you can print or save as an HTML file.

Support tip: If you ask your user to complete these steps, instruct him to save the report for you to review. Use it to ensure that he transferred all the necessary files before you take his old computer out of production.

Log in for final results
Once the transfer is complete, have your user log in to his user account on the new Vista computer and use the computer for several days. When he initially logs in, Windows prompts him to change the password from the one he used on his Windows 2000 or XP machine to a new one for Vista. Remind him to choose a strong password, and to report any problems he encounters with his new machine.

Related Courses

• 5115 Installing and Configuring the Windows Vista™ Operating System
• 5117 Installing, Configuring, Troubleshooting, and Maintaining Windows Vista®
• Windows Vista - Level 1
• Windows Vista - Level 2

Using tables is a great way to organize your data and present it to your reader in an easily viewable fashion. But tables can stump even the advanced InDesign user. Implement these five tips to skate around table woes and keep yourself moving smoothly along your layouts.

Table trick #1: Rearrange table rows
Perhaps a Move Row or Move Column feature will appear in a future version of InDesign, but for now, when you want to rearrange your table components, you’re left to do it the down-and-dirty way: cutting and pasting.

If you’ve ever cut and pasted a table row or cell, you might be groaning now remembering some of the oddities that occurred when you pasted your row to its new location. Sometimes folks inadvertently paste rows into cells by having cell content selected when they paste, instead of having the cell itself selected.

Use the following guidelines to cut and paste table rows — and note that these steps will work for columns as well.

To cut and paste rows:

1. Select the Type tool.
2. Hover the cursor to the left of the row you wish to cut until you see the right-pointing arrow, and then click to highlight the row.
3. Press [Ctrl]X to cut the row contents.
4. Place the cursor in the row above where you want to insert a new row and choose Table > Insert Row.
5. Select the Below radio button in the Insert Row dialog box and click OK.
6. Highlight the new row that you wish to paste the content into, or just highlight the complete first cell in that row. (Make sure that you select the entire cell.)
7. Press [Ctrl]V to paste the content into the new row, and then press [Shift][Ctrl]A to deselect all.

Tip: With your cursor inside a cell, press [Esc] to toggle between selecting a cell or selecting the cell text.

Table trick #2: Tab inside a table
If you press the [Tab] key while your cursor is inside a table cell, the cursor jumps to the next column. So how do you insert a tab into a table cell? Well, as with most functions, there’s more than one way to do the same thing in InDesign, so we’ll show you two ways to do this task.

To tab inside a table, place the cursor where you want to insert a tab. Then select Type > Insert Special Character > Other > Tab. InDesign inserts a tab where your cursor was!

The second way is of course a little easier: press [Alt][Tab] to insert a tab where your cursor is.

So why would you use the first method? Well, if you have one hand on your java and need to do everything with your mouse hand, you’ll benefit from knowing how to do it via menu options!

Either way, once you insert tabs into table cells, choose Type > Tabs to display the Tabs panel and edit your tab stop or alignments and insert tab leaders as necessary.

Table trick # 3: Align table text without tab stops
Did you know you can align table text to certain characters even if you don’t have any tab stops in your tables? So, for example, if you have a table with monetary values and you want to align the text at the decimal point, it’s possible to do this without inserting a single tab stop.

To align text without tab stops:

1. Choose Type > Tabs to display the Tabs panel.
2. Select the table rows you wish to align.
3. Click the Decimal Align tab stop.
4. Click anywhere in the ruler to set the text alignment.
5. Click and drag the tab stop to adjust your text location, and then press [Shift][Ctrl]A to deselect all.

Table trick #4: Add cell padding
Anyone who’s streamlined over to print design from web design probably gets frustrated that InDesign doesn’t offer tables with the same padding options that HTML does. But that doesn’t mean you can’t trick your tables a little to mimic the same kind of padding you’d get in the web world.

To mimic web-table cell padding:

1. Select the Type tool and highlight your table cells.
2. Choose Table > Cell Options > Text to open the Cell Options dialog box.
3. Increase the Cell Insets. We set the Cell Insets to 1p4.
4. Click on the Strokes And Fills tab, increase the weight, and change the line type. For our example, we set the weight to 6 pt and selected Thick Thin from the Type pop-up menu.
   

Table trick #5: Speed it up
This last trick is actually a multitude of tricks: Keyboard shortcuts!
One of the best ways to become more efficient using InDesign tables, other than using them frequently, is to learn the keyboard shortcuts. First, insert your cursor into a table cell, and then use the shortcuts shown in Table A to help you build and navigate your InDesign tables easily.

Related Courses

• • InDesign CS4 - Level 1
• • InDesign CS3 - Level 1
• • InDesign CS3 - Level 2