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Barry MacDonnell's
Toolbox for WordPerfect

Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows®
© Copyright 1996-2024 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.

 Page updated Jan 23, 2017

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Creating text outside a document's page margins, along the edge of the page(s) *


Related pages -

Headers, Footers, and Watermarks - how to start, stop, suppress, edit, change, replace, delay, overlay, and remove them

Toolbars and Property Bars

Stamping documents - Creating "DRAFT," "COPY," "CONFIDENTIAL," or other identification stamps on the pages of a document (includes methods to place them outside page margins)


* Here, "outside page margins" means the areas that are conventionally referred to as "in the margin" (i.e., adjacent to the outside edges of the printed page). But because we need to accurately reference where content can normally appear in WordPerfect we use the phrase "inside the margins" to mean anything inside the four page margin guidelines. All else is "outside the margins".
[Screen shot of edit screen showing main page areas.]

There are several ways to create text along the edges of page(s). Here are four methods:

Method #1: Use a text box that can be dragged into position on the current page.

[1] Create an empty box with Insert, Text Box; or select some text and then use Insert, Text Box. When finished adding text, anywhere outside the box.
[2] Right-click directly on the box and choose Select Box from the context menu that appears. The menu disappears leaving the box surrounded by eight drag handles (small black squares).

[3] Place the cursor on the edge of the box (between any two drag handles) until the cursor changes to a four-headed arrow. You can then use the mouse to drag the box in any direction to the desired location.

(See Method #3 for more information about precisely placing and formatting text boxes. For this Method #1, you should experiment with attaching the box to the current Paragraph or to the Page. The former lets the box "travel" with the adjacent text if you add or delete material above it. The latter can fix the box to the page.)

[4] Click anywhere outside the box to de-select it.

☼  Tip: If you want to reuse the box later so it can be inserted in any document, you can easily turn it into a QuickWord. [A QuickWord can also be expanded with a simple macro played from your toolbar or a keyboard shortcut, which makes the process of inserting a custom text box (or almost anything else) even more automated. For an example, see the footnote on the bottom of the Stamping Documents page here.]

Method #2:  Use a Watermark so that the material will show up on every page. Watermarks, like headers and footers, are repeating elements: They continue until discontinued or replaced by another item of the same "flavor" (A or B). [See here for more on these features.]

[1] Go to the top of your document or wherever you want to start the text.
[2] Click on Insert, Watermark, Watermark A, Create.
(NOTE to users of WordPerfect's Pleading macro: Watermark B is used by the Pleading macro, so you'll want to use Watermark A.)

[3] When the watermark screen opens, click Format, Typesetting, Advance to place the text precisely. (It can also be shaded for effect using the Watermark property bar.)
•  For the Typesetting feature, click the "Vertical Position - From Top of Page" button. Try setting the distance to 10.5" (assuming you use the standard U.S. letter size page; if not, make the appropriate setting, keeping in mind that (e.g.) inkjet printers need a certain minimum bottom area for the printer's rollers to use).
•  "Text above position" should be checked.

•  Click OK to return to the document.
    [4] Click Format, Justification, Center, or click the Justification button on the Watermark property bar.

    [5] Type your text. If you want to change the font or size, simply choose the new font/size before typing.
    On the Watermark property bar, there's a button that lets you set the shading of the watermark. Normally, this is set to 25%, but you can set it to 100% to darken it.

    [6] Click the Close Editor button on the property bar (or click File, Close) to close the Watermark screen and return to the main document window.

    Tips

    ☼  These steps can be recorded in a macro with Tools, Macro, Record (use the same command to stop the macro). Then just play the macro (which can be assigned to a button, keystroke, or menu; see here). It will insert the Watermark with your text information at the bottom of the current and subsequent pages.

    ☼  Another way to do this: Use a text box inside a watermark (Method #3). This will let you rotate the contents of the box so that the text is oriented 90 (or 270) degrees from the body text, drag it to any position, etc.

    Method #3:  Create a text box inside a Watermark so that you can rotate the (text) contents of the box, and have the text show up on every page in the same location.

    [1] Go to the top of your document or wherever you want to start the text.
    [2] Click on Insert, Watermark, Watermark A, Create.
    [3] When the watermark screen opens, click Insert, Text Box.

    [4]     When the Text Box Editor opens, click the Justification button and choose Center. Click the Font drop list and Font size list to specify the font and font side you want to use. Type the text that should show up on all pages. (Press <Enter> at the end of a line to create multiple lines.)

    [5] Click the Close button on the property bar when finished (or click File, Close).
    You should now be back in the Watermark screen, with a text box in it.
    [5] Right-click directly on the text box. From the context menu that appears:
    •  Choose Size. Set the width to 8.5" and the height to 11.0" (assuming you use the U.S. default letter page size). Click OK.

    •  Right-click the box again. Choose Position, and Attach to Page (0" from Left Edge, 0" from Top of Page). Click OK.
    •  Right-click the text box and choose Content. Select Bottom or Top as the Vertical Position or choose a rotation. (You may need to experiment with rotation and text position, since the result may sometimes be rotated in a non-intuitive manner.) You can also rotate the box in 90-degree increments. Click OK.

    •  Right-click Border/Fill and click the empty block icon in "Available Styles." Click Apply, then OK.

     [6] Click File, Close to exit from the Watermark screen and return to the document.

    Method #4:  Use an existing macro for the purpose, such as EdgeText, PrntCopy, or Bates.