Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout.

Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 5, 2016)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

There may be many times when your document layout calls for using a single-column section in the middle of a multi-column page layout. For instance, if you are creating a newsletter, you may want three columns in the newsletter, but a headline that spreads across all the columns. To do this, follow these steps:

Format your page so that it uses three columns.
Type your newsletter article. It should spread across the three columns as you would expect.
At the beginning of the article, type the text that you want to appear as the headline or banner. (Make sure you press Enter at the end of the headline or banner.)
Select the paragraph containing the headline or banner.
Choose the Columns option from the Format menu. You will see the Columns dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Columns dialog box.

Choose One from the Preset area at the top of the dialog box.
In the Apply To box, make sure it says Selected Text.
Click on OK.
Format your headline paragraph the way you want it to appear.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1165) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Fonts Don't Work in Word on New System

When you upgrade from a system with an older version of Word to a system that has a newer version, your fonts may not ...

Discover More

Copying a File in VBA

Need to have your macro copy a file from one place to another? It's easy to do using the FileCopy command, described in ...

Discover More

Printing Style Sheets

Want to see what styles are defined in your document? Let Word print out a simplistic style sheet for you.

Discover More

Do More in Less Time! An easy-to-understand guide to the more advanced features available in the Microsoft 365 version of Word. Enhance the quality of your documents and boost productivity in any field with this in-depth resource. Complete your Word-related tasks more efficiently as you unlock lesser-known tools and learn to quickly access the features you need. Check out Microsoft 365 Word For Professionals For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Quickly Changing Columns

One of the tools on the Formatting toolbar is the Columns tool. You can use this tool to make quick changes to the number ...

Discover More

Changing the Number of Columns in the Middle of a Document

Need to have multiple columns in a page layout that normally consists of a single column? You can change the column ...

Discover More

Self-Adjusting Column Widths

It is important to understand how column widths relate to the margins you may have set in your document. The reason is ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is six more than 1?

2020-03-03 13:50:56

Bill

Re Using a Single-Column Heading in a Multi-Column Layout

How is this different from using the MERGE CELLS entry in the Table Format menu?

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.