It has been discussed before on these boards that the page numbering system on Microsoft Word is sadistically designed.
After a search of other threads tackling this subject, I couldn’t find one that addressed my specific problem.
I have a cover page for the book I’m working on. I don’t want the page numbering to start on that page.
The second page will have a quotation on it. No page number there.
But starting on the third page (where chapter 1 begins), I do want the header to contain my last name, title, and page number.
The page number needs to start with 1. On the third page.
I remember the bliss of WordPerfect on the Macintosh, where I could start pagination anywhere I wanted with any number I pleased. But today I’m using a Windows computer, with MS Word 2000. And after an hour–yes a full freakin’ hour–I remain defeated. I could have used that hour for writing, and instead I have lost it to trying to get a computer program do something as simple as put the correct page number on the correct page.
The little animated paperclip is no help. I want to bend that little freak out of shape.
It took me long enough to figure out how to get the Page 1 thing to start on the second page. Getting it to start on the third page is starting to feel like the punishment of Sisyphus.
I am damned tempted to simply use the quote page as a separate document and print it separately. But that would mean giving in to the evils of Microsoft Word.
I want this application tamed. I don’t want to yield to its stupidities.
Has anybody tried doing anything similar to what I’m trying? Have they succeeded? If so, please, please let me know.
I taught this so many times. You’re right, MS’s way is less intuitive, although it has a couple small advantages. My guess was that MS was afraid to make it too similar for fear of getting sued or something. Here you go:
Blinking at the end of pg 2, Insert-Break-Continuous.
View-Header/Footer (go to Footer)
Insert Page Number button on toolbar
Highlight page number field
Format Page Number button
Start at 1.
Tada!!
Just remember that anything in a header or footer takes place in a section in Word. If you want something different to start happening later, you have to make that a different section.
Feel free to ask me other stuff about Word. I’ll answer what I can.
Thanks to everyone who answered. I appreciate it. And sailor, I liked the link you provided so much that I’ve bookmarked it. There’s a lot of good information besides page numbering there, and I think it’s worth going back to in the future.
sdimbert, your question was answered in the OP:
Just doing a workaround like using separate documents would have meant not learning how to do what I wanted to do in Microsoft Word. And I wanted to learn it.
As for spending an hour, well, that’s because I’m stubborn.
Makes!! not made! WordPerfect is still out there, it works well! I love my WordPerfect. I have office installed because of campatibility, but i convinced my company to get me WordPerfect as well with one simple demonstation.
I had to take several screen shots, put them in a document and print them. I could do this in Word perfect easily ( i installed my academic version for tests) and Word ogged down after 3 images and by the fourth one it crashed. Then i demonstated how I used the reveal codes and the find and replace when working with scripts. Word can’t touch the level of control WordPerfect gives.
Another thing that warms my heart is at least once, their newer verison had a smaller foot print than the one it replaced. It was smaller, faster, and did more.
The thing that gets me with Word is that sometimes in large documents, it seems to get confused if I change formats. Sometimes it seems impossible to get the formatting to behave. It applies formatting I don’t want and doesn’t apply it to areas I want formatted a certain way. The thing is, I can’t just reveal codes, see the problem and then fix it. There is no way to get behind the surface and set things right.
I support many Word users and every so often, they have that trouble and there seems to be nothing I can do.
