As you think about the type of template that you want to build and who might use it, please keep these considerations in mind.
In this article
Geopolitical issues
It is difficult to design for everyone who might use a template. To make your templates acceptable to more customers, it helps to recognize and avoid common geopolitical issues.
Do use:
- A variety of ethnicities, ages, and genders across your templates
- Religious images and language in context only, such as in holiday cards or invitations for religious festivals
Be aware that:
- Photos, graphics, and art that include hand gestures can be offensive to some customers
- Maps and flags can be sensitive images
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Intended audience
Make sure that your content is appropriate for your intended audience. For example, colloquialisms, references to currency, and indications of time or other units of measure should conform to local conventions for where you intend the template to be published.
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Ease of use (accessibility)
Some customers will work with your templates by using accessibility features such as screen readers and high contrast settings. How you develop your templates (for example, your choice of font color, background color, and layout) can affect how easy they are for some customers to use.
For more information, see Make your templates more accessible for users with disabilities.
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Technical accuracy
Any information that you provide in a template must be accurate to the best of your knowledge. Technical features such as macros or calculations must function correctly. If a template contains errors or if it does not function as intended, it can be removed from the web site.
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Editorial standards
Please make sure that all information in your templates meets recognized editorial standards for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. Refer to the latest editions of widely-recognized editorial sources such as The Chicago Manual of Style and The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
If you create a document template for use within a specific industry or profession, such as a business letter, technical report, or legal material, make sure that the document style meets the latest published standards. It is your responsibility to update these templates should styles or requirements change.
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Legal naming requirements
Important For copyright, trademark, and privacy reasons, make sure that any person or company names, addresses, telephone numbers, web site URLs, and e-mail addresses in your templates comply with the Microsoft legal naming requirements. For more information, see the online placeholder and sample text guidelines for each product for which you are creating templates.
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Rights to redistribute content
If you have questions or would like more information about how you or Microsoft can redistribute templates, please contact your Microsoft representative.
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Tips and tools for working in Microsoft Office
For information about what’s new in Microsoft Office products or to find help and how-to information, please visit the Microsoft Office Help and How-to web site.
For more information about how to save an Office 2010 file as a template, see:
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