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Nothing jazzes up a document faster than a few quick font changes. Changing the font is easy: simply select the text you want to change, and then click a font name in the Font box on the Formatting toolbar. But how do you choose the best font for your document? Whether you're making your decision based on technical requirements or stylistic preferences, begin by taking a look at the fonts you can use.

See what fonts look like

Because fonts work through the operating system on your computer, the fonts you have on your computer will vary based on the operating system you are using and other software you have installed.

Although you probably have more fonts on your computer, if you are using the US English version of Microsoft Office XP, you can use the following fonts (click the triangle beside the font name in this list to see what each font looks like. To see all of the fonts in this list, click Show All at the top of this page):

If you are interested in using other fonts or adding new fonts, read Add New Fonts to Office XP .

You may also find it useful to see a complete chart of the alphabet, numbers, and other characters contained in each font family. In addition to the links above, you can also use the Symbol dialog box (on the Insert menu) in Office.

View characters and symbols

The Symbol dialog box (Insert menu) gives you an easy way to view and insert all the characters and symbols contained in a font set. A part of Office, it also allows you to quickly and easily insert non-alphanumeric characters, such as the symbols for world currencies and mathematical equations, in addition to special characters used in languages other than English, and diacritical marks.

To view the Symbol dialog box

1. On the Insert menu, click Symbol.
2. On the Symbols tab, you can scroll through a list of characters contained in the font set. You'll see the basic punctuation marks at the top, followed by numbers and letters for the font set you are currently using. To view all of the characters for a different font, select a different font name on the Font drop-down menu.

See font names in their font

When you are trying to select a font in Office, you can get a quick idea of what each font looks like by setting the font list to show font names in their actual font.

To show the font name in its own font

1. On the Tools menu, click Customize.
2. Click the Options tab.
3. Select the List font names in their font check box.

Note  By changing this setting in one Office program, you will change it for all your Office programs.