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Support / Word / Word 2003 Help and How-to / Working with Graphics and Charts / Shapes and Drawing Objects
 
 

Align and arrange drawing objects

Applies to: Microsoft Office Word 2003

 

The following procedures work with floating (floating object: A graphic or other object that is inserted in the drawing layer so that you can position it precisely on the page or in front of or behind text or other objects.) drawing objects, but not with inline (inline object: A graphic or other object that is positioned directly in the text of a Microsoft Word document at the insertion point.) drawing objects.

Do one of the following:

ShowAlign drawing objects relative to each other, to a drawing canvas, or to the page

  1. Select the floating drawing objects (drawing object: Any graphic you draw or insert, which can be changed and enhanced. Drawing objects include AutoShapes, curves, lines, and WordArt.) you want to align.
  2. Do one of the following:

ShowTo align floating objects relative to each other

  1. On the Drawing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), click Draw.
  2. Point to Align or Distribute, and make sure that Relative to Page or Relative to Canvas is not selected.
  3. Select the alignment you want.

ShowTo align floating objects relative to the drawing canvas

To use this procedure, the objects must be on a drawing canvas (drawing canvas: An area on which you can draw multiple shapes. Because the shapes are contained within the drawing canvas, they can be moved and resized as a unit.).

  1. On the Drawing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), click Draw.
  2. Point to Align or Distribute, and then select Relative to Canvas.
  3. Click Draw again, point to Align or Distribute, and then select the alignment you want.

ShowTo align floating objects relative to the page

To use this procedure, the objects can not be on a drawing canvas, and you must be working in print layout view (Print Layout view: A view of a document or other object as it will appear when you print it. For example, items such as headers, footnotes, columns, and text boxes appear in their actual positions.).

  1. On the Drawing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), click Draw.
  2. Point to Align or Distribute, and then select Relative to Page.
  3. Click Draw again, point to Align or Distribute, and then select the alignment you want.

ShowAlign floating drawing objects on a grid

  1. On the Drawing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), click Draw, and then click Grid.
  2. Do one or both of the following:
    • To automatically align drawing objects on an invisible grid (grid: A set of intersecting lines used to align objects.), select the Snap objects to grid check box.
    • To automatically align objects with gridlines that go through the vertical and horizontal edges of other shapes, select the Snap objects to other objects check box.
  3. Select any other options you want.

ShowArrange drawing objects equal distances from each other

  1. Select the floating drawing objects (drawing object: Any graphic you draw or insert, which can be changed and enhanced. Drawing objects include AutoShapes, curves, lines, and WordArt.) you want to arrange.

Unless you arrange the objects in relation to the page or drawing canvas, you must select three or more objects.

  1. Do one of the following:

ShowTo distribute floating objects equal distances from each other

  1. On the Drawing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), click Draw.
  2. Point to Align or Distribute, and make sure that Relative to Canvas or Relative to Page is not selected.
  3. Click Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically.

ShowTo arrange floating objects equal distances from each other in relation to the drawing canvas

  1. On the Drawing toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), click Draw.
  2. Point to Align or Distribute, and then click Relative to Canvas.
  3. Click Draw again, point to Align or Distribute, and then click Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically.

ShowTo arrange two or more floating objects or drawing canvases relative to the page

To use this procedure, the objects can not be on a drawing canvas, and you must be working in print layout view (Print Layout view: A view of a document or other object as it will appear when you print it. For example, items such as headers, footnotes, columns, and text boxes appear in their actual positions.).

  1. On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw.
  2. Point to Align or Distribute, and then click Relative to Page.
  3. Click Draw again, point to Align or Distribute, and then click Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically.
 
 

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