2.1 Word processing

Word processing is the use of a computer program to create, edit, format, store and print text-based documents such as letters, reports, minutes, invoices and brochures. It replaced the typewriter in offices because mistakes can be corrected before anything is printed, and a document can be saved, reused and shared electronically. This topic covers the functions and concepts of word processors, how documents and tables are created and manipulated, mail merging, utilities such as the spell checker, and printing. The examples use Microsoft Word, with the LibreOffice Writer equivalent given where the steps differ.

2.1.1 Functions and concepts of word processing.

A word processor is application software that lets a user enter text, change how it looks, arrange it on a page and keep it as a file. Its main strength is that a document stays editable: a secretary at a county government office can change one date in a circular and reprint it in seconds instead of retyping the whole page. Common word processors are Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer, Google Docs and WPS Writer.

Main functions of a word processor

• Text entry and editing: Characters are typed in and then inserted, deleted, copied, cut and pasted without leaving any trace on the page. The cursor (insertion point) shows where the next character will appear.
• Formatting: The font, size, colour, bold, italics, underline, alignment, line spacing and indents of text can be changed to make a document readable and professional.
• Page layout: Margins, orientation (portrait or landscape), paper size, columns, headers, footers and page numbers control how content sits on each page.
• Saving and retrieving: A document is stored on a disk or in the cloud under a file name and can be opened again later for further work. Word files normally end in .docx and Writer files in .odt.
• Inserting objects: Tables, pictures, shapes, charts, hyperlinks, page breaks and symbols can be placed inside the text to explain or decorate it.
• Proofing and printing: Spelling and grammar are checked on screen, and the finished document is previewed and printed or exported to PDF.

Basic concepts

• Word wrap: When a line is full, the program moves the next word to a new line automatically, so the Enter key is pressed only at the end of a paragraph.
• Cursor and selection: Text must be selected (highlighted) before a command such as bold or copy is applied to it.
• Insert and overtype modes: In insert mode new characters push existing text to the right, while in overtype mode they replace it.
• Scrolling: The view of the document is moved up, down or sideways using the scroll bars or the mouse wheel, without changing the cursor position in the text.
• Undo and redo: The last actions are reversed with Ctrl+Z and restored with Ctrl+Y, which makes experimenting with a document safe.
• WYSIWYG: "What you see is what you get" means the screen shows the document almost exactly as it will print.

The Word screen

The title bar shows the file name. The ribbon is the strip of tabs (File, Home, Insert, Layout, References, Mailings, Review, View) holding grouped command buttons. The ruler sets margins and indents, the status bar shows the page and word count, and the Quick Access Toolbar holds frequently used buttons such as Save and Undo. In Writer the same tasks are found in a menu bar (File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Styles, Table, Tools) with toolbars underneath.

2.1.2 Documents and tables creation and manipulations

Creating a document means starting a new file, typing its content, formatting it and saving it. Manipulating it means editing, rearranging and reformatting what is already there. Tables are used inside documents to line up information in rows and columns, for example a price list for a hardware shop in Eldoret or a duty roster for nurses at a county hospital.

Creating a new document

1. Open Word and choose Blank document, or choose a template such as a letter, memo or CV if a ready layout is needed.
2. Set the page layout first: on the Layout tab choose the paper size (A4 for most Kenyan offices), the orientation and the margins.
3. Type the content. Press Enter only at the end of a paragraph and let word wrap handle the line ends.
4. Apply formatting by selecting text and using the Home tab: font, size, bold, alignment and spacing.
5. Insert a header, footer or page number from the Insert tab where the document has more than one page.
6. Save the file with File, Save As, choose the folder, type a meaningful name such as Fees_Circular_Term3 and click Save.
7. Press Ctrl+S regularly afterwards so that a power cut does not cause the loss of work.

Editing and manipulating text

• Select: Drag with the mouse, double-click a word, triple-click a paragraph or press Ctrl+A for the whole document.
• Cut, copy and paste: Ctrl+X removes the selection to the clipboard, Ctrl+C copies it and Ctrl+V places it at the cursor, which moves or duplicates text.
• Find and replace: Ctrl+F locates a word and Ctrl+H replaces every occurrence, for example changing "2024" to "2025" throughout a budget.
• Paragraph formatting: Alignment (left, centre, right, justified), line spacing, indents and bullets or numbering change how a paragraph is laid out.
• Styles: A style such as Heading 1 stores a set of formats so that all headings in a document match and a contents table can be built from them.
• Page and section breaks: A page break forces the next text onto a new page, and a section break lets one part of the document have a different layout.

Creating a table

1. Place the cursor where the table should appear.
2. Open the Insert tab, click Table and drag across the grid to choose the number of columns and rows, or choose Insert Table and type the numbers. In Writer use Table, Insert Table.
3. Click in the first cell and type the column headings, for example Item, Quantity, Unit Price (Ksh) and Total (Ksh).
4. Move between cells with the Tab key, which also adds a new row when pressed in the last cell.
5. Fill in the data row by row, keeping each column to one kind of information.
6. Select the heading row and make it bold and shaded using Table Design, Shading, so that readers can tell it apart from the data.
7. Choose a table style from Table Design and set borders so the grid is visible when printed.
8. Save the document.

Manipulating a table

• Insert rows and columns: Right-click a cell, choose Insert and pick above, below, left or right.
• Delete rows, columns or the table: Right-click, choose Delete and select what to remove, noting that pressing the Delete key only clears the text.
• Merge cells: Select two or more adjacent cells and choose Merge Cells to make one large cell, useful for a title across the top of the table.
• Split cells: Choose Split Cells and enter the number of columns and rows to divide one cell into several.
• Resize: Drag a cell border, or use Layout, AutoFit to fit the contents or the window width.
• Align text: The Alignment group in the Layout tab places text at the top, middle or bottom of a cell and left, centre or right.
• Sort: Select the table and choose Sort in the Layout tab to arrange rows alphabetically or by number, for instance by total amount.
• Formulas: The Formula button in the Layout tab can total a column, for example =SUM(ABOVE). For heavier calculations a spreadsheet is the better tool.

2.1.3 Mail merging

Mail merge produces many personalised copies of one document by combining a main document with a list of recipients. It saves hours of retyping: a SACCO in Nyeri can send each of its 800 members a statement notice that carries the member's own name, number and balance. Three parts are needed: the main document (the letter with fixed text), the data source (a table, Excel sheet or Access table with one record per person and one column per field) and the merge fields that mark where data is inserted.

Components of a mail merge

• Main document: The letter, label sheet, envelope or email that contains the text common to every recipient.
• Data source: A list such as an Excel sheet with the first row holding field names like Title, FirstName, LastName, Town and Balance.
• Merge fields: Placeholders shown as «FirstName» that are replaced by the data from each record during the merge.
• Merged output: The set of finished documents, which can be previewed, saved to a new file, printed or sent as email.
• Rules (optional): Conditions such as If...Then...Else that change the wording depending on the data, for example a different paragraph for members in arrears.

Performing a mail merge letter

1. Prepare the data source in Excel: one header row, one record per row, no blank rows, and save it, for instance Members.xlsx.
2. Open a new document in Word and type the letter, leaving out the personal details.
3. Open the Mailings tab, click Start Mail Merge and choose Letters.
4. Click Select Recipients, choose Use an Existing List, browse to Members.xlsx and select the correct sheet.
5. Place the cursor where the name should go, click Insert Merge Field and choose the field. Repeat for the address, balance and any other field.
6. Click Preview Results and use the arrows to check several records for spacing, capital letters and amounts.
7. Click Finish and Merge, then choose Edit Individual Documents to inspect the result, Print Documents to send it to the printer, or Send Email Messages for email.
8. Save the main document so that it can be merged again next month with a new list.

Labels and envelopes

For address labels choose Start Mail Merge, Labels, select the label vendor and product number that match the sticker sheet, insert the Address Block, and click Update Labels so every label in the sheet repeats the layout. For envelopes choose Envelopes and set the envelope size. In LibreOffice Writer the equivalent is the Mail Merge Wizard under Tools.

Common mail merge problems

• Wrong sheet selected: The merge shows no records, so reselect the correct worksheet.
• Numbers losing formatting: An amount such as 15000 appears without commas, so format the field in the main document or format the Excel column as text.
• Blank fields leaving gaps: Use rules or tidy the data so that empty cells do not leave odd spaces.
• Moved data file: Word cannot find the source if the Excel file is renamed or moved after the merge was set up.
• Dates changing format: Dates from Excel can appear in the American format, which is fixed with a field switch or by storing the date as text.

2.1.4 Word processing utilities

Utilities are the built-in helper tools that improve the quality and accuracy of a document without changing its main content. A school administrator in Kisumu preparing a report to the Board of Management uses them to catch spelling errors, find the right word and make sure the long document is easy to navigate.

Proofing tools

• Spelling and grammar checker: Words not in the dictionary are underlined in red and grammar problems in blue. Pressing F7 steps through each issue with suggestions, and the user can ignore, change or add the word to the dictionary.
• Thesaurus: Shift+F7 offers synonyms, so a repeated word such as "good" can be replaced with a stronger one.
• Word count: The status bar shows pages, words and characters, which matters for assignments with a word limit.
• AutoCorrect: Common typing mistakes such as "teh" are corrected automatically as the user types, and shortcuts can be added for long phrases.
• Language settings: Setting the proofing language to English (Kenya) or English (UK) makes the checker use the right spelling.

Document navigation and structure tools

• Find and Replace: Locates and changes text, formatting or special characters in a whole document.
• Navigation Pane: Lists all headings so the reader can jump to any section of a long report.
• Table of contents: Built from heading styles through References, Table of Contents, and refreshed with Update Table after changes.
• Footnotes and citations: Insert notes at the bottom of a page and manage sources and bibliography from the References tab.
• Headers, footers and page numbers: Repeat the company name, date or page number on every page automatically.

Review and protection tools

• Track Changes: Records every insertion and deletion so that a supervisor can accept or reject each edit.
• Comments: Notes in the margin let reviewers ask questions without altering the text.
• Password protection: File, Info, Protect Document, Encrypt with Password stops unauthorised people from opening a confidential document such as a payroll list.
• Auto Recover and AutoSave: Save a copy of the document at regular intervals so that a power cut loses little work.

2.1.5 Printing

Printing converts the electronic document into a paper copy, and good printing practice saves paper, toner and time. A hotel in Mombasa printing 200 guest folios would preview first, because one wrong margin repeated 200 times costs real money. Before any printing the printer must be connected, switched on, loaded with paper and installed with the correct driver.

Print preview and page setup

Print preview, found under File, Print, shows each page as it will appear on paper, including margins, headers and page breaks. Page setup controls the paper size, orientation, margins and number of pages per sheet. A wide table is better printed in landscape orientation, while letters are printed in portrait.

Printing a document

1. Save the document first so nothing is lost if the printer causes a fault.
2. Click File, then Print (or press Ctrl+P) to open the print window.
3. Check the preview to confirm the layout, page breaks and page numbers.
4. Choose the printer from the list, since an office may have several networked printers.
5. Choose the page range: all pages, the current page, a selection or specific pages such as 1-3,5.
6. Set the number of copies and tick Collated if each copy should be in page order.
7. Choose paper and options such as orientation, margins, single or double-sided, and black and white or colour.
8. Click Print and check the first sheet before the rest finishes, then collect the output.

Printing options

• Draft or economy mode: Uses less ink for internal documents.
• Double-sided (duplex) printing: Prints on both sides to halve paper use.
• Multiple pages per sheet: Reduces several pages onto one sheet for handouts.
• Print to PDF: Creates an electronic copy for email that keeps its layout on any device.
• Print queue: The list of waiting jobs, where a job can be paused, restarted or cancelled if it was sent by mistake.

Common printing problems

• Paper jam: Switch off, open the tray carefully and pull the paper along its path without tearing it.
• Faded or streaked print: Replace or shake the toner or ink cartridge and run the head cleaning utility.
• Printer offline: Check cables, Wi-Fi and power, and make sure the correct printer is set as the default.
• Text cut off at the edge: Margins are smaller than the printer can handle, so increase them in page setup.