How You Can Use Word Processors to Create Word Templates
A template is a single, repeating element that can be created by using a computer program to store and reproduce information. The word “template” comes from the Latin term meaning “a model.” Templates can be described as the building blocks of many works of art or literature. From the simplest form of a template – a txt file – that contains a mere set of data, the possibilities for creativity is literally endless. Let’s look at some examples of how we use templates in our daily lives.
Word processing: One of the primary steps in editing any type of text is to enter or insert a template. When you want to include a heading or subheading, for example, you will need to open a text editor and then copy and paste a pre-existing template that has already been inserted into the page. Then you simply replace all of the information in it with your own, and save the file tab or document. If you change the format or size of the template while it’s in place, you’ll need to save the file again. It’s really just a simple step – and you save time and energy that you would have spent looking for the exact information you were looking for!
Attaching a template to a document: When you want to create a new document, but don’t know how to create it, then saving a document as a template is a great way to go. You could also save a document as a template if you’d like to attach it to another document. Say, for example, you want to attach a presentation to an article you wrote recently. In that case, save the document as a template so that whenever the article is printed out, the presentation will automatically be attached to it. This is also helpful if you have several documents attached to a template.
Web page design: Many web designers use templates as part of their overall design work. They will use style sheets (or sometimes a combination of both) to create the layout of the website and then use the style sheets to add the individual pictures, images, and interactive features into the template. If a designer is building a website that will go online, then they may use a template along with the style sheets to produce the final web page. The same thing could be used for print media. For example, if a photographer wants to create a brochure to go along with a wedding photo, he may use the template as the “eling” or skeleton for the photo.
Branding: Some businesses use templates to help create brand identification for their products. Suppose, for example, that you were selling tires and the logo is your brand. One way to ensure that potential customers remember who sold the tires is to include a template for your company on all new documents that the company sends out. Word processors can have document templates available, or you could design your own and save it to your hard drive. You can even print out the template and hand deliver it to prospective customers, thereby making your brand identification permanent.
.DOT Template: A dot template is a.DOT file which you can upload to Microsoft Word. If you have Word installed on your computer already, simply choose File > Options and then Add (or copy) a.DOT file. The Word program will then allow you to specify the file extension of the text that is placed into the default template and allow you to change the text. .DOT files are commonly used for documents that are downloaded to the users hard drive.