Using rulers

Most word processors have both a vertical (down the lefthand side) and a horizontal (across the top) guide to help you position objects on the page; set tabs, margins, and indents; and show you how far down or across the page you are. By default one, or even both, rulers may be turned off.

In MS Word the vertical ruler may be turned on by going to Tools/Options/View and clicking on Vertical Ruler. Note that it is shown only in the Print Layout view and not in the Normal view. Whatever rulers are set can be turned off, or on, from the View menu. You can change the unit of measurement that is shown on the rulers. Choose Tools/Options, click the General tab, and choose Inches, Centimeters, Points, or Picas from the Measurement Units drop-down list.

In Open- and Star- Office, either ruler can be turned off by going to Tools/Options/Text Document/View dialogue box and clicking on whichever rulers you wish to set. Like MS Word you can turn whatever rulers are set on and off from the View menu. You can change the unit of measurement that is shown on a ruler by simply right-clicking on it and clicking on the unit of your choice from the nine displayed on the pop-up menu (in OpenOffice 1.1.1). The default can be set by going to the Tools/Options/Text Document/View dialogue and choosing from the five options on the drop-down menus. Why only five and not nine? Well, do you really want to measure your page in miles or kilometers?