Insert drop caps into documents with Microsoft Office Word 2007

For hundreds of years, initials have been used to set off the first letter of a chapter or paragraph. Students can try using this and other classic techniques to add a distinctive style to their stories and poems.

Video: Insert drop caps into a document

Students can use drop caps enhance a document. Learn more

Examples

Students can use Microsoft Office Word 2007 to experiment with wide margins, elegant fonts, color, textured backgrounds, and images. Then, they can add initials to their work by using drop caps in Office Word 2007.

The Drop Cap command increases the size of the first letter of a paragraph and then reinserts the letter so that it aligns with the first line of text. Students can choose to position the initial by itself in the margin (In Margin) or within the paragraph (Dropped). They can then change the font type and apply other font formatting options, such as adding a font color.

Open your document in Word 2007, and then click in the paragraph where you want to add a drop cap.
On the Insert tab, in the Text group, click Drop Cap, and then click Dropped or In margin. Hold the mouse pointer over your choice to see a preview in your document.
Drag the handles in the selection border around the letter to resize it.
To change the font type or to apply other types of formatting, navigate to the Home tab and choose from the options in the Font group.
To change Drop Cap settings, go to the Insert tab, click Drop Cap, and then click Drop Cap Options. Here, you can change the number of lines that the letter drops and its distance from the text.