Microsoft Word: Page Breaks

Just as text wraps automatically from the end of one line to the beginning of the next line, text flows automatically from the end of one page to the beginning of the next page. This process is called pagination, and there are techniques for controlling where page break, particularly in long documents.

Hard and Soft Page Breaks

As you work on a document, Word is constantly calculating the amount of space available on the page. Page length is determined by the size of the paper and the top and bottom margins. For example, using standard-size paper and default margins, page length is nine inches. When a document exceeds this length, Word creates a soft page break. Word adjusts this automatic page break as you add or delete text. A soft page break appears as a horizontal dotted line on the screen in Normal view. In print Layout view, you see the actual page break-the bottom of one page and the top of the next.

Next page: Headers and Footers