"Header" in margin?

I

ingeniero1

I have to duplicate a document where the left margin of even pages and
the right margin of odd pages are about 2" wide and lined. The top line
of each such alternating margin reads "Notes:".

One way to do this is with a 2-column layout for the entire document,
with the right column rows all merged into one cell. This would not be
easy to manage. I suspect that there must be a better way.

For example, is it possible to have a "Marginal Header"? That is, a
section of the document that repeats in every page, but instead of
appearing at the top (or bottom for a footer), it appears alternatively
in the left and right margins?

Thanks!
 
J

Jay Freedman

Word would not be happy with a very long table, but you can do what
you want with a text box anchored in a header. Here's how to create a
template for this kind of document:

In File > Page Setup, check the Mirror Margins box (in Word 2002 and
2003 this is in the "Multiple pages" dropdown) and set the Outside
margin to 2". On the Layout tab of the same dialog, check "Different
odd and even" for the headers and footers. Click OK.

Temporarily insert a hard page break by pressing Ctrl+Enter. Open the
header area; the top should say "Odd Page Header". Click Insert > Text
Box, and draw a text box down the right side of the page. Note that a
text box or graphic -- anything that floats in the drawing layer -- is
not confined to the header area, even though it's "anchored" in the
header and will therefore repeat on every page where the header would
appear.

Get the box set to the proper width and length, and insert the "Notes"
line. Then copy the whole text box to the clipboard. Using the Next
button on the Header toolbar, go to the Even Page Header and paste.
Drag the text box to the left side of the page. Then close the Header
area. Finally, delete the temporary hard page break and save the
template.

If this is meant just for printing the pages, so that the Notes box is
available for handwritten notes, this is all you need. If you have to
enter things there in Word, you'll need to double-click in the Header
area to get access to the text boxes. Also remember that anything you
type there will be repeated on every even or odd page -- this is not a
good way to take notes within Word.
 
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