Page Break vs Column Break

[DreAndre]

I've noticed that when I use Column break in a section with only one column, it performs as if I've inserted a page break. Is there any difference in this situation between using a Page break, or a Column break (when working with one column)?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I've observed (and wondered) the same thing. Although they are functionally
the same in this case, I think I would use a page break if that's what's
called for, rather than a column break, just because the latter might be
confusing--to you, to Word, and especially to anyone else who might later
have to work with your document.

I've noticed that when I use Column break in a section with only one

column, it performs as if I've inserted a page break. Is there any
difference in this situation between using a Page break, or a Column break
(when working with one column)?

 

[Stefan Blom]

Isn't the difference simply that a column break starts to act like a
column break (that is, breaks to the next column) if you ever change
the number of columns to two or more?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

This would be my assumption, yes, and for that reason I suppose it would be
appropriate to use a column break instead of a page break if the document
was likely to later be reformatted into columns, but then I avoid both page
breaks *and* column breaks wherever possible.

 

[Stefan Blom]

You're right, of course, that you shouldn't use page or column breaks
to control text flow. Instead, you should use options such as "Keep
with next".

The only kind of break that is sometimes required (except for
paragraph breaks, of course!) is a section break.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

That said, I *do* use page and column breaks judiciously. In documents where
it is not necessary for a Heading 1 to begin a section, it does often start
a new page, so I format it as "Page break before." And I use column breaks
to keep material segregated in a four-column newsletter that gets filled
piecemeal as I acquire the content. I've also encountered a few puzzling
cases where a section break to balance columns still mysteriously doesn't.
Rather than waste (more) time troubleshooting the issue, I "get the work out
the door" by inserting a column break as needed.

 

[Stefan Blom]

No rule without an exception, I guess.

As for "Page break before", I'd have to say the following: I find the
difference between using "Page break before" and inserting a manual
page break so fundamental that I usually don't really think of "Page
break before" as (a way to insert) a page break, but as something far
more powerful. The reason is of course that "Page break before" is
tied to a certain paragraph or paragraph style rather than to a
position in the text.

Whether "Page break before" page breaks and manual page breaks are
also represented differently in the file structure is another
question. If they are not, one might hope that the same could be
accomplished with section breaks. Wouldn't that be useful: including
section breaks with paragraph styles?

 

[Margaret Aldis]

Wouldn't that be useful: including
section breaks with paragraph styles?

Couldn't be a section break as such, because that would control the
formatting of the section *before* the heading - imagine the posts there'd
be then <g>. Trying to make it control existing section formatting would be
even worse, I suspect. I'd love to be able to say a Heading 1 should start
on an odd page, though.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Couldn't be a section break as such, because that would control the
formatting of the section *before* the heading - imagine the posts there'd
be then <g>. Trying to make it control existing section formatting would be
even worse, I suspect. I'd love to be able to say a Heading 1 should start
on an odd page, though.

I didn't think of the fact that a section break stores the formatting
of the previous section. I certainly see that would cause trouble!

Thank you for pointing this out.

Stefan Blom