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Visio Formatting Tips - Guide

This document provides tips for formatting in Microsoft Visio. It discusses how to start Visio, navigate basic stencils, create and set backgrounds, align and distribute shapes, and format shapes. Key steps include creating a background page to apply formatting preferences to multiple pages, selecting primary and secondary shapes for alignment/distribution, and using the format menu to modify shape text, lines, and fills.

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rsholdings
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
149 views

Visio Formatting Tips - Guide

This document provides tips for formatting in Microsoft Visio. It discusses how to start Visio, navigate basic stencils, create and set backgrounds, align and distribute shapes, and format shapes. Key steps include creating a background page to apply formatting preferences to multiple pages, selecting primary and secondary shapes for alignment/distribution, and using the format menu to modify shape text, lines, and fills.

Uploaded by

rsholdings
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

VISIO FORMATTING TIPS

Table of Contents

1.

How to Start Microsoft Visio 3

2.

Visio Example

3.

Visio Shapes Basic Stencil

4.

Visio Favorites Stencil 6

5.

Creating Backgrounds 7

6.

Setting Background to Pre-Existing Pages

7.

Setting Backgrounds When Inserting New Pages

8.

Align Shapes

9.

Distribute Shapes13

4
5

11

10. Formatting Shapes

15

1. How to Start Microsoft Visio


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9
10

To start Microsoft Visio, one needs to follow the following steps:

Click on the Start button on the taskbar.

Click All Programs.

Select Microsoft Office from the list.

Finally click on the Microsoft Office Visio 2007 option to open

The process is shown below:

2. Visio Example
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Fig. 2.1

3. Visio Shapes Basic Stencil


To navigate to the Basic Flow Chart Shapes, open:

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File Shapes Flowchart Basic Flowchart Shapes

Fig 3.1

Fig. 3.2
4. Visio Favorites Stencil

Visio allows users to create a personalized stencil saved under the name
Favorites.
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This stencil is created by dragging and dropping symbols into the Favorites stencil
from another stencil or an open process map.

To navigate to the Favorites stencil, open:


File Shapes My Shapes Favorites

Fig 4.1

Fig 4.2
5. Creating Backgrounds

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Content entered within a Background page in Visio is automatically embedded within


the Process Map pages that have the Background page set as its own background.
Steps:
(1) In the Main Menu, click InsertNew Page OR right click on the page tabs
at the bottom of the screen and choose Insert Page.

Or

(2) The Page Setup menu will open. Within the Page Properties tab, select
Background under the Type options.

(3) Click OK. The Background page will be created and placed at the end of the
page tabs at the bottom of the screen.

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(4) Within this background tab, create any formatting preferences. Changes
made in this tab will automatically be changed within any process map
pages that are set to use that particular background.

6. Setting Background to Pre-Existing Pages


In order to set a background to a Visio page, a Background page should be completed
first (see Creating Backgrounds on page 1).
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Steps:
(1)

(2)
(3)

Click on the page tab you want to set the background to.

In the main menu, select FilePage Setup to open the Page Setup
Menu.
Select the Page Properties tab.

(4)

Under the Background drop down list, select the Background tab you
previously created.

(5)

Click OK. The background will now be set within the selected page.

7. Setting Backgrounds When Inserting New Pages


In order to set a background to a Visio page, a Background page should be completed
first (see Creating Backgrounds on page 1).

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Steps:
(1) Right click on any page tab and select Insert Page.

(2) The Page Setup menu will open.


(3) Within the Page Properties tab, select the background tab you previously
created under the Background drop down list.

(4) Click OK. The new page will be created using the specified background.

8. Align Shapes
The Align Shapes menu is used to align shapes horizontally or vertically.
The first shape selected is used as the primary shape that all other shapes will be
aligned to. The primary shape will be outlined in a thicker pink line than the secondary
shapes.
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Steps:
(1) Select your primary shape by clicking it. Hold down the Shift key and
continue to click all the secondary shapes that you wish to align. All selected
shapes will be highlighted in pink with the primary shape in a thicker pink
outline.

Primary Shape

Secondary Shapes

(2) In the main menu, click ShapeAlign Shapes.

(3) The Align Shapes menu will open. You can choose a Vertical Alignment
and/or a Horizontal Alignment. To remove a selected alignment method, click
the Cancel button.

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Cancel Button

(4) Once an alignment method is selected, click OK. The shapes will align
accordingly (example shown is a centered vertical alignment).

9. Distribute Shapes
The Distribute Shapes menu is used to align shapes horizontally or vertically.
The first shape selected is used as the primary shape that all other shapes will be
aligned to. The primary shape will be outlined in a thicker pink line than the secondary
shapes.
Steps:
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(1) Select your primary shape by clicking it. Hold down the Shift key and
continue to click all the secondary shapes that you wish to align. All selected
shapes will be highlighted in pink with the primary shape in a thicker pink
outline.

(2) In the main menu, click ShapeDistribute Shapes.

(3) The Distribute Shapes menu will open. You can choose a Vertical
Distribution method and/or a Horizontal Distribution method.

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(4) Once an alignment method is selected, click OK. The shapes will distribute
accordingly (example shown is distribute horizontal spacing).

10.

Formatting Shapes

Shapes can be formatted to fit specific needs or preferences. Changes can be made to
the text, border, color, etc.
Steps:
(1) Right click on the symbol to be formatted. To format multiple symbols at
once hold down the Shift key while selecting each shape you wish to
format. Then right click on any shape previously selected.

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(2) Select Format. The Formatting Menu will appear.

(3) The most commonly used formatting options are:


Text: Used to format text within a symbol.
(i.e. font settings, spacing, alignment, margins, tab stops and bullet lists)

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Line: Used to format the border of a symbol.


(i.e. line type, width, color, line ends and border corner type)

Fill: Used to change the appearance of the symbol.


(i.e. fill color, shadowing and transparency)

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(4) After making formatting selections, click OK. Changes will be made to the
symbol selected.

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