Report Formatting FAQ

How does your service work?

Our report formatting page provides a full description of our service – what we need from you to get started, our pricing mechanism, the steps we take to format your document, exactly what you receive back and a selection of examples and customer testimonials.

Why do you require my logo?

As well as a copy of your document in fully editable Word format, we would typically suggest you provide us with a good quality version of your logo. This gives us an idea of the colors and branding that need to be mirrored in your document and helps us make the finished product look professional and polished. In addition, it’s always helpful for us to know what your document is being used for (printed report, online brochure etc) so we can understand what effect you are trying to achieve and adapt the design accordingly.

What software do you use?

Here at Wordzworth we have a team of Microsoft Office experts using Windows PCs. Whether your document is a report, proposal, booklet or manual we will return it as an editable .doc file that you can open with any version from Word 2000 to Word 2010. For front covers and other design work we may use a combination of PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop or InDesign.

Can you turn my document into a form?

Absolutely. We can create beautifully laid out forms for completion on-screen in Acrobat or Word as well as those suitable for being printed and filled in by hand. Just let us know what you’re looking for and we will issue a quotation. Please visit our form design page for more details.

Can you restyle diagrams and spreadsheets?

We can and often do recreate or restyle diagrams and spreadsheets for our customers so they fit more with the style and color scheme of the overall report. Our prices for this service vary depending on what you require – recoloring an item, restyling it or completely recreating it. So simply provide us with everything you have and tell us what you are looking to achieve. Description text will usually be cropped out of images and inserted as a proper caption underneath each figure.

Can you source a font or image for me?

Yes we can, but these can be expensive and it is first important to understand the licensing restrictions. Most stock images and fonts have non-transferable licenses. This means that if we purchase these for you we will be able to embed the images into a PDF but we will not be able to send you the actual font or image file for future use. Yes it is annoying but unfortunately we don’t make the rules! If you need to own the font/image for future use you must purchase it under your own name. Please let us know if you wish to do this and we will provide a link to iStockphoto.com or fonts.com for you to download the item yourself.

How should I open my file for review?

Save down and open the file. Do not double click to open directly from an email as this will display it in Read Only mode and it will look entirely different.

How will my document look in Word for Mac?

Word for Mac is basically Word for Windows re-compiled to run on the Mac. Whilst there are still minor differences between Word on both platforms these are being reduced over time and most Word documents can be opened on a Mac without problem. However, currently font embedding, ActiveX form features and digital signatures are not supported. In addition, Macs handle print drivers differently which can cause minor discrepancies with pagination. Please be aware that if your document has been very carefully balanced we cannot guarantee it will appear the same on a Mac.

What is your changes policy?

Once your report is formatted, it is sent to you for review. Should you find any errors at this stage they will fall into one of three categories: our errors, your errors and styling alterations.

Please note: Change requests must be submitted within one month.

Our Errors – Our experts format the majority of texts without issue. However, on occasion, particularly for complex texts it is possible for misinterpretation to occur. If you find certain elements of your document such as numbering schemes or heading levels are incorrect – don’t worry. The report is now consistently styled and this is easy for us to amend. If you would like us to produce an extended table of contents showing your heading levels to aid you in marking which ones need changing, just let us know.

Your Errors – Formatted reports are often so much clearer that it is easier to suddenly spot your mistakes in the text. If you find you have made a few typos in your document and need them amended then this is typically not a problem. If however you wish to make a significant number of changes to a document we have already formatted then there will be an additional charge for this work. The time and price for this can be kept to a minimum if we send you a file to make your changes in. We then compare the updated report to the original, make the edits, regenerate the TOC, adjust and rebalance pages. Our minimum changes fee is $48 USD.

Styling Alterations – Once your report has been formatted every heading, list and paragraph is styled consistently. If you wish to change the way something looks (e.g. increase the spacing between bullets) one click will ripple this change through all sections of your report. So simply collect your styling changes together in a single email and we will happily make them free of charge. Please allow time for changes to be made.

How are breaks formatted?

We will generally style your document so that major headings begin on a new page, lists are kept together and we will try to keep tables from splitting in strange places as much as possible. Sometimes this can result in white space on preceding pages and some of our customers prefer this to be minimised. Just let us know and we can modify the setup of your document accordingly.

How does payment work?

Thanks to PayPal customers are able to make payments with any debit card, credit card or their PayPal account. These can be made in any currency, safely and securely without us ever needing to receive any of your details. When we return your document for review we will include a Pay Now link. Once you’re happy with your job, simply click the link and follow the instructions.

How should I make updates to my report?

Wordzworth produces consistent, final form documents for print or distribution. If you later decide to edit these you can be assured that the file you are starting with is as properly structured and stable as possible.

Whilst we cannot provide ongoing editing assistance for completed jobs, we have compiled a few useful tips to keep in mind when making any changes yourself. If you encounter any difficulty when editing your document, come back to us and we will always look to assist you for a reasonable fee. However, please be aware that if you have made substantial changes to your document we may need to undertake some significant reformatting.

Paragraph Styles – The most important thing to remember when entering new text is to use the paragraph styles we have set up for your document and avoid forcing space by repeatedly pressing enter or holding down the space bar. To view paragraph styles – click View | Task Pane | open the drop down panel | Styles and Formatting.

Page Balancing – In a finished form document we will use various techniques to ensure pages end in sensible places e.g. avoiding tables splitting, avoiding single lines on their own at the bottom of a page and keeping headings with the following paragraph. As a result you might find that a block of text will move together when you are making edits. To stop this – select text block | right click | Paragraph | Line and Page Breaks | untick these settings.

Figures – In order to keep figures stable, clear and easy to work with they will typically be inserted as inline objects styled with the Figure paragraph style. In order to remove unwanted detail from images they may be cropped. To paste in a new figure – Edit | Paste Special | Picture (Enhanced Metafile). To format a new figure – Right click on inserted image | Format Object | Layout | In Line with Text. To style a new figure – Select the Image | open the styles and formatting toolbar | click the Figure style. To crop/uncrop – Select Image | Open the picture toolbar | Select crop tool | drag image corners in or out.

Section Breaks – We will always avoid using page breaks in your document where possible. Section breaks may be used before the ends of chapters, or before and after a group of landscape pages. It is best to be aware of where these are located in order to avoid accidentally deleting them. To see section breaks – Standard Toolbar | Show/Hide paragraph marks – Section breaks shown as a double row of dotted lines.

Updating Contents Tables – Once your edits are complete you will want to update the page numbers in your contents tables. To update a TOC – Right click inside the table | Update field | Update entire table. Repeat for List of Figures and List of Tables.

Numbering Schemes – Numbering schemes are one of the most well known sources of document corruption. If you wish to make significant changes to the styling of your numbering schemes, please contact us.