Archive for December, 2009

Microsoft Publisher Tip: Creating Bleeds

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

In the publishing world, a bleed is when color extends to the edges of a document (think of a magazine, or a travel postcard.) This is impossible to do with most desktop printers, but for those times when you want to send your document to a professional printer, you can adjust your settings within Microsoft Publisher to allow a bleed.

If your final document will be 4 x 6 (like a postcard), set your custom page size .125″ larger. Create a custom page size of 4.125 x 6.125″.

(Note: You should always work with your printer for their specific requirements.  .125″ is equal to 1 / 8 of an inch, and is a common number provided by printers.)

Once you have your custom page size, be sure that the data that must be printed falls well inside that range. Place all text and graphics within a 3.875 x 5.875″ space so that nothing gets cut off your document.

For more tips on using Microsoft Publisher effectively, visit our website and choose one of our Publisher classes.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags:
Posted in Publisher | No Comments »

What’s New in Lotus iNotes?

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Many of our clients use the Microsoft suite of products, but there are still plenty of companies who use Lotus. The Lotus iNotes program is a web-based version of their popular Lotus Notes.  The most recent version is 8.5.1, and they have released a number of new features for users.

  • Choose to open a Lotus Notes link in either your web browser, or Lotus Notes
  • Easily add a footer to calendars
  • When scrolling through email, a hint pops up showing you the dates of the emails so you know when to stop scrolling when looking for emails from a specific date
  • Unread count for all mail folders shows on the screen
  • Respond, or set tasks, while in the Preview Pane

If you’re a Lotus Notes or iNotes user, we can provide training for you and your co-workers at our site or yours. Contact our sales staff for more information.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: ,
Posted in Lotus | No Comments »

Microsoft Office 2003 to 2007

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

All of our public classes are taught in Microsoft Office 2007, and we do our best to help those who have recently transitioned to the upgrade.  I’ve been using word processors and spreadsheets with drop-down menus for almost 20 years, so the Ribbon took some time to become comfortable. I knew how to do everything from the drop-down menus, but once I learned the Ribbon, I learned to like it.

Microsoft knows that there have been major changes with how users interact with Office 2007, and they want to help make it easier.  At their website, they offer interactive guides to help you figure out how to do everything in 2007 that you did in 2003.  Using their online guides, you can enter a question (for example – how do I import data into Excel from an external source?) and it will show you how it was done in Microsoft Excel 2003, and then how to do the exact same thing in Microsoft Excel 2007!

These guides are available for all software packages in Office, except Publisher.

We’d love the chance to show you around Office 2007 in person, though! Attend any of our Microsoft classes for personalized and in-person instruction.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: ,
Posted in Office, Office 2007 | No Comments »

Excel Tip: DAVERAGE Function

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Microsoft Excel offers a wide range of database functions that allow you to analyze your data. One of the most common database functions is the DAVERAGE function.  (Database functions begin with a “D”).  The DAVERAGE function allows you to find the average of a certain field in your table that meets certain criteria.  This is different than the AVERAGE function which finds the average of all the numbers in a given range.

The syntax for the function looks like this:

DAVERAGE(database, field, criteria)

The database argument holds the range of your database.  The field argument is for the field you want to average.  It can be a cell reference, a field name inside quotations, or the number of the column that holds the range of data for that field. The final argument is the cell range that contains your criteria.

If you have a database that holds test scores, and you want to find the average of all passing grades, you would first set up the criteria range below your database data. That range would duplicate the field names in the first row, and you would place your criteria in the 2nd (and subsequent, if needed) rows.

For example, your data would be held in the range A1: C45. Test scores are in column C. In row 47, you would repeat the field names (likely FName, LName, Score). In row 48, you would place the criteria >59 to set the criteria of only scores of 60 and above.

The resulting function would look like:

DAVERAGE(A1:C45, “Score”, A47:C48)

and it would only calculate an average on those scores that are higher than 59.

For more tips and tricks for using Microsoft Excel, attend one of our Excel training classes. We look forward to welcoming you to Executive Training Solutions!

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags:
Posted in Excel | No Comments »

Adobe Acrobat Tip: Creating Forms

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

One of the best features of Adobe Acrobat is the ability to create dynamic forms. You can use the tools available in Acrobat to create forms for others to fill in on their computer and easily send back to you via email or a web link.

You can use text fields, but also radio buttons, check boxes, drop down lists and more to make your forms user-friendly and more likely to be filled out and returned. It’s even possible to embed video and audio clips into your forms!

Once you receive the completed forms, you can use Acrobat to compile the results and even export the data to a program like Microsoft Excel! This can cut down on tons of data entry, and allow you to quickly and easily analyze the data returned in your forms.

To learn more about the great features in Adobe Acrobat, attend a class at Executive Training Solutions! We look forward to helping you use the software to become more efficient.

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: ,
Posted in Adobe Acrobat | No Comments »

Word Tip: Auto Summary

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Did you use Microsoft Word’s Auto Summary feature in the past, but wondered what happened to it in Word 2007?  Don’t worry — it’s still there, but you need to go through a couple steps the first time you want to use it.

Have  you never used the Auto Summary tool?  Microsoft Word will use the information in your document to create an executive summary of your document. It works on various assumptions, and uses the styles to figure out where to pull the information out of your document. It is a wonderful starting point for you to edit and improve it so that it is most useful.

To find the tool, you must add the button to your Quick Access Toolbar in Word 2007.

  1. Click the arrow next to your Quick Access Toolbar and choose MORE COMMANDS.
  2. In the drop down, choose COMMANDS NOT IN RIBBON.
  3. Search for AUTOSUMMARY TOOLS.
  4. Double-click to add to your Quick Access Toolbar.

It will always be available to you now in your Quick Access Toolbar.  Click on it to run the tool and follow the prompts. In a few seconds, you’ll have a summary of your document!

To learn more about Microsoft Word, attend one of our Microsoft Word classes at Executive Training Solutions.  We look forward to seeing you at one of our computers soon!

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags:
Posted in Word | No Comments »