Ask Mr. Modem: Create Gallery of Fonts
May 13, 2011 · Published By Mr. Modem
Q. I would like to print all my fonts, so that I know what they look like. How can I do that?
A. To create a fontastic printed display of installed type styles, go to your Control Panel and click Fonts. Click to select a font, then File > Print. To select multiple fonts, hold down the SHIFT key and click the first font, then scroll down to the last one and click that to highlight (select) all fonts in between. If the fonts you want to select are not located next to each other, use the CTRL key to select specific fonts.
Q. What is an active window? I’ve seen the term used in several books and articles, but never really understood it.
A. When you open a program, that program’s window is said to be active, meaning that anything you do with your mouse or keyboard at that point will affect what appears in that window. If you open another program without closing the first one, you will then have two open windows. (When it comes to stating the obvious, you can count on Mr. Modem.) The window that looks bright and colorful is the one that’s active. It’s also the one that’s on top and most easily accessible.
If you want to see how this works, launch two or three programs or documents so you have several open windows. If you cascade your open windows, you can fan them out like a deck of cards. To do this, right-click a blank area of the Taskbar and select Cascade Windows. Click the Title bar on any window. The selected window’s Title bar will turn bright blue (or other color) and the window will jump to the front of the stack. That is then the active window.
Q. Sometimes I use the same words too often when writing articles for my community center’s newsletter. I thought that as a writer, you might know of something I can do to check how frequently I’m overusing certain words. I use Microsoft Word, if that makes any difference.
A. You can avoid redundancy, repetition and redundancy by using Word’s Find and Replace feature to determine how many times you use a certain word in a document, then making some changes.
Let’s say you are aware that you use the word “actually” too frequently. One or two “actuallys” are acceptable, but my extensive research reveals more than that can cause a nosebleed.
To determine how many times you actually use “actually,” press CTRL + F to display the Find and Replace dialog box. Type the word “actually” in both the Find What and Replace With fields, then click Replace All. Word will count and report the number of occurrences in the document, which you can then go back and modify accordingly.
No words are automatically changed or replaced with this little-known trick because you are searching for a word and replacing it with the same word.
Mr. Modem’s Sites of the Week
20 Most Amazing Coincidences
It has been said that there is no such thing as a coincidence, but whether or not you believe in fate, it is hard to argue with the fact that sometimes extraordinary circumstances conspire with uncanny synchronicity. This site highlights happenstances that will challenge even the most skeptical among us. http://tinyurl.com/2b8f2g
SparkNotes
Designed to help students learn and practice basic skills, write a paper, study for a test, and achieve their academic goals — assuming they have any. Created by Harvard students, the site’s stated mission is, “To help you make sense of confusing schoolwork.” SparkNotes Study Guides include summaries and analysis of English literature, History, Math and Science. An excellent resource for any hat-on-backwards, compulsive-texting, under-achievers in your family. www.sparknotes.com
Mr. Modem publishes “Ask Mr. Modem!” each week, featuring PC tips, tricks, and plain-English answers to your questions by email. For more information, visit http://Mrmodem.com.
Comments
We encourage visitor participation by posting comments to articles on this site. By submitting comments, you agree to adhere to EVLiving's Terms of Service.
You must be logged in to post a comment.