Applies to these editions of Windows Vista

See also

Customize the appearance of a Journal note

You change the default stationery settings for a Windows Journal note in the Page Setup dialog box.

Stationery settings include:

  • Paper size and orientation

  • Line styles and spacing

  • Background colors and pictures

  • Title area formatting

Show all

Adjust paper settings

The following procedures explain how to change the paper settings for the current note only.

If you change the paper size or orientation for the current note, Journal attempts to make the changes to all of the pages of the note. If one or more pages contain items that no longer fit within the new size and orientation settings, those pages do not change. All of the other existing pages and all new pages change.

To set paper size

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. On the Paper tab, under Paper size, select the paper size that you want.

  4. Tap OK.

To set the page orientation

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. On the Paper tab, under Orientation, tap Portrait or Landscape.

  4. Tap OK.

Set line types and colors

The following procedures explain how to change the default lines and colors for the current note only.

To choose a line style

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Style tab.

  4. Under Lines, select the line style that you want to use.

  5. Tap OK.

To remove all lines

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Style tab.

  4. Under Lines, tap the small arrow to the right of the Line style list, and then tap Blank.

  5. Tap OK.

To set the page color

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Style tab.

  4. Tap the small arrow to the right of the Paper color list, and then tap a color.

    To select from more colors, tap More.

  5. Tap OK.

Add background pictures to a note

In Journal, you can use background pictures to create personalized decorative effects in your notes.

The following procedures explain how to set up a background picture for the current note only.

To set up a background picture

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Background and Title Area tab.

  4. Under the Background, tap Browse.

  5. Browse to the folder that contains an image file that you want to use for your background picture.

  6. Select the image file and then tap Open.

  7. In the Position list, tap one of the following background picture positions:

    • Tile. The picture is repeated on the page and covers it like tiles on a floor.

    • Center. The picture is centered in the note.

    • Stretch. The picture is centered in the note, and its dimensions are stretched so that the picture fills the page.

    • Top left. The picture is placed in the top left corner of the page. If you change the size or orientation of the note pages, the picture and any ink written on top of it do not move in relation to each other. This is useful for creating a form in a language that flows left to right.

    • Top right. The picture is placed in the top right corner of the page. If you change the size or orientation of the note pages, the picture and any ink written on top of it do not move in relation to each other. This is useful for creating a form in a language that flows right to left.

  8. Move the slider to set the transparency value of your background picture to ensure that the background picture does not distract from the ink on a page.

    The level of transparency of your picture is shown in the Preview area.

  9. Tap OK.

To remove a background picture

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Background and Title Area tab.

  4. Under Background, tap the small arrow to the right of the Picture list, and then tap None.

  5. Tap OK.

Notes

Notes

  • The file size of your note increases with the file size of the graphics file that you use for a background image. If you want to limit the file size of your note, do not use a large graphics file for a background image.

  • You can find a variety of images suitable for use as stationery background pictures located on your hard disk in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery.

Format the title area

The following procedures explain how to format the title area for the current note only.

The title area of your note can be used to name your note file. When you save your note, Journal automatically uses the text in the title area to name your note. You do not have to use this text to name your note.

Handwriting recognition is currently available for English, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Korean, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese (Brazil). If you are not using one of these input languages, you can use the on-screen keyboard in Tablet PC Input Panel to enter text without using a standard keyboard.

The title area becomes a permanent part of the first page of your note. If you move the first page within a note or copy the first page to another note, the title area moves with the page. If a note has more than one title area, the first title area appearing in that note is active and is used to suggest the file name for that note.

To display or hide the title area

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Background and Title Area tab.

  4. Under Title area, select or clear the Show title area on note check box.

  5. Tap OK.

To set the color of the title area

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Background and Title Area tab.

  4. Under Title area, tap the Color box, and then tap the color that you want to use.

    To select from more colors, tap More.

  5. Tap OK.

To display or hide the date in the title area

  1. Open Windows Journal by tapping the Start button Picture of the Start button, typing Journal in the search box, and then tapping Windows Journal in the list of results.

  2. Tap the File menu, and then tap Page Setup.

  3. Tap the Background and Title Area tab.

  4. Under Title area, select or clear the Add date automatically check box.

  5. Tap OK.