Changing Paragraph Borders

In other WordTips you learned how to add borders to your paragraphs using the presets built into Word. This resulted in a paragraph contained in a box in which all four sides matched each other. Word allows you to mix and match line types for your border, however. For example you could have a paragraph that has different types of borders on all four sides. To change borders on your paragraph, follow these steps:

1. Position the insertion point in the paragraph to which you want the border added.
2. Select the Borders and Shading option from the Format menu. You will see the Paragraph Borders and Shading dialog box.
3. Make sure the Borders tab is selected. (Click here to see a related figure.)
4. In the Preview area of the dialog box (the part that shows what your borders look like) click on the side of the paragraph to which you want to add a border. Whatever line style that was selected should be applied to that border.
5. Select a line type from the Style list.
6. Use the Color and Width controls, if desired, to specify the color and weight of the border.
7. In the Preview area of the dialog box click on the side of the paragraph to which you want to add a border. (This could be the same side you selected in step 4.) The side should now show the border just as you want it.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 for each of the other paragraph sides.
9. Click on OK.