[Solved] Margins with background image

[Annied]

Hi,
I am new to Open Office and I have a problem with my text in writer. I am using a template with a background image. But my text runs over the image. I can manually change the margins for each page but as soon as I go to a new page it just reverts. I tried changing the margins in the style and formatting page settings, but that changes the margins of the background as well, so chops off my background. I just want the text margins to change. Do I need to insert a table or something and write everything in that? I want to use tables for examples so can I then do a table within a table?

very frustrating!

Thanks!

[acknak]

Sorry, I'm not sure I understand exactly what it is you're after. Can you describe your goal here, clearly and concisely?

I find this part especially confusing:

I am using a template with a background image. But my text runs over the image.

From all I know, that is exactly what a background image is supposed to do: appear behind the document text.

For images that should appear beside the text, don't use an image on the page background, insert the image in the document with Insert > Picture > From File.

[Annied]

Thanks for your reply,

I am not sure how else to describe it! My template background is not a color, but a graphic image with a fancy border and little images etc that will sit behind all my pages. So it is not an inserted image within the text. I want the text to only be on the white portion of the background, not to overlap the fancy border. But the text on the page writes over the side/edges of the background. If I make the margins of the page smaller that doesn't set the text in the correct place either, and because the image background size doesn't change it chops off the edges. I can manually move the page margin guidelines for each page, but that is a pain and the right hand one doesn't match.

I am testing the option of doing all my text in a single cell table and then inserting another table inside of that if I want to do case studies etc. So that seems to be getting around it assuming putting a table in a table is ok to convert to a pdf? Maybe there is a better solution?

Thanks

[lgusaas]

Under Format/Page, go to "Background" and insert your graphic.

Go to "Page" and set the size of the margins you want.

Go to "Borders" and select a thin border on all four sides. Set colour of border to white. Set "Spacing to contents" to the width you desire between the edge of your background image and the beginning of the text.

If you want to save as a template for future use, go to "File/Templates/Save".

[acknak]

Ahh, ok. So your background image is really a border and you want the text to be confined to the center area, inside the border. The text will be over the image, but the image in the center is empty.

Although it's a bit strange, the method suggested by lgusaas is probably the best. Writer really doesn't quite support this kind of page layout, so you have to use the trick with the page border, where the "spacing to contents" provides the page margins.

Alternatively, you could use a regular page layout, change the paragraph format/style to leave extra space left and right, and use an extra tall header and footer space. Or, you could position a frame on the page and link the frames so the text will flow between them.

The first way is simpler; I can't think of a good reason to use another method.

Here are a couple of samples anyway:

[Annied]

Thanks for the help!

So does that mean my work around of using a table as a text box (then another table within that for my case studies) is not suitable? Will it cause problems?

[acknak]

Well, I can't see why it wouldn't work, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

For one thing, I expect it's going to be trouble to get the row heights right to get the table cells falling in the right place on each page. For another, Writer's support for nested tables is still fairly new and it sometimes gets a little weird trying to select or adjust some things. It's not always fun to work with.

The first strategy, using the page border trick, is transparent: you end up working with a normal page, with no artificial layout aids like tables or frames.That's a big plus.

(then another table within that for my case studies)

Now I'm really curious: What kind of document mixes case studies with an image background/border?

[Annied]

Thanks again!

To satisfy your curiosity - My document is an ebook, I am a psychologist and am writing a training course for parents. So the case studies are real examples of applications of sections of the course and I wanted to have them in text boxes (1 row, 1 col - table). Again maybe I am doing this a very strange way but I couldn't figure out how else to do it!

Have tried to set the template up with the border white etc - and that is fantastic for the sides. However for some reason that has dropped the header so now that covers some of the background top border! Can't see anything that would have done that! But will take your advice and switch away from the nested table idea!

Cheers

[lgusaas]

Have tried to set the template up with the border white etc - and that is fantastic for the sides. However for some reason that has dropped the header so now that covers some of the background top border!

Did you set the border for all four sides or just the sides? You can also change the spacing to contents so that it is different for each side.

[acknak]

If you like, attach a sample document (or just the background image) here. We can take a look at some different ways to handle the margins. You can use the "Upload Attachment" link (below the message entry area after you click "POST REPLY"). [Forum] How to attach a document here

[Annied]

I had the border all the way around! Changing that fixed it, thanks heaps! Also great to know I can upload something if necessary. Might have made my explanations clearer!

Thanks heaps for all the quick responses, much appreciated!

[reveley]

This should be a sticky post, I just spent ages trying to work out how to do this. Is it possible to do this but then add page numbers over the background image? i.e. outside the bordered in area?

[Hagar Delest]

Yes, use a frame for example. See [Tutorial] Page numbering.