(Note: this article will not look on screen the way it looks on paper due to the use of various font sizes. Text control codes have been removed in this version.) Centering Headings in Documents by Sandy Dippollet For normal-size printing, centering of headings is easiest with use of the centering toggle, [CONTROL] 1 c in The Write Stuff. If perchance your word processor doesn't have a centering toggle, trial and error is time consuming and wasteful. Following is an alternative for printers and programs not using proportional printing. The first step is to determine the text width you are using. This is the page width minus the margins. Only three paper widths are in common use: 8.5", 5.5" and 7". We usually use the same margins for a particular size paper, so, once determined, record your text widths for future use. The Star printer we used has four pitches available: pica, elite, condensed pica, and condensed elite. Let's say we're formatting for standard paper, pica print (80 columns) with a one inch left margin (lm10) and a right margin of 7. This means our text width is 63. Count the letters and spaces in your heading. "CENTERING HEADINGS" has 18. For a PICA print heading, subtract the number of letters/spaces in the heading from the text width, divide by two, rounding up if it is a half. For our example this would be: 63 - 18 = 45/2 = 22.5 = 23. CENTERING HEADINGS xxxxxxxxx1xxxxxxxxx2xxxxxxxxx3xCxxxxxxx4xxxxxxxxx5xxxxxxxxx6xxx Let's use ELITE print. Our page width is now 96, the left margin 12 and the right margin 8, making the text width 76. (Remember that these margins are subject to your choice, in which case refigure the text width. Using the same heading: 76 - 18 = 58/2 = 29. CENTERING HEADINGS xxxxxxxxx1xxxxxxxxx2xxxxxxxxx3xxxxxxxCC4xxxxxxxxx5xxxxxxxxx6xxxxxxxxx7xxxxxx For CONDENSED PICA: Using a page width of 135, left margin 17, right margin 10: 108 - 18 = 90/2 = 45. CENTERING HEADINGS xxxxxxxxx1xxxxxxxxx2xxxxxxxxx3xxxxxxxxx4xxxxxxxxx5xxxCCxxxx6xxxxxxxxx7xxxxxxxx8xxxxxxx xx9xxxxxxxx10xxxxxxxx And for the last of our pitch options, CONDENSED ELITE, we can use a page width of 160, left margin 20, right margin 14: 126 - 18 = 108/2 = 54. CENTERING HEADINGS xxxxxxxxx1xxxxxxxxx2xxxxxxxxx3xxxxxxxxx4xxxxxxxxx5xxxxxxxxx6xxCCxxxxx7xxxxxxxxx8xxxxxx xxx9xxxxxxxx10xxxxxxxx11xxxxxxxx12xxxxxx So far, we've demonstrated centering using different pitches and normal print size. How about DOUBLE WIDE or DOUBLE SIZE? The centering toggle doesn't work for oversize print, so calculating is a must. Use the same formula, except count two for each letter/space in the heading. Using the same example as above, pica print, page width 80, left margin 10, right margin 7: 63 - 36 = 27/2 = 13.5 = 14. normal: CENTERING HEADINGS xxxxxxxxx1xxxxxxxxx2xxxxxxxxx3xCxxxxxxx4xxxxxxxxx5xxxxxxxxx6xxx 2XY: CENTERING HEADINGS 2X: CENTERING HEADINGS For QUADRUPLE SIZE, multiply the heading count by 4. Using a 7-letter heading: 63 - 28 = 35/2 = 17.5 = 18. 4X HEADING xxxxxxxxx1xxxxxxxxx2xxxxxxxxx3xCxxxxxxx4xxxxxxxxx5xxxxxxxxx6xxx In summary: Once you have figured your text width for your preferred margins and page size, record it so that you won't have to figure it each time. To find the column on which to start your heading: For single width headings: use the centering toggle with the heading starting in column 1 or figure the text width minus heading count and divide by 2 For double width headings: text width minus twice heading count and divide by 2 For quadruple width headings: text width minus four times heading count and divide by 2 (Editor's note: In TWS, the centering toggle does work with double wide type if you toggle double width ON first and OFF last: [CONTROL] 2 d c (centered text) [CONTROL] 2 c d. I have not tested it with other oversize print.) (From The Interface, newsletter of Fresno Commodore User Group, via the Commodore Information Center, http://home.att.net/~rmestel/commodore.html)