How To Create A Decorative Border In Word Online

How can I create a custom page edge?

Users often ask whether it is possible to add to the Art choices on the Page Borders tab of Format | Borders and Shading. Dissimilar Publisher, Word does not offer a manner to create custom Border Art, but that doesn�t mean yous tin�t add a custom border to your page. Here are two ways to approach the chore, depending on the clip art you have available.

Using a clip fine art edge
Using an individual clip art motion picture

Notation: This commodity was written for Word 2003 and earlier. Changes in Word 2007 and above (Ribbon versions) make the procedure and tools somewhat different. Rather than try to provide instructions for Word 2007 and above along with the existing ones for earlier versions, I have added some hints at the end to brand it easier to accomplish the same job in Discussion 2007 and above.

Changes for Give-and-take 2007 and higher up

Using a clip art border

If you lot select Insert | Motion-picture show | Clip Art� and type �border� into the search box, y'all volition see an assortment of pictures that tin can be used every bit borders or to create borders. Some, such every bit this one, are complete borders:

Some are corner pieces that tin exist rotated and combined into a complete border:

Some are straight-line pieces that would take to exist repeated and pasted together to make a edge:

Using any of these requires a sure amount of knowledge of how to deal with clip art, but the chief part of the secret to making a page border is to empathize that the art must exist anchored to the header in order to be behind the text and repeat on every page. That requires the following steps:

View | Header and Footer. This opens the header pane.
Insert | Picture show | Clip Art� and select the desired picture. Let�s say information technology�southward the holly garland shown in a higher place. The result will be something similar this:

As you can see, the edge has been inserted in the header, but it is making the header huge. This is because the picture has been inserted In Line With Text. It�s acting like a giant font character. We need to make the moving-picture show �bladder� backside the text; that is, it needs to exist �wrapped� or in the cartoon layer.

Click on the picture to brandish the Picture toolbar:

Click on the Text Wrapping push button to show the wrapping menu and cull Behind Text:

The border is now floating on the page, and the header surface area is dorsum to normal:

Now you lot need to make the border the correct size. Equally a first, drag information technology to environs the folio margins.

You can fine-tune the size and position using the Format Picture show dialog. In the to a higher place analogy, the clip art has been centered using the Avant-garde Layout options (Format | Picture | Layout: Advanced�):

Using an individual clip fine art movie

Sometimes yous tin�t observe a fabricated-upwardly border that is only what you lot want and would prefer to echo a small movie around the edge of the page (which is just what the custom Border Art feature in Publisher does). This requires a little more work but can also be washed.

Outset find the movie you want to utilize. For our purposes let�s say you want to make a edge of steaming cups of coffee. And then you find an appropriate piece of prune art by searching for �coffee.�

To assistance you in placing the clip art, insert a temporary page border. Utilize the default solid line and box border. Click Options� and change the �From edge of page� setting to 31 points.

This will give you a edge like this:

View | Header and Footer to open the header pane. Insert your chosen prune art picture.

As before, you will need to modify the wrapping of the picture from In Line With Text to Behind Text.
Clearly this motion-picture show volition be too big for a border at its total size, so you lot will need to brand it smaller. Double-click on the pic to open the Format Picture dialog and select the Size tab. Making sure that the �Lock aspect ratio� box is checked, change the size to a more than appropriate one. In this case, 25% has been selected.

Select the picture and press Ctrl+D to duplicate it several times. Drag one of the copies and so that it is in the top left corner of the page border outline. Elevate some other to the elevation right corner. Suit the others in betwixt; don�t worry about neatness, only brand sure that none of the coffee cups overlaps the top border.
Click to select ane of the copies, then Shift+click to select each of the others:

Display the Cartoon toolbar and select Align or Distribute from the Draw menu. Click on Align Top. This will align all the coffee cups at the top of the page edge.

With all the pictures notwithstanding selected, select Draw | Align or Distribute | Distribute Horizontally. This will spread the coffee cups out evenly across the page.

Echo this process to insert more than copies of the picture and spread them around the bottom and sides, using Depict | Align or Distribute | Distribute Vertically for the ones on the sides. Note that when you are using Align Left and Marshal Correct, Word will align the pictures with the farthest left or right picture, and then brand sure that none of the pictures overlaps the left or right page edge.
When you take completed your borders, select all the pictures at once and group them (Draw | Grouping). An like shooting fish in a barrel way to select all the pictures (instead of Shift+clicking on each one) is to click on the Select Objects tool (to the correct of the Draw carte du jour) and utilise it to depict a large rectangle (marquee) around all the objects.

Once you take grouped all the objects in your edge, you lot tin can save it as an AutoText entry. Printing Alt+F3 and give your AutoText entry a name, such as �Coffee Border.� Considering your border has been saved in the Header fashion, it volition appear on the AutoText menu on the Header and Footer toolbar.

The last step is to remove the temporary folio border y'all used to help you align the pictures.

Changes for Give-and-take 2007 and above

Inserting a clip fine art border tin can be achieved in much the aforementioned style in Give-and-take 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Begin by accessing the header; in Word 2007 and above you can do this simply by double-clicking in the header area. The contextual Header & Footer Tools tab will be displayed.
Click Clip Art in the Insert group. This will open the Clip Fine art task pane, from which y'all tin can insert the picture as described higher up.
When you insert the moving-picture show, the contextual Flick Tools volition exist displayed, and all the controls you need to size the prune art, modify the wrapping, and position it are found on this Ribbon tab.

Note: Be aware that when you lot insert a large flick in the header, even though Behind Text wrapping is selected, you volition not exist able to return to the document body past double-clicking; you lot will have to use the Close Header and Footer push button on the Header & Footer Tools tab.

Creating a edge from an individual clip art picture is a little more complicated. Considering of changes in the graphics engine and cartoon tools, the Distribute command is not available for "pictures" (including clip art) unless you use a drawing sail, which adds an actress step.

First insert your folio edge outline: go to Page Layout | Page Groundwork | Page Borders and format the page border equally described in pace two above.
Now you accept to insert a drawing sheet in the header. Double-click in the header area to access the header. And then select the Insert tab and click on Shapes in the Illustrations grouping. New Cartoon Canvas is at the bottom of the Shapes gallery.
Stretch the sail to the size of the temporary folio border and give it Behind Text wrapping.
You can then insert your clip art picture, duplicate it, and apply the Marshal and Distribute commands every bit described above.
Subsequently you've created and grouped your border, yous tin display the Insert tab, click on Quick Parts in the Text group, and choose Relieve Pick to Quick Part Gallery... to save it every bit a building cake (the equivalent of an AutoText entry).

Note: I am told that once you lot have completed the edge and grouped the pictures, you can drag the whole thing off the drawing canvas and onto the folio, and so delete the cartoon canvas. Good luck with that! Also, as with the individual clip art, you will be unable to go out of the header except by using the Close Header and Footer button; double-clicking in the certificate body surface area doesn't work.

Another approach is available to y'all if y'all accept Microsoft Publisher installed:

Create a custom border in Publisher using your called clip art picture. Although you don't have as much control over spacing, this is a lot quicker!
Insert a text box of the desired size (this may have some trial and error) and apply the custom border to information technology.
Then select the text box, right-click, and cull Salvage as Picture. The selected object will be saved every bit a GIF file; the default resolution is 96 dpi, suitable for Web utilize; you lot will want to click Alter... and change to 150 or 300 dpi. Give your film a name such as Coffee Border.
In one case yous take saved the border equally a movie, you can insert it in your header just as yous would any other flick (click Pic in the Insert grouping on the Header & Footer Tools tab), and then size and position it using the controls on the Moving-picture show Tools tab.