using different masterpages in Word

Question

I have received some great support here lately and I have another crucial question. I am still working on this template and encountering the following problem.

I am working (in Word 2011 for mac) in the publishing mode to create a template for a client of mine. In my template I made two different masterpages. The first master page contains a big intro header, the second masterpage has a small header instead. So my intention is that the first page is shaped clearly as the intro, based on masterpage 1, big header, while the rest of the pages get the small header, small title. So in my template in 'options for masterpages' I checked the box 'first page different'.

Yet, when I do a test, after opening up a document from this template and fill in text, once the first page is full and a second page appears, the second page is based on 'masterpage 1' instead of 'masterpage 2'. While in the masterpage options, the 'first page different' option is still ticked.

I don't understand what is going wrong. If I tick 'first page different', I expect the program to choose the layout of the SECOND masterpage for page 2 and all following pages. How can I make sure the second page and all pages except the first page of my document are a 'masterpage 2' type of page?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Furry

Answer 1

Master Pages in Word's Pub files do not work as they do in a desktop publishing program because it's still a Word document under the hood & Word is not a desktop publishing program. The concept of a page is a visual imposition, not a physical reality in the structure of the document. Creating a new Master is essentially the equivalent of inserting a Section Break (Next Page) in a regular Word file. Any "pages" in the same section must share the same Master. However...

Within the section there is actually a separate Master for each page in that section. Unless you specify differently, anything you put on any of that section's Masters will appear on every Master & every page in the section. The Different First Page option enables you to have exactly that - a first page in the section which is different from the other pages in that section. IOW, based on what you describe wanting, there is no need for a second Master. To get what you're looking for you need to have 2 pages to start with so you have 2 instances of the Master, then...

1. Use the Different First Page checkbox,
2. Put the "big header" on the first master in the section,
3. Put the "small header" on the other instance of the same Master

The result is that the 1st page will have the "big header" but the 2nd page on will have the "small header". Further, note the blue line in the Thumbnails Pane which falls somewhere between 2 of the pages in the document as you currently have it set up. Any pages above the line share the 1st Master while any pages below the line share the 2nd Master.

Regards,

Bob J.

Answer 2

Hello Margery_s,

Thanks for posting to the Microsoft Answers forum! Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Windows Community site. In an effort to focus more attention on your particular situation, I recommend creating a separate thread with specific details pertaining to your exact issue.

You can do so by clicking the Ask a question button at the top of this page to create your own thread. Be sure to mention what steps you’ve tried, the results of each, and steps to recreate the error.

Thanks!

Answer 3

I've used Master Pages recently to set up templates for a client. It worked fine and I have multiple masters in one document.

I had hoped this approach would be a big help and time saver.

Today I tried to reformat an existing document using master pages and for the life of me I can't get Word to insert a new master within the document, only at the end. I've tried creating a new section where I want the new master, but it doesn't work. I get a blank first page and then the second page is like the first master (as above). I've tried unchecking the different first page button -- no luck there either. I tried starting a new document and copying the text into it, nadda.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Margery

Answer 4

Thank you so much for the explanation. Finally I am getting a better understanding of the system of sections and pages in Word (the programs I am used to work with don't have this. Hm, I guess I am a typical 'Word dummy'). Still not sure if I have a total comprehension of it all, but at least it is starting to dawn now.

I succeeded in making the big header/small header thing work in my document following your instructions. The blue line between the pages in the thumbnail pane is now gone. The page numbering stays intact and works fine too.

However, the header is not the only difference between the 2 types of pages I want (2 types = the first page and the  following-pages).

Because of its size, the big header takes up more space, so the upper margin of the first page has to be 2 cm bigger / wider (6 instead of 4 centimetres) than in the other pages which have the small header. Yet, if I change the margin of the first page, the margin is changed for all the pages. So the 'first page different' function doesn't seem to apply for margins.

How do I solve this problem? Do I need two different masterpages after all?

And regardless of if I need one or two master pages, could you please explain to me how one works with two masterpages in one document? How does one actually make a page in the document take the shape of the second master page and not of the first one? I still feel I am missing some essential point here..

Thanks,

Furry