Quick Start

The quickest way to create a table in Word is to use one that already exists. It might not be exactly what you want, but it often will be closer to what you want than if you create one from scratch. It helps if you can see a picture, of course, and Word 2007 includes many images of tables. From the Insert tab of the Ribbon, choose Table Quick Tables for a view similar to what is shown in Figure 9-1.

Figure 9-1. The Quick Tables Gallery offers a number of preformatted tables.

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Stroll through the gallery to see if there’s something you like—something that compares favorably with the table in your mind’s eye. If there is, then click on it. If it has too many rows, you can delete the ones you don’t need. If it has too few columns, you can add a few more. If the proportions and other attributes aren’t quite right, you can use Word’s table tools to make them right. The point is that you hit the ground running.