With the new year just around the corner it’s a great time to create a Calendar for 2015 and Microsoft Word has a great tool you can use and which does most of the work for you.
To get started in Microsoft Word, choose File > New and click in the search box. Type calendar and click to search for Calendar templates. When you do this you should see the Calendar Wizard appear in the list.
Click the Calendar Wizard to select it and click Download. When it is downloaded a small dialog will appear – click Next to begin configuring your calendar. To begin you should choose a style which can be Boxes & Borders, Banner or Jazzy – we chose Boxes & Borders. Click Next.
Choose a Direction for the calendar. If you choose Portrait the calendar pages will be longer than they are wide and there will be space for a photo across the top of each month’s calendar. If you choose Landscape then the pages will be wider than they are tall and there will be space for a narrow picture down the left of each month’s calendar. Choose Portrait or Landscape as desired – you can choose only one option for the entire calendar. We choose the Landscape orientation and that is what is shown in the following images.
If you want to leave room for pictures in your calendar (and it is a great idea to do this), click Yes and then click Next.
If you want to leave room for pictures in your calendar (and it is a great idea to do this), click Yes and then click Next.
Next select the date range for the calendar which will typically be January 2015 to December 2015 – however you can create your calendar for any timeframe that suits you. Click Next, then click Finish and wait as the calendar Wizard creates the calendar for you. It will create one calendar page for each of the month of the year and, if you asked for room to include pictures, there will be picture placeholders on each calendar page.
Start by adding your own pictures to the calendar. To do this click on the picture in the picture placeholder to select it and choose Insert > Picture or Insert > Clip Art depending on whether you want to use your own photos in the calendar or images from the Microsoft Clip Art collection. Locate the photo or image to use and then insert it by clicking the Insert button or double click the Clip Art image thumbnail.
To resize an image click on the image to select it and then drag inwards on a corner handle to make it smaller or drag outwards to make it bigger. To crop an image, click it to select it and then choose Picture Tools > Format tab and click Crop. Drag inwards on one of the handles on the image to crop it and then click Crop again to finish.
Once you have inserted one image go ahead and replace the placeholder image on all the other calendar pages. When you are ready to save the file, choose File > Save and type a name for the calendar. If you are using Word 2007, 2010 or 2013, choose Word 97-2003 Document from the Save as Type list. This is important as the calendars were designed in this format and their layout will be compromised if you save in another format.
When you have replaced all the placeholder photos, you can print the calendar by choosing File > Print. We suggest you then staple the calendar pages along the top edge and punch a hole in the middle or the top edge so it can be hung from a piece of string or a loop of ribbon. If you have problems finding the Microsoft Calendar Wizard you can download it direct from the Microsoft web site here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/calendar-wizard-TC006206263.aspx
