1. What Word Does

You type words, and they appear onscreen, what else? Well, maybe in the first version of Word. But in Word 2007, the program does a whole lot more. Word's designers knew what kinds of documents folks are likely to create, and stocked the program with predesigned templates that have all the important elements in place-headings, signature line, text boxes, and so on. You don't even have to worry about making it look nice: Word comes with attractive, built-in color schemes—called themes—that you can apply with a single click. Here are just some of the things you can create:

• Letters, lists, notecards, and other personal documents. You can even print your own greeting cards and invitations.

• Programs, menus, and booklets. Some of Word's templates are multipage affairs, letting you create scrapbooks, catalogs, playbills, and more.

• Brochures, reports, business cards, and other business documents. Word even has a feature that lets you create tables, so you don't have to use a spreadsheet program like Excel for simple tables. Word's are better looking, too.