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ICDL Documents (ICDL): Margins Versus the Long Table

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Margins Versus the Long Table

Marcus has a 9-page report with 1-inch margins throughout. Page 4 contains a wide results table with 7 columns; the last column is clipped at the right margin and a few cells wrap awkwardly. He wants the table to fit on one page without shrinking the font, but he wants the rest of the document to keep its 1-inch margins. He also wants the table to start at the top of its own page so it is not split across pages 3 and 4. The document is currently one continuous section.

1. Describe the layout changes needed so only the table page has different margins, and so the table sits on its own page.

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Because margins are a section property, the table must live in its own section:

  1. Insert a section break (Next Page) before the table and another after it, so the table is isolated in the middle section.
  2. With the cursor inside that middle section, set narrower left/right margins (e.g., 0.5 in) - this affects only that section.
  3. Optionally set the table page to landscape in the same section for extra width.
  4. To keep the table from splitting, either the section break already forces a new page, or set the table rows to Keep with next / disable Allow row to break across pages.

Key point: a plain page break would NOT let margins differ - only a section break creates an independent margin set.

2. Marcus instead inserts a page break before the table and narrows the margins for the whole document. What are the two consequences, and why is this the wrong approach?

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Consequences:

  1. All pages change - the entire 9-page report now has narrow margins, altering line length and possibly page count everywhere, not just the table page.
  2. A page break does not create a new section, so margins remain a single document-wide setting; he cannot give the table page different margins at all this way.

It is wrong because the requirement was scoped to one page. Section breaks are the correct tool for page-specific layout; page breaks only control where content starts, not margin/paper settings.