It’s a good way to improve Word table document readability by shading its rows and columns. Luckily, we can apply an AutoFormat or create a custom table style easily adding shaded bands to a Word table.
Customize Word Table Shaded Bands via AutoFormat
Applying an AutoFormat is just a quick click. By using Word’s AutoFormats, we can quickly add shading, also called bands (stripes in Word 2003). There are many AutoFormats which are not garish. Now, let’s check how easy it is to apply an AutoFormat to a table.
First, select the table to display the contextual Design tab. Then, click the Design tab and choose a banded style from the Table Styles group. Or, click the dropdown to see the entire gallery. As you mouse over the different options, you
can watch the table update, accordingly.
Customize Word Table Shaded Bands via AutoFormat
Applying an AutoFormat is just a quick click. By using Word’s AutoFormats, we can quickly add shading, also called bands (stripes in Word 2003). There are many AutoFormats which are not garish. Now, let’s check how easy it is to apply an AutoFormat to a table.
First, select the table to display the contextual Design tab. Then, click the Design tab and choose a banded style from the Table Styles group. Or, click the dropdown to see the entire gallery. As you mouse over the different options, you
can watch the table update, accordingly.
In Word 2003, choose Table AutoFormat from the Table menu. Then, choose an option from the Tables Styles list and click Apply.
Customize Word Table Shaded Bands via Creating a Custom Table Style
If there is no one AutoFormat to meet the needs, we can create a custom table style. The process is simple but it’s not a well-known option. Select the table and do as the following:
1. Click the contextual Design tab.
2. Then, from the Table Styles dropdown and choose New Table Style. In Word 2003, choose Table AutoFormat from the Table menu.
3. Give a meaningful name to the new style.
4. From the Style Based On dropdown, choose Light Shading - Accent 1. (You can choose as you like.) In Word 2003, choose a style from the Tables Styles list and click Modify.
Customize Word Table Shaded Bands via Creating a Custom Table Style
If there is no one AutoFormat to meet the needs, we can create a custom table style. The process is simple but it’s not a well-known option. Select the table and do as the following:
1. Click the contextual Design tab.
2. Then, from the Table Styles dropdown and choose New Table Style. In Word 2003, choose Table AutoFormat from the Table menu.
3. Give a meaningful name to the new style.
4. From the Style Based On dropdown, choose Light Shading - Accent 1. (You can choose as you like.) In Word 2003, choose a style from the Tables Styles list and click Modify.
5. Click the Format dropdown.
6. From the resulting options, select Banding. In Word 2003, choose Stripes.
7. In the resulting dialog, choose 3 from the Number of rows in a row band dropdown.
6. From the resulting options, select Banding. In Word 2003, choose Stripes.
7. In the resulting dialog, choose 3 from the Number of rows in a row band dropdown.
8. Click OK twice. (In Word 2003, click OK and then Apply.)
From the image below, we can see the three-row bands. The table is also smart. If you want to shade columns, you can do the same process to increase the number of columns in a band. Furthermore, from the Other Format options, you can create more complex table styles.
From the image below, we can see the three-row bands. The table is also smart. If you want to shade columns, you can do the same process to increase the number of columns in a band. Furthermore, from the Other Format options, you can create more complex table styles.