Formatting a Document with Columns
Another section-formatting option controls the number of newspaper-like snaking columns within the section. You might be tempted to use multiple columns for laying out newsletters and brochures, or (not surprisingly) newspapers. But before you try, take a closer look at the nuances.
Snaking newspaper-like columns might not work the way you're expecting: They run from top to bottom, and there's no rebalancing for a page break. If you have, say, 12 items in a section that's set up with three columns, they'll appear arranged as in Table 16.2.
| Item 1 | Item 5 | Item 9 |
| Item 2 | Item 6 | Item 10 |
| Item 3 | Item 7 | Item 11 |
| Item 4 | Item 8 | Item 12 |
However, if you add a page break between, say, the second and third lines in Table 16.2, items 2, 6, and 10 will appear on the first page, and items 3, 7, and 11 will end up on the second page.
If you need greater control over the appearance and layout of snaking columns, use tables instead of column formatting. Place each item in its own table cell and hide the table's gridlines. With Word's capability to draw custom tables with any number of cells, including nested cells, it makes little sense to work with columns if the layout is complicated.
Tip from 
If tables won't do, you can also give yourself much greater control over your pages by using linked text boxes (see the next section).
To set up snaking columns in the middle of a document, follow these steps:
Switch to Normal view, and then choose Insert, Break. Add a Continuous section break immediately before the first item in the list and another Continuous section break immediately after the last item in the list.
Click once between the two section break marks.
Choose Format, Columns, and choose the column layout you like (see Figure 16.9). Note that you can set column widths and inter-column whitespace manually.
Figure 16.9. To avoid confusion, set up the "before" and "after" section breaks manually: click inside the area you want to format in snaking columns, and choose This Section from the Apply To box.
