Creating and Editing Custom Styles

12 min read Chapter 5

Learn how to create and modify custom styles to build an enterprise-level typesetting system.

When built-in styles don’t meet your needs, you need to create custom styles. This is the process of upgrading from a user to a typesetting designer.

5.1 Complete Steps to Create a New Style

Scenario

Your company is creating an annual report and needs a “Red Heading 1” style (representing corporate VI).

Step 1: Open Styles Pane

Shortcut: Alt+Ctrl+Shift+S

Step 2: Create New Style

Find the “New Style” button at the bottom of the Styles pane (usually a + icon)

Step 3: Fill in Style Information

FieldInputExample
Style NameCustom name”Corporate Heading 1”
Style TypeSelect “Paragraph”Paragraph
Based OnSelect base style”Heading 1” (inherits its formatting)
Style for Following ParagraphStyle applied after Enter”Normal” (switch to body text)

Step 4: Set Format

Click the “Format” dropdown menu to configure:

  • Font: Microsoft YaHei, 16pt, red (RGB: 192, 21, 47)
  • Paragraph: Left aligned, spacing before/after 12pt, line spacing 1.5x

Step 5: Save Style

Click “OK”, style is saved to the document.

5.2 Modifying Existing Styles

Method 1: Direct Modification

  1. Right-click “Heading 1” in the Styles pane
  2. Select “Modify”
  3. Change font size to 16pt in the dialog
  4. Click “OK”
  5. All “Heading 1” throughout the document automatically update to 16pt

Effect After Modification

If 50 paragraphs have applied “Heading 1” style, modifying the style updates all 50 paragraphs simultaneously.

5.3 Setting Shortcuts for Styles

Steps

  1. Right-click “Corporate Heading 1” in the Styles pane
  2. Select “Modify”
  3. Find “Format” → “Shortcut Key” at bottom left
  4. Press the desired shortcut (e.g., Ctrl+Alt+Shift+1)
  5. Click “Assign”

5.4 Advanced Usage: Style Hierarchy

Standard Three-Level Heading Design

Heading 1 (Level 1, Largest)

  • Font: Heiti 16pt, red, bold
  • Spacing before/after: 12pt each
  • Line spacing: 1.5x

Heading 2 (Level 2, Medium)

  • Font: Heiti 14pt, dark blue, bold
  • Spacing before/after: 10pt each

Heading 3 (Level 3, Smaller)

  • Font: Heiti 12pt, black, bold
  • Spacing before/after: 8pt each

Body (Normal Text)

  • Font: Songti 11pt, black
  • Spacing before/after: 0pt

Next: Chapter 6: Automatically Generating Table of Contents with Styles