How to Make a Recipe Book Using Microsoft Word

Launch Word 2013 and type "booklet" into the main splash screen search box. Although Word doesn't have a specific template for a recipe book, you can transform a template quickly. Double-click the first template to appear in the search results, "Booklet." In a few moments, the book opens. Scroll through the pages to get an idea of the layout and what you'll want to change.

Click into the "Title of your Booklet" bracket on the first page. Type your recipe book's title. To format the title, or any other text throughout the cookbook, click the Home tab and use the options in the Font, Font Color, Size and font formatting sections.

Right-click the generic image on the template's cover. Choose "Change Picture" to open the "Insert Pictures" window. If you already have images for the recipe book, click "From a file," browse to the photographs or illustrations, and double-click one to add to the cover. Otherwise, click the "Office.com Clip Art" option and type something related to the image you'd like to see, such as "apple pie" or "lamb shank."

Repeat the process for each of the generic placeholder images included in the booklet. You can also do this as an as-you-go process and change the pictures as you place the text. To add an image at any time, click the "Insert" tab. Click either "Pictures" to add your own or the "Online Pictures" button to browse clip art.

Move to the first section of text in the booklet. Highlight the placeholder text. Type your own or copy and paste from another source. You can do this in bulk by highlighting and copying all of the text in the booklet, or doing it piecemeal. Adding it piece by piece retains the Word formatting and layout.

Add a new page to the recipe book by positioning the cursor to the right of where you want the page break and pressing the "Ctrl-Enter" keys. Add page elements either by copying and pasting from the existing book pages, then updating them, or adding them from the Insert tab. Click "Text Box" and select "Simple Text Box" to add a new area for text on the page. Drag the cursor until your preferred text box size appears, then click inside to type.

Click the "Design" tab for options to update the recipe book from the template to your preferred styles. Click the "Colors" button on the ribbon and choose from the drop-down menu of color blocks to overhaul the entire theme of shades used in the cookbook. Click the "Page Color" button on the ribbon to change from the basic white in the template to a full page color background. Experiment with fonts, borders and theme changes until satisfied.

Update the back page of the recipe book, which is actually on the left side of the first page of the Word document. Replace any of the generic content as desired, such as the chef's contact information, fundraising details, a biography of the cooks and more. To delete any unwanted text, simply highlight it and press the "Delete" key.

Scroll back to the Table of Contents and update it to reflect your new recipe titles and page numbers. You can also delete this table and add your own, using the header styles on the Home tab and the Table of Contents builder on the References tab.

Save the recipe book to the Cloud (new for 2013/365) or your preferred computer location. If you plan to distribute the cookbook electronically, choose "PDF" from the "Save as type" menu and save both a PDF and a Word copy.

Click "File" and "Print." Most home printers will not print double-sided, so you'll need to do two sets of printing and assemble the book.