Finalizing a Word 2007 Document

On the Word 2007 Office menu, you’ll notice a section called Prepare. In earlier versions of Word, there was no such menu or menu item. So, you may be confused by it.

The Prepare section is designed to help you finalize your Word 2007 document for electronic distribution. You’ll find many important options in this section. So it pays to take advantage of the options when you’re done working on your documents.

Lately, there has been an increased focus on computer security. And that is reflected in the Prepare section. But, it’s not just about security; you’ll find other options that will make it easier for others to use your documents.

Here are the options on the Prepare menu:

1. Properties
Allows you to add comments and categories to your documents. The Properties section is useful for organizing your documents; you can later search for documents based on the contents of the Properties box. It also provides valuable statistics on a document.

2. Inspect Document
Checks the document for hidden text, tracked changes, and other items that could compromise your privacy. If any are found, you’ll be given the opportunity to remove sensitive items.

3. Encrypt Document
If your document contains particularly sensitive data, you should encrypt it. Encrypted documents require a password to open. Unlike password-protected files, they are difficult or impossible to crack.

4. Restrict Permissions
You can restrict permissions on your Word 2007 document. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing and/or editing your document. Again, this is good for sensitive documents.

5. Add a Digital Signature
A digital signature verifies the source of the document. Digital Signatures can be used to determine whether a document is likely to contain malicious elements.

6. Mark as Final
Once you’re done working on your Word 2007 document, mark it as final. This makes the document read only. This will help prevent other readers from making changes to it. They will also know that you consider the document to be in its final draft.

7. Run Compatibility Checker
Compatibility Checker is one of the most useful new features in Word 2007. Word will analyze your document and check for compatibility issues with earlier versions of Word. This will help you make sure that other readers will see all the elements of your document, correctly formatted. Unless you’re sure a recipient uses Office 2007, you should run Compatibility Checker.