Forum Discussion
Format of a new document
You could put these design elements into the Normal Template but that would be a very bad idea if your design includes any graphics or text. You cannot simply make your new document a template and save it as Normal.dotm, though. How to Open the Normal Template in Any Desktop Version of Word (except Mac 2008)
First, you want this to be a Document Template. You can add it / pin it to your templates and use it for new documents. You can put a link to it on your desktop if you want and double-click that to start Word with a new document based on the template.
It is possible to have such a template, not the Normal.dotm template, be the default basis for all new documents. You can also add a link to your QAT or even your Ribbon to start a new document based on your custom template. See my Letterhead AddIn(s) - Default New Document and Easy New Document Template Package for ideas on how to do this.
Lene