Change the background shade of a Word document

Many people find the white background of a word document on the screen uncomfortable.

There is a medical condition which could lead to this discomfort – it’s called scotopic sensory syndrome and http://www.hale.ndo.co.uk/scotopic/definition.htm has information.

Using Windows you can change the colour of the background. This change will change the background of other features as well.

To make the change in Windows XP go to the Desktop and click with the right mouse button on an empty part of the screen.

A pop-up menu will appear – click on Properties at the bottom.

The Display Properties window will appear. Choose the Appearance tab at the top.

When the new window appears, click on the Advanced button.

In this window click on the Window Text area.

There’s a button available which allows you to change the colour of the background. Click on this button to see the range of colours available. Then click on the Other button to see all the colours available.

Use the slider on the right to change the luminance of the colour.

When you’ve chosen a shade you like step back through all the open windows by clicking the OK buttons and the background colour will be changed.

You may have to go back and repeat the exercise to get the exact shade you want.