| name | docx-report-and-document-formatting |
| description | Use when producing or formatting an editable DOCX report, proposal, plan, specification, memo, or letter with named styles, contents, headers, footers, tables, figures, pagination, embedded fonts, and accessibility. Use pdf-proposal-and-bankable-document-design for final fixed-layout PDF craft. |
| metadata | {"portable":true,"category":"13-presentations-and-documents","compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]} |
DOCX Report And Document Formatting
Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com.
Use When
- Producing or reformatting a long-form Word document — report, proposal, business plan,
SRS/BRD, whitepaper, memo, letter, policy, or template — that must read as a considered,
institutional, human-authored artifact rather than a default Word file.
- A document needs a real named-style hierarchy (not ad-hoc bold runs), a table of
contents that updates from heading styles, branded headers/footers and letterhead,
designed tables, numbered figure/table captions, correct page numbering, font
embedding with subsetting, and accessible document tags (real Heading styles, alt text,
table header rows, language, reading order).
- The deliverable must be a
.docx (editable, track-changeable by the client) — not a PDF or a
web page.
Do Not Use When
- The deliverable is a print-ready/branded PDF proposal with cover and divider systems —
use
pdf-proposal-and-bankable-document-design (group 13).
- The artifact is a slide deck — use
pitch-deck-narrative-and-craft / deck-system.
- A spreadsheet is the primary output — use the
xlsx document skill.
- You only need to load/embed a font, with no document structure work — use
font-embedding-and-licensing (group 01).
- No typeface has been chosen yet — run
font-selection-and-pairing (group 01) first, then
return here to apply it.
Required Inputs
| Input | Source | Required? | Evidence |
|---|
| Final or controlled content and hierarchy | Document owner | yes | Approved source and section map |
| Brand, fonts, licence, page, and accessibility requirements | Brand and delivery owners | yes | Asset and format specification |
| Editing and export targets | Consumer | yes | Word version, PDF need, and print constraints |
- The document's purpose, audience, and length class (memo vs multi-section report) — this sets
how many heading levels and whether a TOC is warranted.
- The chosen 01 Formal / Institutional pairing — a distinctive serif for headings
plus a refined body face — stated and justified per the doctrine charter, with its licence
basis confirmed for embedding. Never a banned default (Calibri/Aptos/Inter/Times New Roman as
a reflex).
- Brand assets if a letterhead is required: logo (vector or ≥300 ppi), brand colour hex values,
registered name / address / contact block, and any statutory footer text.
- Trim size and margins (default Letter or A4; see the style system reference).
Workflow
- Pick the 01 Formal / Institutional type and state it. Per the Anti-Slop Charter
(
doctrine/design-doctrine.md §2), name the heading face, the body face, and why they fit
this document before formatting. Default baseline pairing: Source Serif 4 -> Public Sans
for formal institutional documents, or Fraunces -> Source Serif 4 when the brief calls for
a more editorial/literary register. Confirm against
doctrine/references/font-groups-and-usage.md; scan fonts/01-formal-institutional/ for a
purchased premium family and prefer it when it improves the result. Never use a banned font
(doctrine/references/ai-slop-banned-fonts.md) — and never silently fall back to Calibri.
- Build the named style set with real pt sizes. Define Word named paragraph and character
styles — Title, Heading 1–4, Body Text, Lead, Caption, Quote, List styles, Code — with the
exact point sizes, line spacing, space-before/after, and colour given in
references/docx-style-system.md. Bind H1–H4 to Word's built-in Heading 1–4 outline
levels so the TOC and accessibility tree read them. Never style headings with manual
bold/size runs — that breaks the TOC and the tag tree.
- Set the page grid, margins, and baseline. Apply the trim, margins, gutter, and a
consistent vertical rhythm (line grid) from
references/docx-style-system.md. Define the
letterhead/first-page-different section and the body section. For double-sided or bound
output, switch to mirror margins + a binding gutter and open chapters with Section Break
(Odd Page) so they fall on a recto (see the two-sided/bound note in the style reference).
- Compose headers, footers, letterhead, and page numbering. First-page letterhead (logo +
identity block) distinct from running headers; running header with document/section title;
footer with page numbering (
Page X of Y), document reference, and any statutory line. Use
section breaks so front-matter is unnumbered or roman-numbered and the body is arabic. For
bound documents, enable Different odd and even pages for distinct left/right headers-footers
(page number on the outer edge). Save the cover/letterhead as a Building Block / Quick Part
in the template so it is reused, not rebuilt.
- Insert and update the Table of Contents. Generate the TOC from Heading 1–3 styles (not
typed by hand), with tab leaders and right-aligned page numbers; mark it to update on open.
- Format tables and figures. Apply the table style system in
: a real header row (repeated across pages, tagged as a
header), zebra or hairline rules, consistent cell padding, numeric right-alignment, and a
numbered above tables / below figures ("Table 1.", "Figure 1.").
Decision Rules
| Condition | DOCX choice | Wrong-choice failure |
|---|
| Repeated formatting role | Named style, never manual formatting | Direct formatting drifts and breaks navigation |
| Wide exhibit exceeds portrait page | Landscape section or redesigned exhibit | Shrinking makes evidence unreadable |
| Font embedding is prohibited | Approved fallback or PDF-only delivery | Unlicensed embedding creates legal exposure |
Capability Contract
Read, edit, and DOCX rendering are required for production. Execution is required to claim styles, fields, embedding, pagination, or accessibility. Sending or publishing the document requires separate authority.
Degraded Mode
Without Word-compatible rendering, deliver the DOCX marked unverified plus a style map. Stop release when fonts, licences, page renders, fields, or accessibility checks are missing; recover with an approved fallback and explicit caveats.
Anti-Patterns
- Opening in Calibri/Aptos (Word defaults) or reflexively in Times New Roman / Inter —
the recognisable signature of an unconsidered document.
- Manual formatting instead of named styles (bold + size by hand). It breaks the TOC, the
accessibility tag tree, and any later restyle; it is the #1 tell of a non-designed DOCX.
- A single font / single size step for everything — monotype is itself a slop signal
(charter §3). Headings, body, and captions must form a real scale.
- Shipping without embedding/subsetting (recipient sees a substitute, or the file is bloated).
- A TOC typed by hand, page numbers typed as literals, or captions as plain bold lines —
none of which update or tag.
- Inaccessible tables: merged/nested cells, no header row, colour as the only differentiator,
images with no alt text, no document language set.
Outputs
| Artefact | Consumer | Evidence and acceptance condition |
|---|
| Editable DOCX with semantic style system | Authors and client | Heading, body, table, caption, and list roles use named styles |
| Style/font/layout specification | Maintainers | Type, spacing, sections, and fallback rules are documented |
| Rendered page and accessibility evidence | QA and release owner | TOC, fields, pagination, overflow, embedding, and reading order pass |
- A
.docx with a complete named style hierarchy (Title, H1–H4, Body, Lead, Caption, Quote,
lists, code) at real pt sizes bound to outline levels.
- Auto-generated TOC, branded letterhead + headers/footers, correct page numbering.
- Designed tables and numbered table/figure captions.
- Embedded + subset fonts (licence-verified) so it renders as designed everywhere.
- WCAG-tagged document: language set, heading tree, alt text, table headers, AA contrast,
logical reading order — passing Word's Accessibility Checker with zero errors.
- A one-paragraph type-choice rationale (which 01 Formal / Institutional pairing and why), per the charter.
Examples
examples/report-style-table.md — a full applied style spec for a multi-section report
(every style with real pt sizes, spacing, colour, and outline binding).examples/before-after-default-vs-designed.md — the same report page as a default Calibri
Word file vs the designed, styled, tagged version, with the specific changes annotated.
References
doctrine/design-doctrine.md — Anti-Slop Charter, the asymmetry rule, state-the-choice.doctrine/references/font-groups-and-usage.md — 01 Formal / Institutional and 02 Editorial / Literary baseline pairings.doctrine/references/embedding-by-format.md — DOCX embed + subset rules.doctrine/references/licensing-and-embedding.md — licence check before embedding.doctrine/references/ai-slop-banned-fonts.md — the fonts never to use.doctrine/references/wcag-2.2-criteria.md — the accessibility floor (AA), tagging rules.references/docx-style-system.md — the named-style table with pt sizes.references/tables-and-figures.md — table style system + caption rules.references/accessible-docx-tags.md — DOCX accessibility tagging checklist.
