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MARGINALIA_TEST_PAGE

4 min read

MARGINALIA TEST PAGE

They Can All Bird — Layout Experiment

HOW TO SET THIS UP IN WORD

Step 1: Install the Fonts

  1. Download from Google Fonts:

  2. Install on your Mac:

    • Double-click each .ttf file
    • Click “Install Font”

Step 2: Set Up the Page

  1. Layout → Size → More Paper Sizes

    • Width: 6”
    • Height: 9”

  2. Layout → Margins → Custom Margins

    • Top: 0.75”
    • Bottom: 0.75”
    • Inside (Gutter): 1.25” (extra space for marginalia!)
    • Outside: 0.75”

Step 3: Create the Marginalia Text Boxes

For LEFT margin (Blue ink):

  1. Insert → Text Box → Draw Text Box
  2. Draw a narrow box in the left margin (about 1” wide)
  3. Type your marginalia text
  4. Format:
    • Font: Gochi Hand
    • Size: 9pt
    • Color: 2E5090 (dark blue)
    • No border, no fill

For RIGHT margin (Red ink):

  1. Insert → Text Box → Draw Text Box
  2. Draw in the right margin
  3. Format:
    • Font: Permanent Marker
    • Size: 10pt
    • Color: B85450 (faded red)
    • No border, no fill

Step 4: Position Text Boxes

  • Select text box
  • Layout Options → In Front of Text
  • Position: Absolute position, relative to page
  • Drag to place in margin area

VISUAL MOCKUP

Below is what your test page should look like:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ┌──────────┐                                                │
│  │ Blue ink │     THE BIRDBATH                               │
│  │ marginal │                                                │
│  │ goes     │     The ceramic was the color of old bruises.  │
│  │ here     │     I noticed it on my third morning in the    │
│  │ (Gochi   │     rental, though it must have been sitting   │
│  │ Hand)    │     in the garden since before I arrived.      │
│  └──────────┘                                                │
│                                                ┌──────────┐  │
│     The previous tenant had been gone six      │ Red ink  │  │
│     months, the property manager told me.      │ marginal │  │
│     Eviction. The garden had gone to seed,     │ goes     │  │
│     weeds claiming the raised beds, grass      │ here     │  │
│     growing through cracks in the patio.       │ (Perm.   │  │
│                                                │ Marker)  │  │
│     Only the birdbath remained tended.         └──────────┘  │
│     Suspiciously tended.                                     │
│                                                              │
│  ┌──────────┐                                                │
│  │ The      │     The water was clean. Not just clear—       │
│  │ water    │     clean. No algae, no mosquito larvae, no    │
│  │ was      │     fallen leaves.                             │
│  │ warm.    │                                                │
│  └──────────┘                                                │
│                                                              │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

SAMPLE MARGINALIA TEXT

Blue Ink (Early Chapter 1):

[Marginalia: Blue ink]
This is where 
it starts.
Check the date:
February 2026.

Font: Gochi Hand, 9pt, 2E5090

Red Ink (Mid-Chapter 1):

[Marginalia: Red ink]
THE WATER WAS
WARM.
Not normal.
Check weather
records.

Font: Permanent Marker, 10pt, B85450

Pencil (Late Chapter 1):

[Marginalia: Pencil]
i wrote this
i dont remember
writing this

Font: Reenie Beanie, 10pt, #666666 (gray)

PAGE SETUP REFERENCE

Text Box Settings

Blue Ink Text Box:

  • Width: 1.0”
  • Height: Auto (shrink to fit)
  • Position: Left margin, 0.5” from left edge
  • Wrap: In front of text

Red Ink Text Box:

  • Width: 1.0”
  • Height: Auto
  • Position: Right margin, 0.5” from right edge
  • Wrap: In front of text

Font Specifications

StyleFontSizeColorLine Spacing
Blue inkGochi Hand9pt2E50901.3
Red inkPermanent Marker10ptB854501.4
PencilReenie Beanie10pt#6666661.5
Body textGaramond11pt1A1A1A1.15

TROUBLESHOOTING

Text boxes keep moving:

  • Right-click → More Layout Options
  • Position → Lock anchor
  • Check “Lock to page”

Text wraps weird:

  • Select text box
  • Layout Options → In Front of Text (not “Square” or “Tight”)

Fonts look pixelated:

  • Word → Preferences → General
  • Check “Show font previews”
  • Print view shows actual quality

Margins too narrow:

  • Increase “Inside” margin to 1.5”
  • Gives more room for marginalia

ALTERNATIVE: INLINE FORMATTING

If margin text boxes are too fiddly, use this simpler approach:

Block quote style for marginalia:

[Marginalia: Blue ink]
This is where it starts.

Format as:

  • Font: Gochi Hand
  • Size: 10pt
  • Indent: 0.5” left and right
  • Italic
  • Blue color

Trade-off: Loses the “written in margin” effect, but much easier to manage.

NEXT STEPS

  1. Install the fonts (download from Google Fonts)
  2. Create test page in Word using settings above
  3. Type or paste Chapter 1 opening
  4. Add 2-3 marginalia text boxes as test
  5. Print or PDF to see actual result
  6. Adjust font sizes, colors, positions

Once you’re happy with the test page, we can apply the same formatting to all 18 chapters.

“The marginalia should feel like someone read this book before you—and left warnings.”

Graph View