How to Make Keyboard Bullets, Copyright, Trademark,

Hearts, French Accents, & Other Symbols with the Alt Key
QñÑ

Do you ever need to type symbols or foreign letters that aren't on your
computer keyboard?
Here's a quick tutorial with three ways for creating keyboard symbols
including Copyright, Trademark, Registered, hearts, bullets, smiley faces,
French, German and Spanish accents, currency, "en" and "em" dashes,
Wingdings, Dingbats and more.

Even though I write in English, I've often needed to type a name or word in
French, German or Spanish, using letters with accents such as à, é, ü or ñ.
But they aren't on my English keyboard. So many times I had to use e' when
what I really wanted was the accented é. There are many words in common
usage that require these accents: résumé, tête-à-tête, à la carte....
For a long time, I never knew the secret to these "missing" keyboard
symbols... until one day I was given a list of them. Ah-ha! No more mystery.
Actually, there are three methods you can use:
1. The "Insert" function in Microsoft Word/Publisher/FrontPage
2. The Windows "Character Map" for copying and pasting symbols
3. The "Alt Key" shortcuts for the same symbols.

(1) How to Use the "Insert" Function:

In many Windows programs (including Word, Publisher and FrontPage),
there's an easy way to insert symbols for copyright, trademark, cents and
French, German and Spanish accents.

On the top of the screen of your open Word (Publisher/FrontPage) document,

you'll see the headings: File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, etc. Click on "Insert"
and on the drop-down list, click on "Symbol." A symbol box will pop up. Click
on the symbol you want to insert into your text, then click on the insert
button and close the box.

(2) How to Use the "Character Map" in Windows:

Another method is to use the "Character Map" to copy and paste the required
symbols. In Windows (XP) you'll find the Character Map by clicking on the
Windows Start Menu, then All Programs, then Accessories, System Tools
and Character Map. The Character Map box pops up.
Choose the font you wish to use from the drop-down menu at the top. Place
your curser where you'd like to insert the symbol, click on the symbol you
wish to insert, click on the Select Button, then the Copy Button and then
paste the symbol onto your page (using Edit, Paste or the "Control v"
shortcut). You'll also see the Alt Key shortcut at the bottom of the Character
Map, for future reference.

(3) How to Make Keyboard Symbols with the "Alt"

Key and Numeric Keypad:
Another way is to use the "Alt" key and numbers - making sure to use your
numeric keypad, not the numbers on the top of the keyboard. NumLock
needs to be ON. (If you don't have a numeric keypad on your computer
keyboard, you can still use the insert function - see above.)

Using the numeric keypad, hold down the Alt key, hit the Zero key and then
three additional numbers in succession. For example for © Copyright, hold
down Alt, press the number 0, then press the numbers 1, 6, 9. Then you can
let up the Alt key.
The basic symbols below will work with most text fonts.
Copyright (©) is Alt, 0, 1, 6, 9

Trademark (™) is Alt, 0, 1, 5, 3

Registered (®) is Alt, 0, 1, 7, 4

Bullet (•) is Alt, 0, 1, 4, 9

Ellipsis (...) is Alt, 0, 1, 3, 3

"EN" Dash (–) is Alt, 0, 1, 5, 0

"EM" Dash (—) is Alt, 0, 1, 5, 1

Pound (£) is Alt 0, 1, 6, 3

Cents (¢) is Alt, 0, 1, 6, 2

One-half (½) is Alt, 0, 1, 8, 9

French accent (à) is Alt, 0, 2, 2, 4

French accent (ç) is Alt, 0, 2, 3, 1
French accent (è) is Alt, 0, 2, 3, 2
French accent (é) is Alt, 0, 2, 3, 3
French accent (ê) is Alt, 0, 2, 3, 4
German accent (ü) is Alt, 0, 2, 5, 2

Spanish accent (ñ) is Alt, 0, 2, 4, 1

Making Graphics with Text Fonts:

In print publications such as flyers, it's helpful to know how to make check
boxes, checkmarks or scissors (for coupon cutting). You get these symbols
with Wingding (comes with Word) and Dingbat fonts that let you add even
more pizzazz to your documents with hearts, stars, arrows, fancy bullets,
spacers and more.

A few Dingbat-style symbols come with your text fonts!

(These work with Times New Roman and Arial, but not web-style fonts such
as Verdana)
Smiley face☺ is Alt, 1
Heart ♥ is Alt, 3
Diamond ♦ is Alt, 4
Club ♣ is Alt, 5
Spade ♠ is Alt, 6
Bullet • is Alt, 7
Bullet ◘ is Alt, 8
Music Notes ♫ is Alt, 1, 4
Sun ☼ is Alt, 1, 5
(Heart border = Alt, 3 repeated, using Times New Roman 12 point font.)
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Graphic Text Symbols
For graphic text symbols, change your font to Wingdings (comes with Microsoft Word and
Publisher) or Zapf Dingbats (for hearts). You can resize these symbols the same
way you'd resize any text.
** (The Winging symbols don't show up in Firefox, but your CAN see them
with Internet Explorer.)

WINGDINGS (comes with Microsoft Word, Publisher):

Either use the "Insert" function or the following sampling of
keyboard shortcuts:
Pencil ( ) is Alt, 0, 3, 3
Scissors ( ) is Alt, 0, 3, 4
Envelope ( ) is Alt, 0, 4, 4
Smiley face ( ) is Alt, 0, 7, 4
Yin-Yang ( ) is Alt, 0, 9, 1
Check box ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 1, 1
Bullet ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 1, 8
Small bullet ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 1, 9
Divider ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 5, 0
Divider ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 5, 1
Bullet ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 5, 9
Bullet ( ) is Alt, 0, 1, 6, 7
Astrological Symbols:
from to (Alt 9, 4 to Alt 1, 0, 5)
(Alt, 0, 1, 1, 8 in Wingdings repeated)

** (The Dingbats symbols don't show up in Firefox, but your CAN see them
with Internet Explorer... if you have the Dingbats font.)
Either use the "Insert" function as instructed above, or the following sampling
of keyboard shortcuts (you'll find more at Insert, Symbol):
Heart symbol (¤) is Alt 0, 1, 6, 4
Heart symbol (ª) is Alt 0, 1, 7, 0
Divider heart symbol ( ¦ ) is Alt, 0, 1, 6, 6
Divider heart symbol (§) is Alt, 0, 1, 6, 7
Scissors symbol ( " ) is Alt, 0, 3, 4 (for coupon cutting)
Checkmark symbol ( 4 ) is Alt, 0, 5, 2
X Checkmark Symbol ( 8 ) is Alt, 0, 0, 5, 6
Star Symbol ( H ) is Alt, 0, 7, 2
Check Box Symbol ( o ) is Alt, 0, 1, 1, 1
Arrow Symbol ( Ü ) is Alt, 0, 2, 2, 0
Another Cool Bullet ( u ) is Alt, 0, 1, 1, 7

¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
(Alt, 0, 1, 6, 6 - Dingbat heart border - it looks great, but you can only see it
if you have Dingbats installed on your computer.)