The Page Estimator
Occassionally we get emails from users telling us how much they like the page estimator. I have to agree. I find myself using both the word count in the Material window (bottom right) and the page estimator in the Composition (bottom right) to keep track of my own daily writing goals.
The word counter in the Material window makes me feel a little better when I get immersed in a single idea. A quick glance to check the count and I know I have made my goal. I also keep an eye on the page estimator in a composition to track my weekly and monthly writing goals. I typically create one composition per chapter and then pull in relevant ideas from the portfolio. I am pretty verbose at times and the page estimator helps me to quickly know when I have gone a little overboard and have some serious weeding to do. It is a good starting point when I am trying to bring together a chapter. Sometimes I just like to write within a composition itself, creating materials as I go. A quick update on the preview pane and a glance at the page estimator lets me know when I can quit for the day.
The page estimator works by counting the words and thereby estimating the page count. The nice thing is that you have the option to change the word count to fit your individual page specifications. The default word count per page is 600. This matches directly with a 1.5 spaced document in MSWord. In the Compose Draft Options window in the composition you have the option to change the spacing of the transcribed document in MSWord. To change the default number of words and customize the page estimator to your liking go to Tools (main portfolio homepage), click on Options and then select the Editor tab.