Aug 25, 2014

When you create drawings or diagrams in Microsoft Visio, you have the ability to insert multiple foreground pages. Each page might be part of an overall set of diagrams related to each other. For example, an organisational chart might need to span across several pages. Rather than making the diagram so big that it needs to be sticky-taped together once printed, it could be split into multiple diagrams; one on each page. Background pages are useful in this aspect especially when you want the same elements repeated across those pages (for example, a company logo). A background page can be applied to as many foreground pages as necessary.

To create a new background page in Visio:

1. Under the 'Insert' tab, click the 'Blank Page' option and select 'Background Page.'
2. In the 'Page Setup' dialog box, change the name of the page if desired and click OK.
3. Add the common element(s) to the background page.

To apply a background page to a foreground page in Visio:

1. Similar to the above steps, navigate to the Foreground Page.
2. In the 'Page Setup' dialog, click on the 'Page Properties' tab.
3. From the 'Background' drop-down list, choose the background page and then click OK.

It should be noted that if you add either a page title from the Borders & Titles gallery or a background from the Backgrounds gallery on the Design tab, a background page is automatically added. For more tips on using Microsoft Visio 2010 or 2013 to create diagrams effectively, take a look at the range of Microsoft Visio training courses at New Horizons.