Google Docs gets some new features, templates will come soon

If you have used Google Docs since the beginning, you will know that the service goes through changes quite often. This round of changes includes some great new features that I'm sure people will be happy about.

First, when viewing the Docs list, the share button lets you do more than you previously could:

Now when you share your documents from the Docs list, you have all your options in one place. You can choose your collaborators and viewers, set permissions, and see who else is already sharing the document, just by clicking the 'Share' button.

Another usability update is the separation of "Print Settings" and "Print". Before this update, every time you wanted to print, you had to first go to a screen to set your printer up. This change lets you set up your settings -- then at any time after that, selecting "Print" starts printing immediately.

Google has also taken steps toward offering templates. Now users have the ability to apply CSS to their documents -- this means users can technically make their own templates if they are ambitious enough. I don't think it will be long before Google gives us a bunch of templates to choose from.

We've heard your overwhelming requests for templates and styles in Docs and we've taken a baby step in that direction: tech-savvy users can now applyCSS to Google documents. Just go to a doc, click on the "Edit" menu and click on "Edit CSS". A dialog box will appear and you're ready to create your custom styles!

If you would like a more detailed explanation of how editing CSS in Google Docs works, click here.