Word provides several features that make inserting graphics into your document a breeze. However, having text and graphics on the same page can get a bit tricky. The following articles explore many of the issues you may run into when working with graphics and how to resolve them.

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'Graphics' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

   A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Nothing beats a screen shot when you are trying to convey information about using the computer. With just a couple of easy shortcuts, you can add screen shots to your documents.

   Absolutely Positioning a Graphic
Want a graphic to appear at a precise place on the page? It's easy to gain control by following the steps in this tip.

   Adjusting Shadow Settings
Insert a graphic into a document and Word allows you to add a shadow behind the graphic. You can also adjust the properties of the shadow, as described in this tip.

   Anchoring Objects by Default
When you position objects (such as text boxes or graphics) on a page, one of the things you can do is to anchor the object, so it won't move as freely. Want the object to be anchored by default? You'd be out of luck, as described in this tip.

   Automatically Formatting Graphics and Shapes
Want to change the graphics formatting defaults in Word? You can customize some of these defaults, saving yourself some time.

   Best Quality for High Resolution Graphics
You want your documents to look as good as they can. If those documents include graphics, then you also need to make sure that they look as good as they can. Here are some ideas on how to get the best quality you can.

   Capturing a Screen
Windows provides a way of "capturing" the image on the screen into the clipboard. You can then paste the image from the clipboard into your document.

   Changing Compression Print Resolution
The resolution at which Word compresses graphics in a document may be bothersome. If it is, your options are very limited, and you will probably get better results by looking toward a solution other than Word.

   Changing the Size of a Drawing Object
Documents are often made up of more than just text. If you have drawing objects in your document, you will doubtless need to change their sizes from time to time. Here's how to easily make the changes you need.

   Changing the Size of a Graphic
Word allows you to add more than text to your documents; you can also add graphics. Once added, you can modify the size of those graphics by using the techniques in this tip.

   Choosing an Insert Method for Pictures
The way that you choose to add pictures to your document can have an effect on the file size of those documents. It is best not to paste pictures, but to insert them instead.

   Converting Tables to Charts
Put numeric information in a table and you can then convert that information to a graphical chart using Microsoft Graph Chart. Here's how to create the chart object.

   Counting All Graphics
Need to know how many graphics a document contains? Getting at the true number may take a little more work than it first appears.

   Cropping Graphics
Need your hide some of the outside edges of a graphic? You can instruct Word to crop (or hide) those outside edges by following the steps in this tip.

   Default Picture Location
When you insert pictures into a document, the first folder that Word opens up is normally the My Pictures folder. You can change the starting folder by making a change in Word's configuration.

   Determining Picture Size in a Macro
When processing a document using a macro, you may need for your macro to figure out the sizes of the images in your document. This information can be accessed by using the techniques described in this tip.

   Disappearing Graphics Groups
Grouping graphics together can be a great way to manage them easier. Doing the grouping, however, could have unintended consequences. Word handles grouped graphics differently than the individual graphics that make up the group. This tip explains how that can affect your document.

   Displaying Thumbnails and Full-Size Images
Sometimes images can be just too big to display in a document. Instead you may want to display a smaller, thumbnail-size version of the graphic that people can click on in order to see the full-size version. Word doesn't have a built-in function to do this, but you can devise your own display method using the hyperlink capabilities of the program.

   Dragging and Dropping Pictures in a Document
Do you like to add pictures to your document just by dragging and dropping? What are you to do if it appears the capability just stops one day? Here's an idea for a fix you can check.

   Duplicating Drawing Objects
Need to duplicate a drawing object? It's easy to do if you use the same editing techniques you are already familiar with.

   Easily Changing Links in Documents
You may have a lot of linked images in a document, and then one day need to change the links if the location of the images change. Here's how you can make the necessary changes quickly.

   Editing Wrap Points
If you have a graphic that has text wrapping around it, you might want a way to modify the wrapping path used by Word. You can easily do that by modifying the points that define the wrapping path. This tip shows how easy it is to monkey with the wrap points around an image.

   Figure Captions Change Incorrectly
Word allows you to easily add captions to your images. You may not always get what you expect, however, when you have multiple images very close to each other on a page. Here's why that situation may cause the unexpected results.

   Finding and Removing Stubborn Graphics
When you convert a document from a PDF to a Word file, you may end up with more than you bargain for. This tip discusses how to get rid of any graphics that may be stuck into headers and footers by the conversion process.

   Freezing Cell Size when Inserting Pictures
Insert a picture into a table cell, and you may quickly find that the table is no longer the size you expected. Here's how to make sure that the cells in your table don't resize themselves when you insert an image.

   Getting Pictures Out of Word
If you receive a Word document from someone, you may want to get any graphics it contains into their own files. You can do that using any of the several techniques described in this tip.

   Gradient Prints as Stripes
When you print a graphic that includes a gradient, you may not get exactly the output you expect. This tip examines two potential sticking points in printing gradient images.

   Graphics and Line Height
If the in-line graphics in your document appear "chopped off," it could be directly related to the formatting within the paragraph containing the graphic. This tip explains why this chopping happens and how you can adjust formatting so that the entire graphic shows up.

   Graphics Marked as Changed when Comparing Documents
The tools on the Review tab of the ribbon allow you to do all sorts of markup and comparisons of documents. When comparing documents, you may notice that Word marks graphics as changed, even if they aren't. There may, unfortunately, be no easy way around this problem.

   Grouping Images Changes Text Wrap to Inline
When you group images together, Word needs to figure out how to set the text wrapping for the new group. This tip explains the process that Word follows and shows you how you can have greater control over the results of your groupings.

   Hiding Graphics
Do you need a printout where graphics can be turned on and off? This tip provides some concrete ways you can get just want you need in such a printout.

   Images in Documents Shared with Others
Word allows you to add images to your documents. If you send those documents to others, you may run across a problem that generates an error when those others try to view the images.

   Images Won't Print
Documents can contain images, as you already know. What if you spend a lot of time adding images to your documents, but those images don't appear when you print? Here's some ideas on why that may happen.

   Inserting an Image On a Specific Page
Macros are great for processing a document just the way you want. You can even use them to insert graphics, as described in this tip.

   Inserting from the Clip Art Gallery Doesn't Work
Ever insert a picture and it won't display in your document? It could be due to some of the display settings in Word. Here's how to check them out.

   Inserting Multiple Graphics in a Document
Word allows you to easily place graphics in a document. Placing one or two graphics is easy, but placing many graphics in a single document can easily become tedious. Here are some ways that you can insert a large number of graphics into a document quickly and easily.

   Keeping a Picture Title with the Picture
Pictures and their titles go together like peanut butter and jelly. (Wow, did I just say that?) Seriously, pictures and titles belong together, and keeping them on the same page can be a challenge at times. Here are some things to check.

   Keeping an Image Centered in a Table Cell
Tables are often used in Word documents to help with page layout. This may lead you to inserting images within the cells of a table. If you want to keep those images centered both horizontally and vertically, you'll appreciate the information in this tip.

   Keeping Callouts Positioned
Using graphics to add callouts to your graphics is a common occurrence in Word. Here's how to stop all those graphics from moving to places other than where you originally place them.

   Making Pasted Images the Same Size as the Original
Using the Snipping tool to place an image into a Word document can produce often confusing results. This tip looks at the quirks of the tool and discusses what you can do about them.

   Making Pictures Show in Word
What are you to do if you can't see all the pictures you know are in your document? The answer may lie in where those pictures are placed, how you are viewing your document, and what configuration settings you are using.

   Missing Left Border
Ever wonder why a border around a graphic doesn't print the way it looks on the screen? There are several ways to add and edit borders. Here's where to look to find the problem, along with other useful information about printing.

   Moving Captions with Pictures
Put a caption with a picture and you'd probably like the two elements to behave like they belong together. If you are tired of your captions getting separated from their pictures, here are some ideas you can use.

   Moving Images Behind Text
When positioning images in a document, you may want them to appear behind text, so that the text shows up over the top of the image. There are a couple of different ways to get this effect.

   Moving Object Anchors
When you insert an object into your document, it is anchored to a paragraph. If you want to change the paragraph to which the object is anchored, you can do so by using the technique in this tip.

   Not Selecting Images when Selecting Text
When selecting text in a document that contains images, it is important to understand the relationship of those images with the text. It is that relationship that determines how the images are selected.

   Nudging a Graphic
If you need to move a graphic just a little bit in one direction or another, you can do so by using the techniques in this tip. (Hint: Using the keyboard to nudge a graphic is easiest.)

   Only Inline Figures Can be Seen and Printed
Insert a graphic into a document and you expect to be able to see it. What do you do if it isn't displayed, however? Here are some things to check out.

   Permanent Watermarks in a Document
Need to add a graphic watermark to a document? It's not that hard to do but making the watermark permanent can be a bit more vexing.

   Pictures Move on their Own
Insert some pictures into a document and you may be in for a surprise--they don't necessarily stay where you put them. Depending on how you add pictures and what formatting you apply, your pictures may move around a document the same way that your text can. This tip explains how to make pictures stay where you put them.

   Placing Many Graphics in a Document
Word documents can contain more than just text. You can even create documents that contain almost no text at all. This would be the case if you have a document in which you want to insert a large number of graphics. This tip explains how you can easily do the insertion and make the graphics printable.

   Positioning Graphics Evenly
If you have some graphics inserted in your document, you may want to adjust the horizontal space between those graphics. Here's the easiest way to make that adjustment.

   Printing Graphic Thumbnails
If you are doing work with a lot of graphics, it may be helpful to create a summary page that contains thumbnail representations of all the graphics. Here's a handy macro that can make quick work of such a page.

   Problems Pasting Large Pictures
If you insert a large picture in your document and your text jumps all around and the picture seems to disappear, don't worry. The information in this tip will help you get matters back to normal in record time.

   Removing a Watermark
Word allows you to add watermarks to your documents. If you inherit a document that includes a watermark, you may be at a loss as to how to get rid of it. This tip explains the process.

   Removing Pictures from Multiple Files
Working with a single document is easy. Working with thousands of documents becomes much harder. If you need to get rid of pictures in a particular area of many, many documents, you'll appreciate the macro in this tip.

   Replacing an Image Filename with the Actual Image
Want to insert a whole bunch of images in your document all at once? The macro in this tip shows you how easy it is to perform this task.

   Replacing Graphics with Graphics
You can use the Find and Replace feature of Word to replace inline graphics with other graphics. This tip explains how easy it is.

   Resize Graphics Outside of Word
Need your graphics to be larger or smaller than they first appear when you insert them in a document? Your best bet may be to resize them using a program other than Word. Here's why.

   Rotate a Graphic Using the Keyboard
Rotating a graphic using the mouse is rather easy. Rotating a graphic using the keyboard is a bit trickier. This tip discusses different ways to use the keyboard in your rotational efforts.

   Rotating Fractions in a Text Box
Rotating graphics in Word is not always straight-forward, but it can be done. This tip examines a special need to individually rotate three graphics in different ways.

   Saving Embedded Images to Individual Files
Word has long allowed you to embed pictures or images in the documents you create. What if you want to get those pictures back out of a document, perhaps one you receive from someone else? This tip looks at three ways you can save those embedded images.

   Scaling Graphics in a Macro
If you need to make sure that the graphics in a document are all scaled similarly, you'll love the macros presented in this tip. Use them to scale individual graphics or all the graphics.

   Searching and Replacing Graphics
Got a bunch of graphics in a document that need replacing? (Perhaps you need to replace an old logo with a new one.) Word doesn't provide a direct way to do it, but there are ways to get what you want.

   Searching for Floating Graphics with a Macro
Graphics can be added to a document so that they are either inline with the text or floating over the text. You can use Word's Find and Replace tool to locate the inline graphics, but not the floating ones. This tip provides ways you can find the latter type of graphics.

   Securing Your Signature
If you want to "sign" your documents, you might be tempted to insert a graphic scan of your signature into them. Before doing so, make sure you understand the concerns discussed in this tip.

   Selecting a Graphic Behind a Text Box
How to select a graphic that is obscured by a text box can be perplexing. Here's an overview of the different ways you can select just the graphic and nothing else.

   Selecting a Graphic that is Behind Text
Position a graphic so that it is "behind" your text, and it may seem like you can no longer select the graphic. Here's how you can get to that graphic, even if it is obscured by your text.

   Setting the Wrapping Default for Objects
Want to have objects such as text boxes and shapes always appear using some formatting you like? Here are some ideas on setting the defaults according to your needs.

   Stop Graphics and Text from Jumping Around
Do you struggle with getting your graphics and surrounding text to appear just the way you want it? Here are some techniques you can use to make the task a bit easier.

   The Changing Relationship of WordArt and Text Boxes
Two of the long-time features in Word are text boxes and WordArt. You might not think these two are related, but they are becoming more so with each passing version of Word.

   Turning Off Borders for Data Series
Don't want a border to appear around a data series represented in a Microsoft Graph chart? You can easily control the appearance of the border by following the simple steps in this tip.

   Turning Off Overlapping, by Default
Do you like your text boxes to overlap each other or not. (Word allows both approaches.) This tip provides a couple of macros that can make turning off overlapping fast and easy.

   Turning on Picture Placeholders
Displaying graphics in a document requires a great deal more computer processing than displaying simple text. A document that has "too many" graphics in it scrolls very slowly. If switching from Print layout to Draft view does not speed up scrolling to a satisfactory point you can also tell Word to display the graphics as simple empty box placeholders.

   Understanding "Through" Text Wrapping
Understanding how Word handles wrapping text around a graphic or other object is critical to getting the best page layout possible. One text wrapping option you can use is through wrapping, explained in this tip.

   Understanding Grayscale Images
Word allows you to easily add images to your documents. For documents intended for monochrome printers, grayscale images are the most common type of graphic you can use. This tip explains exactly what a grayscale image is.

   Understanding Object Anchors
Do you have documents that contain objects? Understanding how Word handles objects and the way they are anchored can make a big difference in the final look of your document. This tip explores object anchors and why they are important.

   Understanding Page Border Art
Add some artwork around the border of your printed page, and you may not know where that artwork comes from. You may also want to add your own graphics to be used as page borders. Because Word uses a proprietary format for this type of graphic, adding your own artwork may not be possible.

   Understanding SmartArt
SmartArt provides a way to add classy presentation graphics to your document. Here's a high-level explanation of what you can do with SmartArt.

   Understanding the Drawing Canvas
Need to keep your drawing shapes together in one place? The drawing canvas may be exactly what you are looking for.

   Understanding WordArt
One of the small graphical features provided with Word is the ability to apply artistic treatment to words or phrases. This is done through the WordArt tool, overviewed in this tip.

   Unwanted Graph Paper Effect
When you open a document or start to use Word, do you see a background that looks like graph paper? It could be because of any number of reasons, as described in this tip.

   Using Object Anchors
An object anchor is used to signify the point at which an object is inserted into a document. If you want to see these anchors, you need to configure Word to display them.

   Using the Drawing Grid
One of the lesser-known drawing tools provided in Word is the drawing grid. You can easily turn this feature on and use it to help you create drawing objects that are uniformly sized and placed.

   Using the Selection Pane
When you need to arrange objects in relation to each other, one of the handy tools that Word provides is the Selection and Visibility page. This tip explains how to display it and how to use it.

   Vertical Alignment of an Inline Graphic
Word allows you to insert graphics in two ways: either inline or floating. If you use inline graphics, you may want to adjust the vertical position of the graphic in relation to the text to the left or right of the graphic. Here's how to do it.

   Vertical Lines in Word
Lines can help to organize the data on a page or make certain points clearer. Word provides several different ways you can add vertical lines to your page layout.

   Vertically Aligning Text and an Image
Getting your images and text positioned exactly where you want them can be a challenge. Here are the settings you need to pay attention to when trying to get a precise vertical alignment of both elements.

   Wrapping Text Around a Graphic
Place a graphic in your document, and you may want to make sure that your document text "wraps" around the edges of the graphic. Here's the quick way to change how Word wraps the text.

   Writing On Top of Locked Graphics
Getting graphics to appear right where you want them in relation to the text in your document can be a challenge. One such challenge is positioning a graphic that doesn't move and over which your text appears. Here are some techniques you can try.