Graphics in Word
January 4, 2007 4:36 PM Subscribe
Help me place graphics in a Word document, pretty please.
I’m producing a series of diagrams for a project. The text of the project is in MS Word. To create the diagrams, I’m using a nice piece of software called Omnigraffle. Love it. I produce the diagrams, export them as PDFs (or TIFFs, PNGs, JPEGs) and then cut and paste them into the Word document. They look like crap (or rather, the resolution is low; looks bit mapped to me). Anything easy (that is, not involving Illustrator, Photoshop or In Design) I can do to sharpen them up?
I’m producing a series of diagrams for a project. The text of the project is in MS Word. To create the diagrams, I’m using a nice piece of software called Omnigraffle. Love it. I produce the diagrams, export them as PDFs (or TIFFs, PNGs, JPEGs) and then cut and paste them into the Word document. They look like crap (or rather, the resolution is low; looks bit mapped to me). Anything easy (that is, not involving Illustrator, Photoshop or In Design) I can do to sharpen them up?
What version of OmniGrafflie? What version of Word, X or 2004? When you "cut and paste" the PDFs, what program were you opening the PDFs in, Preview? Do they look crappy printed out, or also on screen?
I've made little design-y bits in OmniGraffle before since it's quick-n-dirty and does such lovely things with gradients and transparency. I don't recall seeing problems like this using the finished graphics in Word but then again the pieces destined for Word tended to be single color or simply black and white...
posted by bcwinters at 5:18 PM on January 4, 2007
I've made little design-y bits in OmniGraffle before since it's quick-n-dirty and does such lovely things with gradients and transparency. I don't recall seeing problems like this using the finished graphics in Word but then again the pieces destined for Word tended to be single color or simply black and white...
posted by bcwinters at 5:18 PM on January 4, 2007
Out of curriosity, have you tried printing them out? I know some programs (not sure about Word) show a low quality preview for larger graphics, and it's possible that there is a setting for this somewhere.
A quick Google search came up with nothing talking about this, though, so it's very possible that I'm wrong.
posted by niles at 5:18 PM on January 4, 2007
A quick Google search came up with nothing talking about this, though, so it's very possible that I'm wrong.
posted by niles at 5:18 PM on January 4, 2007
What about the settings you're using to export them as jpgs etc? Can you adjust them so that your final images are higher res? Also second whatisish, sometimes (who knows why?) insert picture gives me a different result to cut & paste.
posted by b33j at 5:49 PM on January 4, 2007
posted by b33j at 5:49 PM on January 4, 2007
Response by poster: And bcwinters is the winner! I was using Preview to view and c/p the diagrams. Switched to Reader and things are crisp. Thanks.
posted by MarshallPoe at 5:56 PM on January 4, 2007
posted by MarshallPoe at 5:56 PM on January 4, 2007
Omnigraffle is a vector based drawing tool. If you export your diagrams in one of the vector formats (EPS, PICT or SVG) and use Insert->Picture->From File to get them into your Word document, then Word should incorporate them as vector drawings, and render them as well as possible. Exporting to an intermediate bitmap format gives you the choice between enormous Word documents and rendering with noticeable artifacts.
posted by flabdablet at 5:12 AM on January 5, 2007
posted by flabdablet at 5:12 AM on January 5, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by whatisish at 4:41 PM on January 4, 2007