Troubleshoot graphics

• Curved lines— and straight lines that are not perfectly vertical or horizontal— will have some degree of jaggedness on the screen. When printed, the curves appear smooth.
• You can use the Curve button to draw precise curves. Using the Freeform button will also give your drawing a smoother look than using the Scribble button .
• Try increasing the magnification in the Zoom box (Standard toolbar). It's easier to draw details at 200 percent.
• Try setting your mouse to the slowest tracking speed available in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. You have greater control when you draw at a slow speed.
• You can adjust the shape of freeforms to make them look smoother. Select the shape, click Edit Points on the Draw menu to make the vertexes appear, and then drag any vertex. To make it easier to draw details, be sure to increase the magnification in the Zoom box to 200 percent.
• You can smooth freeforms by removing individual vertexes. Select the shape, and then click Edit Points on the Draw menu to make the vertexes appear. Position the pointer over the vertex you want to delete, and then press CTRL as you click the vertex.

• Try increasing the magnification in the Zoom box (Standard toolbar). It's easier to draw details at 200 percent.
• Use the Freeform button instead of the Scribble button .
• Try setting your mouse to the slowest tracking speed available in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. You have greater control when you draw at a slow speed.
• You can adjust the shape of freeforms to make them look smoother.

Instead of using the Align or Distribute command on the Draw menu, try aligning the objects by moving them. Try the following:

• Hold down CTRL and press the arrow keys to nudge the freeform in 1-pixel increments.
• If either the Snap objects to grid check box or the Snap objects to other objects check box is selected (Draw menu, Grid command), temporarily turn it off by pressing ALT as you drag a freeform.

Only drawing objects can be flipped or rotated. If you can convert an object to a drawing object by ungrouping it and then grouping it again, you can flip or rotate it. You won't be able to convert a bitmap to a drawing object.

• To convert an object, select it, click Ungroup on the Draw menu, and then click Group.
• If you can't convert the object, open it in another drawing program, rotate it there, and then save it. When you reopen it in Microsoft Word, it appears rotated.

• Make sure the magnification in the Zoom box (Standard toolbar) is set to 100 percent. Shading patterns can appear distorted at reduced or enlarged views.
• If your monitor is capable of showing only 16 colors, shading may not appear smooth. Shading shows up best on monitors that display 256 or more colors.

• You might be printing in draft mode. To print the borders and graphics in the document, click Options on the Tools menu, click the Print tab, and then clear the Draft output check box.
• Make sure the Drawing objects option, which prints graphics, is selected. On the Tools menu, click Options, click the Print tab, and then select the Drawing objects check box.
• You may be trying to print the field codes for a linked graphic rather than printing the graphic itself. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Print tab. Clear the Field codes check box.
• Microsoft Word or the operating system might be low on memory. Do one or more of the following:
  • Quit any other programs you're running.
  • Save the document you want to print, and then close any other windows you have open.
  • Switch to print layout view. On the Tools menu, click Options, click the View tab, and then clear the Picture placeholders, Status bar, Vertical ruler, Horizontal scroll bar, and Vertical scroll bar check boxes.
  • Switch to normal view. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the View tab. In the Style area width box, type 0 (zero).
  • Hide the toolbars. On the View menu, click Toolbars, and then clear all check boxes.
  • Quit Word, and then restart it.
  • Quit all open programs, and then restart your computer.
  • Disconnect any network connections, and then quit terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs) and any other utilities you usually run.

The line spacing in your document may be set to an exact amount that is smaller than the height of the graphic. Select the graphic, click Paragraph on the Format menu, and then click the Indents and Spacing tab. In the Line spacing box, click Single. If you select Exactly in the Line spacing box, be sure to increase the measurement in the At box to the height of the graphic.

• You may have turned on the Picture placeholders view option. When a document contains pictures, turning on this option improves scrolling speed by displaying outlines instead of the pictures. To display the pictures, click Options on the Tools menu, click the View tab, and then clear the Picture placeholders check box.
• You may have turned off the Drawings view option. Turning off this option improves scrolling speed when a document contains drawing objects, such as AutoShapes. To display drawings, click Options on the Tools menu, click the View tab, and select the Drawings check box.
• Field codes for linked inline graphics may be displayed. Field codes are instructions enclosed in field characters ({}). To hide field codes and display your graphic, press ALT+F9.
• The graphic you want to see may be a drawing object— such as a text box, an AutoShape, clip art, or WordArt. Drawing objects are not visible in normal view. To view, draw, and modify drawing objects, you must be working in print layout view, Web layout view, or print preview.
• You might be working in normal or outline view. To see how objects such as headers, footers, or drawing objects will be positioned on the printed page, switch to print layout view. To see how these objects will appear on a Web page, switch to Web layout view.

To edit the text in a text box, you must click inside the text box before you start making your changes. When you select the text box, Microsoft Word automatically replaces the existing text with the new text you type.

The text is too large to fit inside the text box or AutoShape.

• To make the text smaller, select the text, and click a smaller point size in the Font Size box (Formatting toolbar).
• To make the object larger, click the object, and drag the sizing handles.

Select the object by clicking its border, and then drag. Microsoft Word indicates you can move an object by changing the pointer to a four-headed arrow.

• Make sure the pointer is over the selected text when you try to drag it.
• The drag-and-drop feature might not be on. On the Tools menu, click Options, click the Edit tab, and then select the Drag-and-drop text editing check box.

To rotate the text in a text box or AutoShape, click the text, click Text Direction on the Format menu, and then click the orientation you want. Using the Rotate or Flip command (Draw menu on the Drawing toolbar) causes only the object, not the text it contains, to change its direction.

• You can group the drawing object and the text box— a type of drawing object.
• Make sure the anchor for the text box is next to the accompanying text.
• If you're adding a caption to a drawing object, make sure you select the object before you click Caption (Insert menu, Reference submenu). Also make sure the anchor for the caption is associated with the same paragraph as the anchor for the drawing object.

• If you want the text to wrap tightly and completely around the graphic, make sure that the correct wrapping style is selected. To check this, click the graphic, and then click the command on the Format menu for the type of object you selected— for example, AutoShape or Picture. On the Layout tab, make sure that Tight is selected under Wrapping style.
• Drawings created with the Lines tool (Drawing toolbar, AutoShapes menu) sometimes appear jagged, which may result in text not wrapping tightly around the drawing. You can fix this by making the lines smoother.

  Consider the following when selecting a tool from the Lines category to draw lines, curves, or shapes that combine both lines and curves. When you want a drawing object to look as if it was drawn with a pen, use the Scribble tool. The resulting shape closely matches what you draw on the screen. Use the Freeform tool when you want a more refined shape— one without jagged lines or drastic changes in direction. When you want to draw curves with greater control and accuracy, use the Curve tool.

• If you're wrapping text around a freeform drawing, you can adjust the shape of freeforms to make them look smoother.

If the watermark interferes with the legibility of the text on the page, you can lighten the object you used to create the watermark.

• If you are using a picture, make sure that the Washout check box is selected in the Printed Watermark dialog box.

• If you are using text, select the Semitransparent box in the Printed Watermark dialog box, or select a lighter color, such as light gray, in the Color box.

You can only select multiple graphics if they are all inline or are all floating. To select multiple floating graphics, click a graphic, hold down CTRL, and then click another graphic. To select multiple inline graphics, click to one side of the graphic, and then drag as if you are selecting text. Then, hold down CTRL and drag over another graphic.

If you are trying to copy and paste multiple graphics, you can use the Microsoft Office Clipboard. As you copy each object (up to 12 objects), it is stored in the Clipboard task pane, so that you can click to insert it.

Some commands are available depending on what you have selected and whether a drawing object or picture is on or off of the drawing canvas, or is floating or inline.

• Drawing objects can be moved behind or in front of text only when they are not on a drawing canvas. To move them off the drawing canvas, select and drag them off the canvas boundary.
• You can align only floating objects to a grid. To change them from inline to floating, click the command on the Format menu for the type of object you selected— for example, AutoShape or Picture— and then click the Layout tab. Choose a wrapping style other than Inline with text.
• You can align and distribute only floating objects. To distribute objects equal distances apart, you must select three or more objects, unless you align them relative to the drawing canvas or to the page.
• You can change the text wrapping style for a floating drawing object that is not on a drawing canvas or for a drawing canvas. You cannot change the text wrapping style for an inline drawing object or an object that is on a drawing canvas.

The anchor for the drawing object is locked to the paragraph you want to move. Select the drawing object, and then click the applicable command on the Format menu: AutoShape, Object, Picture, Text Box, or WordArt. Click the Layout tab, and then click Advanced. On the Picture Position tab, clear the Move object with text and Lock anchor check boxes.

Depending on the alignment option you click, drawing objects will move straight up, down, left, or right and might cover an object already there. You can undo the alignment and move the objects to new positions before you align them.

Make sure the Relative to Page option on the Align or Distribute menu isn't checked. When this option is selected, drawing objects will move in relation to the page as well as to other objects.

Unless the Relative to Page or Relative to Canvas options on the Align or Distribute menu are checked, you must select at least two drawing objects to make the alignment options available and at least three objects to make the distribution options available.

You need to temporarily override settings for the grid. To override the settings, press ALT as you drag or draw an object.

• Make sure that you have installed the necessary graphics filter. On the Insert menu, point to Picture, click From File, and then check the list of filters in the Files of type box. If the filter you need is not listed, you may need to install it.
• If the graphics filter you need to import a graphic is not shipped with Word, you need to open the file in a drawing program. Then you can select the graphic, copy it, and paste it to your document. The graphic becomes a Windows metafile (.wmf).
• Open the file in another drawing program, and then save it in a format that can be imported into Word.

• Make sure that you have turned on the display of graphics. On the Tools menu, choose Options, and then click the View tab. Clear the Picture placeholders check box.
• Make sure that you have installed the necessary graphics filter. On the Insert menu, point to Picture, click From File, and then check the list of filters in the Files of type box. If the filter you need is not listed, you might need to install it.

Most imported pictures, such as bitmaps, GIFs, and JPEGs can't be ungrouped and converted to drawing objects.

You can modify imported pictures in an imaging program. For example, to flip or rotate a bitmap image, open it in a program such as Microsoft Photo Editor, flip or rotate it, and then insert it in your document.

Certain types of edits, such as cropping or grouping, will cause an animated GIF picture to be saved as a new picture and lose its animation. To preserve the animation, make the changes in an animated GIF editing program, and then insert the file again.