problem with figure export from powerpoint 2002

[Tom Mattaar]

When I make a slide with some flowchart symbols, connected by connectors, and
I do a "save as" windows metafile, there is a big difference between
Powerpoint 2002 and Powerpoint 97.

With PowerPoint 2002 the connectors in the exported wmf file are _way_ too
thick (independent of the actual line width that is set in PP). With
PowerPoint 97 it is OK.

The same thing happens when I copy from PP, then past-special "as picture"
in Word. OK with PP 97, ugly thick lines with PP 2002.

Is there a way to avoid this new behaviour, and get some acceptable looking
results with PowerPoint 2002?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Echo S]

Does it work better if you save as EMF instead of WMF?

 

[Tom Mattaar]

Does it work better if you save as EMF instead of WMF?

It does look better on screen, but strangely enough it is not much better
when printed out.

Tom

 

[Echo S]

It does look better on screen, but strangely enough it is not much better
when printed out.

I don't have any ideas. I can repro it here in PPT 2003, though, so I know
you're not dreaming. The EMF connectors do look thinner until you
ungroup the EMF -- then the lines get thick like those in the WMF. So it
doesn't surprise me that they don't print right.

I tried ungrouping the EMF (and the WMF, too, for that matter) and checking
the connector thickness -- the connector size actually shows as 0.13 pt,
which is obviously not correct since it's thicker than the 0.75 pt line I
started with. I can double-click a line and change the width or use the line
style button on the drawing toolbar, though.

I know that's not a solution. How about a PNG or a GIF? They're not vector
images, but they still might work. The real test will be the printouts, but
I don't have a printer hooked up here.

 

[Tom Mattaar]

I don't have any ideas. I can repro it here in PPT 2003, though, so I know
you're not dreaming.

Believe it or not, but I _am_ glad to hear that...I was starting to doubt
myself

/snip/

I know that's not a solution. How about a PNG or a GIF? They're not vector
images, but they still might work. The real test will be the printouts, but
I don't have a printer hooked up here.

Well, with a GIF the lines are thin in the printout, so that's good. All
non-horizontal or -vertical lines show rather significant "stepping" though.
Maybe I can get the resolution up somehow. It looks better than those ugly
thick lines of metafiles though.

It still feels "wrong" though, having to convert a perfectly good vector
drawing to a bitmap.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

Tom

 

[Echo S]

Believe it or not, but I _am_ glad to hear that...I was starting to doubt
myself

heheh. It's nice to have confirmation sometimes, especially when you run
into something that makes you go "HUH?"

Well, with a GIF the lines are thin in the printout, so that's good. All
non-horizontal or -vertical lines show rather significant "stepping" though.
Maybe I can get the resolution up somehow. It looks better than those ugly
thick lines of metafiles though.

It still feels "wrong" though, having to convert a perfectly good vector
drawing to a bitmap.

I totally agree. I'd say it's a bug, but I don't know if it's a bug in PPT
or with the connectors or with the EMF/WMF format specifically. FWIW, I just
tried pasting into Illustrator, just to see what would happen -- got thick
connectors there, too. Saving as WMF and EMF and opening them in Illo had
the same result.

Regular lines don't seem to work much better, either.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

You're welcome, Tom. I just wish I could come up with a real solution for
you. Ah, well.