Safest image format to use with Word?

[Hyland]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel Well... IS there a safe image file format to use with Word? (jpeg vs tiff vs png vs...)

Until now, all of my Word documents have been lean, clean (styled) text only. But recently I've realized that it would be helpful to include images in my files.

Am I asking for trouble? Am I asking for less trouble if I...

- Insert them all as in-line graphics?
- "Size" the images in another application before inserting them so that I don't need to size them (or alter them in any way) in Word?
- Use images that are under 50k each?
- Use a maximum of 25 or so images per file?
- Convert them to png files? (they're currently jpegs)

Does Word "embed" the images into the file? Once we attach an image, we don't need to keep the image in the same folder as the doc? (Like Quark or InDesign, for instance.) The "embedding" is what causes problems, right?

I was once burned very badly at press time by an image given to me by someone that used Publisher (my file was in Quark) and I swore to never to touch an image file that had ever touched a MS product again.

Maybe it's time to rethink that?

Thanks!

 

[macropod]

Hi Hyland,

Any image format that you can copy/paste into Word is fine - embedding images tends to convert them to jpg or png anyway.
Alternatively, you can insert the images as links to keep the Word file size small. If the image is to be embedded, resizing to the
required final size beforehand at, say, 300dpi, will optimize the print quality and file size combination.

 

[michael_carr]

They absolutely must be converted to PNGs *before* importing them... just importing them does not automatically convert them. PNGs are the only format that I've found that is stable in every Microsoft product, bi-platform Mac and Windows, with absolutely no corruption whatsoever. Don't import them into the text as line items. Import them as individual objects, and use the wrap/or unwrap ("behind" or "in front of" text function.

 

[michael_carr]

Size images to actual view, and 72 dpi for screen (PowerPoint), and 150 dip for print. Anything else is wasted, and will bloat your file size beyond acceptability.

 

[John McGhie]

72 dpi is way too low these days. Modern displays need about 110 to 150
dpi, and 300 dpi to do a good job on an office laser printer.

Or use a vector graphic format, where DPI has no relevance. EPS works well,
as does PDF if it contains EPS.

Cheers

Size images to actual view, and 72 dpi for screen (PowerPoint), and 150 dip
for print. Anything else is wasted, and will bloat your file size beyond
acceptability.

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

--

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Jim Gordon Mac MVP]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor:
Intel Well... IS there a safe image file format to use with Word? (jpeg
vs tiff vs png vs...)

Until now, all of my Word documents have been lean, clean (styled) text
only. But recently I've realized that it would be helpful to include
images in my files.

Am I asking for trouble? Am I asking for less trouble if I...

- Insert them all as in-line graphics?
- "Size" the images in another application before inserting them so that
I don't need to size them (or alter them in any way) in Word?
- Use images that are under 50k each?
- Use a maximum of 25 or so images per file?
- Convert them to png files? (they're currently jpegs)

Does Word "embed" the images into the file? Once we attach an image, we
don't need to keep the image in the same folder as the doc? (Like Quark
or InDesign, for instance.) The "embedding" is what causes problems, right?

I was once burned very badly at press time by an image given to me by
someone that used Publisher (my file was in Quark) and I swore to never
to touch an image file that had ever touched a MS product again.

Maybe it's time to rethink that?

Thanks!

I'll add my 2 cents. Avoid PICT format. PC users probably won't be able
to display pictures that start off as PICT.

-Jim