Linking Excel tables to Pagemaker

[Gene_...@adobeforums.com]

I'm running EX professional and want to link Excel spread sheet data cells to pagemaker, allowing me to update the spread sheet and not have to update the pagemaker document. I have tried it and get cell borders, which do not display in Excel and I don't want in pagemaker. I'm using Pagemaker 6.5. Has this problem been solved in later versions of Pagemaker or is there something I can do to remove the cell borders?

[Gene_...@adobeforums.com]

I'm running EX professional and want to link Excel spread sheet data cells to pagemaker, allowing me to updat the spread sheet and not have to update the pagemaker document. I have tried it and get cell borders, which do not display in Excel and I don't want in pagemaker. I'm using Pagemaker 6.5. Has this problem been solved in later versions of Pagemaker or is there something I can do to remove the cell borders?

[Lyn_Eg...@adobeforums.com]

It is not possible to successfully link to MS Excel files from PM. If you want the Excel tables to retain their appearance, the only safe way is to convert them to PDF and use place to get them into PM. And of course, the PDFs are not editable. There is an FAQ here that addresses this.

Donald Gruener "4.1 - Do not copy/paste Excel or Word tables" 5/7/02 8:51am </cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ef861b2/0>

[Derek...@adobeforums.com]

To paste from MS Excel to PM successfully, make sure your Excel file is already saved as well as the Pagemaker file you are wanting to import into. Open your Excel file and copy the range of cells you are wanting to paste. If you don't want the borders to copy over be sure to go into the Excel tools menu under options and uncheck the gridlines box. Then go into Pagemaker and EDIT>PASTE SPECIAL click on the PASTE LINK, select Microsoft Excel Worksheet, then click ok.

Once the table is in PM you can double click it to go directly into Excel to edit it later. You can also right click on the table in PM and select Link Options to set if you want the table to update automatically when you open the PM file (if the Excel file has been changed) and specify if PM should warn you if it does. I tend to leave the autoupdate off so the file opens quicker. Then manually update the tables that have changed with the FILE>Links Manager.

NOTE: DO NOT resize or try to adjust your tables in PM. Resize the tables in Excel by adjusting cell widths, font sizes,etc. there, then reimport them into PM otherwise you may have some printing problems, corruptions, etc.

[Lyn_Eg...@adobeforums.com]

Derek

It is never a good PM workflow to use copy/paste. Certainly not if you ever want to have those documents commercially printed, although this is not the only reason to not use copy/paste.

The FAQs here are the collective wisdom of many very experienced PM users, all of whom recommend never to use the method you are advocating.

[Derek...@adobeforums.com]

We have been using this workflow for over 7 years without any problems. We do all our own printing in-house. (printed to a HP printer, then output on a couple of docutech copiers). There is a difference between copy/paste and copy/paste special/paste link btw. Copy/paste we don't use being no links back to the original are created.

[Bob_Levine]

Then you've simply been lucky for seven years.

Bob

[Kelly_...@adobeforums.com]

I just successfully created a publication that links an Excel 2003 spreadsheet to a PageMaker 7.0 file. The gridlines did not show up in PageMaker and I didn't have to do anything special to make it that way - I just linked the Excel file to my PageMaker file.

[Derek...@adobeforums.com]

Luck really has nothing to do with it. I can't tell you the number of times I had to go into someone else's corrupted Pagemaker file to correct the damage because they didn't take the time to do it right the first time, or simply didn't know the do's and don'ts.

Knowing the programs limitations and realizing what corrupts the file is the key. I mentioned one of the main things is resizing Excel tables in Pagemaker..that's a definate don't if you want your Pagemaker files to live long and prosper. If I remember right, there are also certain fonts that don't agree with Excel files that are paste linked into Pagemaker. (More so if those tables have been resized in Pagemaker.) It was certain serif fonts if I remember right. I mainly use Arial.

For your Excel tables you also want to stick with the font sizes Excel recommends in it's dropdown list. Any other sizes can cause you problems.

You can also right click on the table once it's placed in PM and deselect "autoupdate" and/or "ask to update". (I forget the exact wording because I don't have Pagemaker on this machine.) I manually update my tables for a few reasons. 1) It takes the file less time to open. 2) If someone makes a correction in an excel file that you don't know about..the links manager can show you this before you update the table. 3) I can watch the excel file update to be sure there are no glitches from someone else's handy work on the Excel file. ;)

If you don't want the gridlines to print in PM be sure to shut them off in the Excel tools>options.

Also you can go into Excel's Tools>Options>Calculation and deselect "Save external link values". It will keep you from getting those "Out of Memory" errors. If I think of anything more, I'll let you know.

[Bob_Levine]

Derek,

I'm not going to argue with you. If it works for you, great, but I'm
going to let the lurkers and anyone else reading this thread that they
should search through the forum to read the horror stories from others
using your workflow.

The FAQs are where everyone should go to read about getting tables into
PM. And using OLE except for inhouse printing to PCL printers is quite
simply the wrong way to do it.

Bob

[Derek...@adobeforums.com]

I'm not arguing with anyone. I'm just letting people know it can be done and how to do it properly. I will admit we haven't sent these files outside for printing. I would recommend you create a .pdf file if you need to send it out. That is what we do to post the information to the internet.

[bhanud...@gmail.com]

Thanks boss, it is worked successfully as you told.