Format problem with text boxes

[PC]

I have a Word file with some imported graphics.
I cannot enter these graphics so I put text
boxes on top of the parts I wanted to change.

I made these changes while in the mode where
you can see the tab and paragraph symbols.
The formatting looked okay. I grouped the text
boxes together to fix the position.

Then I went into the normal Word mode where you
cannot see the tab signs and paragraph marks.

Now a lot of my formatting looks terrible.
Things have moved and it looks like I'll have
to go back to the beginning.

What am I doing wrong? Is there a way to prevent
the this format problem ?

Thanks for any tips.
Paul

[Cindy Meister -WordMVP-]

Hi Pc,

What are "things"?

Do you have any "things" in all this that are formatted as
"hidden" font? That's the only thing I can imagine that
would affect the layout of text elements when non-printing
characters display is turned back off...

> I made these changes while in the mode where
> you can see the tab and paragraph symbols.
> The formatting looked okay. I grouped the text
> boxes together to fix the position.
>
> Then I went into the normal Word mode where you
> cannot see the tab signs and paragraph marks.
>
> Now a lot of my formatting looks terrible.
> Things have moved and it looks like I'll have
> to go back to the beginning.
>

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister
http://www.mvps.org/word
http://go.compuserve.com/MSOfficeForum

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any
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:-)

[Steve Atkinson]

View it in Print Layout view, not Normal view. If you don't want to display
non-printing characters in Print Layout view, click on the Pilcrow character
button (ś) on the Toolbar.
"PC" <pc...@gmx.de> wrote in message news:3D1F683...@gmx.de...

[PC]

Cindy Meister -WordMVP- wrote:
> What are "things"?

A few more details ...

I'm in Print View. A typical page in the doc has four scanned images
from a book with titles for some diagrams. I put one layer of text boxes
to cover up the titles I didn't want (filled in with white). I then put
another layer of text boxes on top to put in the new text (normal TTF
font) on top (and I grouped each layer of text boxes together) so that I
didn't see the old text. I couldn't do this in one stage because the
text box size is much bigger when there is text in it and so the size of
the boxes would have been too big, i.e. they would have covered parts of
the diagrams I wanted to see.

So ... I took great care ... it all looked good, but when I clicked on
the paragraph symbol(ś) to get rid of the formating symbols everything
shifted and the text boxes with the new text were offset from where I
wanted them to be. Then I clicked back on the paragraph symbol and the
correct format was recreated ... but then I couldn't print. Back to
square one.

I don't know how this happened. Maybe I wrongly used the formating
options under Format Object/Layout. I'm not sure I have fully grasped
the implications of all those options. Sometimes I used the option which
puts the object under the text.

Anyway ... the only workaround I found was to start from the beginning
by formating with the paragraph symbol(ś) not active and then it worked
AND I could print properly.

PC

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Instead of covering up unwanted captions, why don't you just crop them out
(using the Crop tool on the Picture toolbar)?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word

"PC" <pc...@gmx.de> wrote in message news:3D21D0CF...@gmx.de...

[Tom Worrell]

It took me a long time to figure out that 98% of my
problems in Word with images was because of one checkbox.
Once you have an image in word (I use Irfanview to handle
my images and often just hit Ctrl-C to copy to the
clipboard - then switch to word and paste with Ctrl-V)
RIGHT click on the image and LEFT click on format picture.
In different versions of word the tabs are labled
differently in Office XP the tab you want is Layout in
earlier versions it is Position. In XP pick any "wrapping"
but in line with text - In other versions "Uncheck" move
with text. Once you free the image for being "INLINE" you
can move it freely, size it etc. and things will work as
expected. In XP the advanced tab lets you select
additional text wrapping options. In older versions its
the wrapping tab.

The choice by Microsoft to make INLINE the default is what
drives myself and my clients crazy - you'll be amazed how
easy and intuitive images work after you do this.

The same thing happens with text boxes - you MUST deselect
the Inline or Move with text boxes.

>.
>

[Cindy Meister -WordMVP-]

Hi Tom,

> In different versions of word the tabs are labled
> differently in Office XP the tab you want is Layout in
> earlier versions it is Position. In XP pick any "wrapping"
> but in line with text - In other versions "Uncheck" move
> with text.
>

Just FYI, these two are NOT the same thing. Uncheck "Float
over text" is what's needed in Word97.

"Move with text" is in all versions, and has to do with how a
picture that is NOT inline with the text moves.

[Paul]

As far I can see Suzanne, the cropping tool only works when you drag an
anchor point of the graphic. This cuts off a piece of the graphic - lost
forever. I'm working with graphics which have a piece of text
unfortunately stuck in the middle. If I "crop" I'll lose half of the
graphic. Naturally, if I could selectively eraze pieces of the graphic
that would be wonderful.
Paul

[Cindy Meister -WordMVP-]

Hi Paul,

> As far I can see Suzanne, the cropping tool only works when you drag an
> anchor point of the graphic. This cuts off a piece of the graphic - lost
> forever.
>

NOt in Word. NOt unless you have Word 2002 and have activated the option to
drop the info.

> I'm working with graphics which have a piece of text
> unfortunately stuck in the middle

> A typical page in the doc has four scanned images
> from a book with titles for some diagrams. I put one layer of text boxes
> to cover up the titles I didn't want (filled in with white). I then put
> another layer of text boxes on top to put in the new text (normal TTF
> font) on top (and I grouped each layer of text boxes together) so that I
> didn't see the old text.
>

OK, I think I understand what's happening. Let's see if I can translate my
gut-feelings into something understandable :-)

1) Be sure you have the object anchors displayed, with all the non-printing
characters
2) Drag all the text box anchors to the same paragraph with the Shape's
anchor (if this is a Shape and not inline with the text; then the textbox
anchors need to be in the inline shape's paragraph).
3) Don't worry for the moment if the text boxes move when you drag the
anchors. Right-click on each text box and activate "Lock anchor" so that
you can be sure the anchors will STAY with this paragraph
4) Make sure the textboxes are set to "move with text" (unless you have
deactivated this for the pictures)
5) Now readjust the positioning of the text boxes, if necessary

What I *think* is currently happening is, that the anchors are somehow
placed with paragraphs that are being hidden or otherwise suppressed when
you turn off non-printing characters. And the textboxes are set to "move
with text". So it all moves up... But if all the anchors are with the same
paragraph, they should now move together.