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PROBLEM: Graphs pasted into Microsoft Word are not formatted correctly

Article ID: 050208sab
Last Reviewed: July 10, 2023

The information in this article applies to:

Symptoms

If the Edit-Copy command is used from within Pronto to place a graph on the clipboard, and the Edit-Paste command is used from within Microsoft Word to paste the graph into a document, the graph is not displayed correctly.
One or more of the following problems may be observed.

  • The Y axis title is incorrectly placed and reads from top to bottom instead of from bottom to top.
  • Dashed gridlines are displayed as solid lines.
  • Colours on the graph are converted to black and white.
  • The Y axis is shifted to the Left.

Cause

Items cut or copied from within Pronto for Windows are placed on the clipboard in Enhanced Meta File format.This format provides the smallest file size and allows lossless resizing. However, Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000 do not correctly display certain features of the Enhanced Meta File format.

Recommendations

Ensure that any available service packs for the installed version of Microsoft Word have been applied. These can be downloaded free of charge from the Microsoft web site.

Resolution

Any of the following actions:

  • For users with Pronto 5.50 or later use the EDIT – COPY AS BITMAP command within Pronto instead of EDIT – COPY or Ctrl-C.
  • Convert the contents of the clipboard into a bitmap format before pasting the image into Word. This can be achieved using the following steps:
    1. Cut or Copy the Graph from Pronto as normal.
    2. Paste the image into Microsoft Paint (mspaint.exe).
    3. Use the Select-All command from within Microsoft paint, then the Edit-Copy command to place the image on the Clipboard.
    4. Use the Edit-Paste command in Microsoft word to paste the bitmap into the document.
  • Use the Alt-PrtScn keys to cut an image of the Pronto Application Window to the clipboard and then paste this into Microsoft Word.
  • Upgrade Microsoft Word to Office 2002 or later.
  • Install another word processor. For example: Open Office (this can be downloaded free from http://www.openoffice.org).

References

None.

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