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Paste as drawing objects in Word 2007

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8 replies

by s.nicholson

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I can't understand this at all.

I'm using Word 2007.

I have some drawing objects (eg. an Org Chart) in Excel 2007 that I want to copy and paste into Word.

When I do so, they only copy as an IMAGE.

Why? How can I fix this?

If I look at Paste Special, there is no option to paste as a "Microsoft Office Drawing Object"; I can only paste as a "Microsoft Office Graphic Object" (or other bitmap format).

8 replies

by thumbsup2

Try using the Insert - MS Excel Chart rather than copy and paste.

The C&P will only paste an image of the chart. Inserting correctly will pull the chart out of Excel and create the link between the Word Document and the Excel Spreadsheet where copy and paste will not.

by s.nicholson

Thanks for the idea.

Embedding an Excel Object in a Word 2007 document does support drawing objects, but only at a lower resolution. eg. drop shadows are replaced with low resolution dotted lines. But at least the drawing objects are retained using this method.

What is really weird is that I can cut and paste drawing objects from Excel 2007 into PowerPoint 2007 and obtain results as I would expect and as can be achieved across applications in Office 2003.

But pasting drawing objects into Word 2007 just results in a graphic image rather than the editable drawing objects.

by thumbsup2

Office 2007 is newer than Office 2003. You can't expect the older program to recognize everything that was created in a newer program. Likewise, the newer program doesn't necessarily import the older stuff correctly. There are major differences between the two versions and you MAY need to adapt accordingly.

If you were trying to embed the object from an Excel 2003 spreadsheet into Word 2003, the results would be as expected.

If you were trying to embed the object from an Excel 2003 spreadsheet into Word 2007, the results MAY be different.

If you were trying to embed the object from an Excel 2007 spreadsheet into Word 2007, the results would be as expected.

Trying to embed an object created in the newer version into and older version is very likely to have major problems.

by s.nicholson

I'm not mixing Office 2003 documents and Office 2007 documents. In fact I'm working on different installations on different computers.

The whole point is -

When using Office 2003 I can copy and paste drawing objects between applications as expected. Drawing objects remained as Drawing Objects between applications.

When using Office 2007 (only) drawing objects don't copy and paste into Word 2007 (only) as expected.

Generate a number of drawing objects in Excel 2007, select them all and try to paste them into Word 2007. They ONLY paste as an image. There is no option to paste them as Drawing Objects. (Unlike what is available when working in Office 2003.)

Yet you CAN paste the same group of Drawing Objects, as Drawing Objects, into PowerPoint 2007. (The same way you can in Office 2003.)

For that matter, you can draw some objects in PowerPoint 2007, and paste them as drawing objects into Excel 2007. But trying to paste them from PowerPoint 2007 into Word 2007 will only paste into the document as an image.

by thumbsup2

Well, in that case, did you create the Excel chart as a chart object or as a drawing object? If you didn't create it as a drawing object, it won't copy/paste as a drawing object.

Do you have an option on the Paste Special to paste an Excel Chart Object? If so, try that. It will create a link between the Word document and the Excel spreadsheet.

by s.nicholson

I've got to the stage where I'm just drawing a couple of simple rectangles in Excel 2007 and trying to paste them into Word 2007.

No matter what, they only want to paste as an image (Microsoft graphic).

There is no option to paste special, Excel Chart :-(

It's so frustrating, because it is something so simple, and it worked fine in Office 2003.

by thumbsup2

... if you're not actually creating an Excel Chart using the charting tools while over there in Excel (you're just creating rectangles which are indeed graphics), it would be logical there wouldn't be any option to Paste Special, Excel Chart when you get over to Word. It's smart enough to know you have not copied a chart to the clipboard, thus there is no option to paste something that isn't there. In that case, you would have to use the INSERT button and point it directly at a spreadsheet which actually contained a chart.

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