File size increases

[robert horne]

I've created a template using Word 2004 on a Mac running Tiger. The template
uses two images which I have imported into the document as a footer and
header. When I save the file, the file size is 180kb. I run the
compatibility option and everything appears OK.

When I transfer the file to my client, The email transfers at 180 kb. When
the client opens the file - without doing anything to it. the file size
increases to 2.3 mb. She opens this using Office 2003 on a PC running XP.

AT first I did not believe her, But I have taken the same file to another PC
running XP and old version of word, the file size increases more that 10
times.

What is happening? how do I correct it.

 

[John McGhie [MVP - Word and Word Macintosh]]

Hi Robert:

The graphic is saved in the Word document as PICT, a vector representation
of unlimited resolution.

When the document gets to Windows, WinWord needs to convert the graphic to a
format that will work on Windows. Because PICT on the Mac and the Windows
equivalent are not totally compatible, to ensure an accurate conversion
WinWord converts the image to a high-dpi bitmap (raster) at high colour
depth.

To preserve maximum compatibility, a cross-platform document ends up with
two or four copies of each image in it: The original vector, a converted
vector, and a bitmap conversion for each platform. This does bloat the file
somewhat

You can short-circuit this process by saving your image as a raster
yourself. Use PNG, JPEG or GIF according to your application.
Word will leave those formats alone on either platform. Reduce the
quality of the JPEG, or the colour depth of the PNG as far as you can. A
16-colour PNG is often all you need for a logo, and it's one-eighth the size
of a high-colour one.

Are you SURE your header and footer is required to be a graphic? If you
were able to simply express the header and footer as normal text, that would
avoid the problem. Chances are, the only thing that is *required* to be a
graphic is the logo. Unless the logo occupies the entire area of the header
and footer, you can include just the small logo graphic plus the associated
text as text.

Hope this helps

I've created a template using Word 2004 on a Mac running Tiger. The template
uses two images which I have imported into the document as a footer and
header. When I save the file, the file size is 180kb. I run the
compatibility option and everything appears OK.

When I transfer the file to my client, The email transfers at 180 kb. When
the client opens the file - without doing anything to it. the file size
increases to 2.3 mb. She opens this using Office 2003 on a PC running XP.

AT first I did not believe her, But I have taken the same file to another PC
running XP and old version of word, the file size increases more that 10
times.

What is happening? how do I correct it.

--

Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie <[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410

 

[Kristina Conceicao]

Hi John,

This is very interesting. I did not realize that several copies of the
graphic are actually stored. We all have macs, but our clients all use
Windows. We're currently inserting TIFFs in WinWord via a Citrix server
(because they display well onscreen in Windows), but sometimes the
documents are reopened/saved on a mac (to make changes to text). Based
on your information, we'll investigate using JPEG or GIF instead. Then
we'd have the added bonus of being able to insert the graphics on our
macs

What about copying from Excel and pasting into Word as a picture? How
are these graphics handled/stored by Mac Word and Win Word?

Thank you!

Kristina

 

[mmmmark]

If you do a "Paste Special" you have more control over the pasting format,
thereby choosing something most desirable.

 

[JosypenkoMJ]

Hi Robert:

The graphic is saved in the Word document as PICT, a vector representation
of unlimited resolution.

When the document gets to Windows, WinWord needs to convert the graphic to a
format that will work on Windows. Because PICT on the Mac and the Windows
equivalent are not totally compatible, to ensure an accurate conversion
WinWord converts the image to a high-dpi bitmap (raster) at high colour
depth.

To preserve maximum compatibility, a cross-platform document ends up with
two or four copies of each image in it: The original vector, a converted
vector, and a bitmap conversion for each platform. This does bloat the file
somewhat

This is some useful information. I have a question - with different
versions of Windows, does one have access to only different
representations of the vector .pict ? I had a situation where I copied
a Word file with a vector picture graph to a couple different PC's. On
one PC, I was able to edit the picture with all of its lines and text
boxes, but on another, the picture was not editable.

 

[Elliott Roper]

This is some useful information. I have a question - with different
versions of Windows, does one have access to only different
representations of the vector .pict ? I had a situation where I copied
a Word file with a vector picture graph to a couple different PC's. On
one PC, I was able to edit the picture with all of its lines and text
boxes, but on another, the picture was not editable.

Vector art is a bit of a lottery no matter how you do it. For example
..pict is a Mac format, which even Apple does not do well. Word makes a
mess of just about everything to do with illustratioins, but takes
special pride in making it hard to do vector art properly. Those
multiple representations of which John speaks appears to be no more
than recognitioin that the whole situation is out of control.
Avoid Microsoft's WMF like the plague. It turns curves into lots of
straight lines and almost never works on Macintosh.

If you are serious about editing vector art at both ends of a remote
collaboration, I think the only reliable method is to agree between you
on an editing program - Illustrator or Freehand, say - then send the
illustrations independently. Within Word, place the art as eps if you
want it to look good when printed but can accept horrible on screen. If
it has to look good on screen, and printing to vector art standard is
not required then convert the edited art to tiff outside Word at
exactly the finished size and shape and at a resolution that meets your
favourite compromise of file size and quality. I have been using 300
dpi, not least because, Word X appeared to refuse anything higher when
the doc was sent elsewhere (picture blank on arrival). I have not yet
tempted Word 2004 to misbehave in that way.

Tiffs are large but reliable. If file size is a problem, you might
consider GIF for cartoonish art with block colour and no gradients, or
jpg if the pictures are more like photographs.

Also, if you use eps and print to PDF on Mac, go via Postscript. That
stops Word printing the grotty on-screen preview instead of the lovely
vector art in your eps. That's how I do my business letters - the
header is the company logo in eps - it looks like a three-year-old's
writing on screen. But when I print "PDF as PS", then open the .ps file
in Preview, then save that as PDF, it comes out beautifully.

Finally, there are several subtle variations of eps between Mac and PC.
You will see what I mean when you export to eps from Freehand or
Illustrator. Test your choice end-to-end before doing a lot of work.

 

[Kristina Conceicao]

Yes, that's what I mean - Paste Special: Picture. What format is the
picture?