How to properly Insert & edit windows dialogs?

[Sturdy]

I have been using Word for years and have never mastered inserting and
editing graphics. I most often write documentation containing screen prints
of windows or dialog boxes. I use alt-Print Screen to copy to clipboard,
position the cursor in the doc then ctl-V to paste the image. Then I
right-click the graphic and select Format Picture and make appropriate
changes. I almost always use Top and Bottom for Text Wrapping and Anchor the
graphic with no overlap.

Now my question: How do I make the darn things stay where put in relation to
the text and the page. During doc editing they jump around and sometimes
disappear. The only thing anchored is the anchor! Sometimes they jump to next
page, or refuse to be placed where I want them, or go to the bottom margin,
refuse to go to the top of the next page, etc, etc. Very frustrating when
developing a final layout!

This must be a newby question and I would sure like to know how to stabilize
these graphics. Any help very much appreciated.

 

[DeanH]

What version of Word are you using.
Try using In Line With Text instead of Top and Bottom placement.
If you need the text to wrap then use the Square and Tight.
If you have 2003, Tools, Options, Edit, Insert/Paste pictures as: In line
with text. this will ensure al further insertions will be set to this
placement.
Hope this helps
DeanH

 

[DeanH]

Also, with the jumping around, I have found that with the Square, Tight, etc.
if the paragraph the image is anchored with has the paragraph settings of
"Keep with Next" and/or "Keep lines together" and it is near the top or
nottom of the page, this can often confuse Word with the image placement.
Sometimes placing a Manual Page Break to force the paragraph and image onto
the next page works well.
Best of luck
DeanH

 

[Sturdy]

Hi Dean,
Thanks for the response. I'm using Word 2003 but this problem (for me
anyway) has been the same with 2000 and 2002. Looking thru the posts it
appears others have similar issues. Captions are a similar issue so I quit
using them! I don't recall the problem when Word allowed you to create a
frame then insert the graphic and caption in the frame. Is this still
possible? How?

What you are saying is what I have been doing. Basically, massage each
graphic until it is where you want it (and hope it will stay). Unfortunately
this also means that much of the downstream graphics must be re-massaged each
time an upstream edit occurs. Embedded graphics are very unstable...aarrgh. I
often spend more time reformatting than writing the doc. There must be a
better way (rant over).

Again, thanks for the assist.

 

[DeanH]

I have always found Captions very stable (certainly makes Indexing and
cross-referencing easy), as I have found also with embedded images. Except
purely the situation mentioned previously, i.e. the Paragraph Keep with next
and Lines together setting, but that is easily fixed.
Alt-PrintScreen I find is very good, I use this very frequently, but instead
of pasting directly into Word, I copy into PowerPoint, do any necessary
annotations there, then use a combination of SaveAs JPG and PNG (depending on
the original artwork composition and the final quality requirements), using
the Insert, Picture, From File icon, the images come in as In line with Text
(as described previously), resize to fit margins or wrap, then forget about
them. Some users on this site have mentioned an application called SnagIt for
screen captures, which allows editing, etc. then inserting into Word. Maybe
this application could be good for you. Again, with this application it would
seem not to be "just" pasting into Word, but inserting.
I rarely use a Frame and only then to hold an image when it is going outside
the normal margins, even then on very few occasions. Sometimes I use a
borderless table cell to contain an image and caption.
Do you have a Style for the graphics? My images are inserted to this style,
that may help stabilise them?
As for edits, I would always edit the original (or a copy version of) and
then reinsert the new version, I never edit the image in the Word document
(even if I could edit the JPG/PNG) as I would want my library of the
project's documents to be up-to-date, not just the image in the Word file. I
never use the Drawing tools in Word, I feel Word is the Word processing
application; if you need a Drawing, go to a Drawing application like
PowerPoint; the right tool for each job.

Hope this helps
DeanH

 

[Sturdy]

Hi Dean,

Just wanted to again thank you for your help. FWIW, I've expanded the doc
and have been experimenting. Now 35 pages and 66 graphics. I have stabilized
the graphics using your hints. Removed all page breaks which now occur with
auto pagination. Graphics don't try to print in the topor bottom margin. The
key to stabilization seems to be to put the graphic In Line in it's own para
without text. That suits our doc standard which is graphic centered below the
para. No text wrapping; nothing fancy. Now all graphics are formatted the
same except grouped graphics. Graphics no longer must be individually
massaged...Joy.

I don't see a noticable difference between Copy/Past and Insert. We use
SnagIt too but it is overkill for these dialog captures, etc. It's a good app.

I've also found that a 1, 2, or 3 cell table can be used like the old frame.
It's easy to place a table then position the graphic in a cell as needed.
Tables stay where you put them.

Again, thanks for your help.
Sturdy