Putting Excel Charts into a Word document that's getting too big

[Jennifer]

I am creating a Word document (our Annual Report) in which I will have many
charts and graphs that were created in Excel. Currently, there will be at
least 26 graphs/charts in the document.

In the past, there have apparently been problems with not having enough
space to save the Word document because it gets too big. The document itself
is only about 36 pages, but, as I mentioned, within the 36 pages are at least
26 graphs and charts. I'm looking for a way to copy the graphs/charts into
Excel without it taking so much memory.

One solution we thought of was to only paste the graph/chart once we know
the data will not change, and to paste it in without any links. However, I
can't figure out how to do this.

Because the graphs/charts are so complicated, and have so much data, they
seem to be too big.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what I could do about this? What's the
best way to copy the charts/graphs into Word?

We are using Excel and Word 2000 if that makes a difference.

Jennifer

 

[Kelly O'Day]

There are several aspects to your question. One key point that I'd like to
make is the idea you can add dumb pictures of your Excel charts which
require very little space or you can add the entire workbook and Excel
chart.

It sounds like you are copying the Excel chart in Excel then going to word
and hitting paste. When you do this you are actually copying the entire
book.

The alternative method that reduces file size in word is to use Edit> Paste
Special> (Enhanced meta File> . with this method you have a dumb picture, no
link back to Excel file. However, you have a smaller Word file, important
when you have dozens of charts.

You can reduce size even further by Exporting Excel charts as jpeg or gif
files then importing into Word.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jon Peltier]

If you decide to use bitmaps, don't use jpg, use png or gif. However,
bitmaps are not as good a choice, because you can't change their size, even
a little, without distortion. Metafiles are tolerant of resizing, at least
to an extent. FWIW, there is no difference in the appearance of a regular
and an enhanced metafile; the difference relates to header information
hidden away in the file. A metafile may even be smaller than a bitmapped
image.

I'd paste the pictures using paste special - links. This contributes hardly
any more to the Word file size than a metafile, but it's dynamic, in case
the data is still moving, and at the end of the process, you can copy the
linked chart in Word, then paste special again, as a metafile. Or even go to
Edit > Links, and break the link, which converts the chart to a metafile.

- Jon
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Jon Peltier, Microsoft Excel MVP
Peltier Technical Services - Tutorials and Custom Solutions -
http://PeltierTech.com/
2006 Excel User Conference, 19-21 April, Atlantic City, NJ
http://peltiertech.com/Excel/ExcelUserConf06.html
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