Size of Word file with Excel charts

[Dr Strange]

I'm having a problem with a Word doc that includes some Excel charts.
The Word doc is a total of 10 pages of combined text and 11 graphs.
The graphs all were created in Excel and then cut and pasted into the
Word doc. The 10 page Word doc ends up with a file size of 85.7MB. I
don't understand why this file is so large. The size is making it
unwieldy to work with and a bear to email to my client. The file size
of the spreadsheet containing the data sets used to create the graphs,
along with the graphs themselves is 36k. If I save the Word file as a
pdf, the resulting pdf file is only 368k. I've tried reassembling the
entire doc into a new file but that one winds up being the same size.
I've re-done all the graphs in a new Excel file and then rebuilt the
Word file but have only repeated the same problem.

I'm using Word X for Mac and Excel X for Mac, both running on a 17"
iMac, running OS 10.2.8.

Can anybody help figure out why this file is so large and if there is
anything I can do to slim it down?

Thanks,

Michael

 

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

Hi Michael:

Word is saving bitmap representations of the charts in the document: two
flavours for each, one for the PC, one for the Mac.

First: It may be a "stranded" lump of graphics that has not been deleted
(particularly if you have been using Tracked Changes). Try this:

1) Create a new blank document

2) Carefully copy everything EXCEPT the last paragraph mark.

3) Paste into the new document and save.

Check the file size. If that hasn't fixed it, the only thing I can suggest
is:

1) Put the Excel file in the same folder

2) Add the graphs by linking to the Excel spreadsheet but NOT embedding.

3) Zip and send both the Doc and the Spreadsheet.

Cheers

I'm having a problem with a Word doc that includes some Excel charts.
The Word doc is a total of 10 pages of combined text and 11 graphs.
The graphs all were created in Excel and then cut and pasted into the
Word doc. The 10 page Word doc ends up with a file size of 85.7MB. I
don't understand why this file is so large. The size is making it
unwieldy to work with and a bear to email to my client. The file size
of the spreadsheet containing the data sets used to create the graphs,
along with the graphs themselves is 36k. If I save the Word file as a
pdf, the resulting pdf file is only 368k. I've tried reassembling the
entire doc into a new file but that one winds up being the same size.
I've re-done all the graphs in a new Excel file and then rebuilt the
Word file but have only repeated the same problem.

I'm using Word X for Mac and Excel X for Mac, both running on a 17"
iMac, running OS 10.2.8.

Can anybody help figure out why this file is so large and if there is
anything I can do to slim it down?

Thanks,

Michael

--

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 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

[Dr Strange]

Hi John,

Thanks for the response. I have re-created the file into a new doc a
few times but always with the same results. I'm particularly stumped
by the pdf being some much smaller than the Word file. I've always
seen pdf files as being much bigger than the associated non-pdf.

A couple of questions about your suggested methods:

1) You mention copying everything EXCEPT the last paragraph mark. How
do I do that? Judging by the time required to save this file, either
incrementally or all at once after re-creating it by cutting and
pasting both from the originial Word doc and the Excel file, the
problem exists well before the last paragraph, but I'd like to try
anything that is suggested here.

2) How do I go about linking to the Excel graphs rather than embedding
them? Do I wind up with the final Word doc looking the same? As this
file has to go to a client, I need the final doc to look complete.

Thanks for the help.

Michael

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

1) You mention copying everything EXCEPT the last paragraph mark. How
do I do that? Judging by the time required to save this file, either
incrementally or all at once after re-creating it by cutting and
pasting both from the originial Word doc and the Excel file, the
problem exists well before the last paragraph, but I'd like to try
anything that is suggested here.

Click the ¶ button in the toolbar, to Show all paragraph marks. (Or you can
do it "permanently" in Preferences/View.) Now you'll see the final ¶ mark
(as well as others). Copy everything except that ¶ mark (which is not simply
an end-of-paragraph marker: it also stores all the formatting information
for the whole section and can get corrupted.) Paste into a new document.
Save.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
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[Dr Strange]

Thanks, Paul. I tried that but with the same result as all other
remedies I've tried -- new file, same size. Is this something that
you've seen or heard of before? And, more importantly, do you have any
other suggestions?

Cheers,

Michael

 

[Dr Strange]

Hi John,

Well, I've de-constructed and re-constructed this file many times in
many ways now.

I've created a new Excel spreadsheet with the original data files but
created the graphs from scratch. I then started a new Word file,
pasted in the text and then pasted in the new graphs. Same result --
file winds up being around 81.5MB.

Now, following your advice, I created a new Word file, pasted in all
the text and saved. At that point, the file is only 44k. Then I cut
the graphs from the now master Word file and saved after each graph was
added. Here is the file size after each graph is pasted in:

44k -- all text, no graphs
9.2MB after Graph #1
16.8MB after Graph #2
24.3MB after Graph #3
31.9MB after Graph #4
39.4MB after Graph #5
48.6MB after Graph #6
57.1MB after Graph #7
66MB after Graph #8
66.3MB after Graph #9
73.9MB after Graph #10
81.4MB after Graph #11

For whatever reason, Graphs #8 and 9 seem to add the least, but most
add something in the area of 8MB each. Is there a different way to or
import the Excel graphs so that they aren't huge graphics files? That
seems to be the problem.

cheers,

Michael

 

[mmmmark]

Hi John,

Well, I've de-constructed and re-constructed this file many times in
many ways now.

I've created a new Excel spreadsheet with the original data files but
created the graphs from scratch. I then started a new Word file,
pasted in the text and then pasted in the new graphs. Same result --
file winds up being around 81.5MB.

Now, following your advice, I created a new Word file, pasted in all
the text and saved. At that point, the file is only 44k. Then I cut
the graphs from the now master Word file and saved after each graph was
added. Here is the file size after each graph is pasted in:

44k -- all text, no graphs
9.2MB after Graph #1
16.8MB after Graph #2
24.3MB after Graph #3
31.9MB after Graph #4
39.4MB after Graph #5
48.6MB after Graph #6
57.1MB after Graph #7
66MB after Graph #8
66.3MB after Graph #9
73.9MB after Graph #10
81.4MB after Graph #11

For whatever reason, Graphs #8 and 9 seem to add the least, but most
add something in the area of 8MB each. Is there a different way to or
import the Excel graphs so that they aren't huge graphics files? That
seems to be the problem.

cheers,

Michael

I'm not at a Mac right now, so I can't check this. After you copy each
graph from Excel, what do you get for options in Word when if select Paste
Special... from the Edit menu.

Perhaps you can experiment with these options to get some joy.

Do you need to distribute these files as Word, or is PDF the ultimate goal?
If PDF, you're set!

-Mark

 

[Dr Strange]

I need the file as it goes to the clients as a fully-editable Word doc.
I sent the pdf on Friday to put something in their hands, but they
need it in Word. I was able to send it to them this morning after
zipping it down to 2MB, but I'm still trying to better understand the
bloat so I can avoid it or work around it in the future. The options
in Paste Special seem (doing this from memory of looking at that on
Friday) to have been to paste the graphs as text.

Thanks, Mark,

Michael

 

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

OK, your sizing tests told me what I needed to know.

Regrettably, for whatever reason Word was unable to preserve those charts as
a vector illustration. At roughly 8 MB per chart, it appears that it may be
converting the charts to high-resolution bitmaps.

If you have time to play with this, send me a copy and I will have a look
and see what is going on.

Please send directly to the email address above, but include the password
"11690@z34g2000cwc" in the subject line to get you through my spam and virus
filters.

Please send a .zip or .sit containing the Word document and the Excel file
you made it from. I need to get at the individual components.

Cheers

I need the file as it goes to the clients as a fully-editable Word doc.
I sent the pdf on Friday to put something in their hands, but they
need it in Word. I was able to send it to them this morning after
zipping it down to 2MB, but I'm still trying to better understand the
bloat so I can avoid it or work around it in the future. The options
in Paste Special seem (doing this from memory of looking at that on
Friday) to have been to paste the graphs as text.

Thanks, Mark,

Michael

--

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 (0) 4 1209 1410

 

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

Hmmm... That wasn't it at all After looking at Michael's document,
here's the bug report I sent in:

Hi All:

We have some bugs in Word's handling of Excel charts. As a result of a
newsgroup question, a customer sent me a document. The document is about 12
pages and is around 40 kb.

Bug 1:

Into it, he pasted 11 small Excel charts. The file size became 81.5
Megabytes!!

There is something seriously wrong with the Excel embedding mechanism.

Bug 2:

If I paste the Excel charts as LINK fields, with the \a \d \p switches, it
becomes 1 MB. A saving, but no where near enough: the document file size
should be practically unchanged -- it should contain only the link field
text.

If I paste the charts as Pictures, the document is also just over 1 MB,
indicating that the \p switch is not working.

But if I paste the charts as "Pictures" (EMF) from Word 2003, the file size
is only 90 Kb. That's what we should expect -- these are very simple
charts.

If I open the EMF version in Mac Word, then save, the file size is only 108
kb: that's what it should be with the charts converted from EMF to PICT.

So bug number 2: There is something seriously wrong with the "Picture"
import filter.

Bug 3:
When I link to the charts with the Excel file in the same folder, Word
inserts fully-qualified path names to the Excel file. This is wrong: the
path should be "relative" (no path should be included, but I think WinWord
has this bug too).

Bug 4:

If I search/replace the paths out of the LINK fields, save and re-open, Word
updates the pictures correctly, as it should. However, it re-inserts the
path. That's a bug: WinWord will leave the path out if you take it out. We
rely on this functionality to enable us to move files containing linked
objects.

Bug 5:
If you make a folder containing both the document and the file, then re-name
the folder, Word is agonisingly slow about updating the fields on open.

It does succeed, which is good: Word should always find the linked object if
it is in the same folder as the document. However, it pauses to time-out on
each chart. That's a bug. WinWord will simply update the fields without
pausing or replacing the paths.

Hope this helps

OK, your sizing tests told me what I needed to know.

Regrettably, for whatever reason Word was unable to preserve those charts as
a vector illustration. At roughly 8 MB per chart, it appears that it may be
converting the charts to high-resolution bitmaps.

If you have time to play with this, send me a copy and I will have a look
and see what is going on.

Please send directly to the email address above, but include the password
"11690@z34g2000cwc" in the subject line to get you through my spam and virus
filters.

Please send a .zip or .sit containing the Word document and the Excel file
you made it from. I need to get at the individual components.

Cheers

--

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 (0) 4 1209 1410