Wrapping text around two graphics pictures side-by-side

[Brad]

OK - I've spent the obligatory ten-plus hours reading articles
on formatting floating graphics and text, and experimenting,
and now I have a question I'd appreciate some help on.

I need to make a number of documents that all have a similar
repetitive format. So I want to get it right before my wall
has too many more marks from my battered head.

If you view the following ASCII text in a fixed-width font,
you'll see what I'm trying to do.

=== ===================== ---------------------
= = = = ---------------------
=== = = ---------------------
= = ---------------------
= = ---------------------
= = ---------------------
===================== ---------------------
------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------

The left box made of equals signs is really a Word rectange with
added text inside. The right box made of equals signs is an
inserted picture file with a border and cropped a little on right
and bottom (yeah, I could do it outside of Word, but this saves
me time). The dashed lines are text. Depending on the section,
the text may or may not wrap around below the picture. Since it
does sometimes, I don't think I can use the three-column table
kluge, er, I mean trick.

I've learned what I can about anchors and such. I anchor
both the rectangle and the picture to the paragraph.

THE PROBLEM is that sometimes, for no apparent reason,
Word, in it's infinite wisdom, formats the above like this:

=== =====================
= = = =
=== = =
= = ---------------------
= = ---------------------
= = ---------------------
===================== ---------------------
------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------

You will please note that the paragraph starts down two or three
lines from the top of the picture. After playing with this for
an hour or two, it dawned on me that it is just below the bottom
of the rectangle. I have the picture format set to have text on
Right only. After experimenting, I found that if the formatting
of the picture is Tight instead of Square, I have this problem.

WHY IS THAT? Any idea?

ALSO, I want the picture to be just touching the rectangle,
not spaced away from it a bit, as usually ends up happening.
How can I most easily position it just touching the
rectangle? Usually when I look at the Advanced Picture
Position, the horizontal setting is 0.47" left of Column.
WHAT COLUMN? I have everything set to NO overlap. The
obvious thing is to drag it right next to the Rectangle.
But that doesn't work because Word lets you drag it into
the Rectangle, and then when it quickly reformats, they
switch position. So the only way, I think, is a setting
in the dialog. But I can't find a way to do that.
SUGGESTIONS PLEASE?

Thanks!

 

[Brad]

Another related question. Now I have the same
picture and text setup at the start of a new page.
When I try to move the larger picture a bit to the
left, or do just about anything, the picture jumps
to the top-left corner of the page. Near the edge
of the page, not near the margin. When I look at
the properties, it's something like -7.5 inches
left of something or other, and -3.5 inches below
the page. Ridiculous settins like that. Why does
it get changed like that? Just about any change I
make causes the picture to move like that. VERY
frustrating. Any advice?

Thanks.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I'm no expert on this, but here are some avenues to explore:

1. In the Format Picture/Frame/Text Box dialog, click the Advanced... button
on the Layout tab so you have more choice of settings. (Obviously, you've
already done this.)

2. Note the "From text" setting. This determines how close *anything* else
is, not just text. "Allow overlap" might help, too, but this is a setting I
don't understand.

3. If both the rectangle/frame/text box and the picture are anchored to the
text paragraph, and the paragraph begins at the top of each, set the
vertical location of both the text box and the picture as 0" Relative to
Paragraph.

4. "Absolute Position" is defined in terms of "to the right of," and in this
context "Margin" and "Column" both appear to mean the left margin; I've
never actually figured this out, either. ("Page" means the left edge of the
paper.)

 

[Brad]

Another related question. Now I have the same

picture and text setup at the start of a new page.
When I try to move the larger picture a bit to the
left, or do just about anything, the picture jumps
to the top-left corner of the page. Near the edge
of the page, not near the margin. When I look at
the properties, it's something like -7.5 inches
left of something or other, and -3.5 inches below
the page. Ridiculous settins like that. Why does
it get changed like that? Just about any change I
make causes the picture to move like that. VERY
frustrating. Any advice?

I think I saw something somewhere that help. The problem
above seems to happen when the pictures and matching
paragraph are the first thing on a page. I went to the
end of the last paragraph on the previous page, added
a blank paragraph, marked it "page break before" and
aligning issues seem to go away (for now, at least).

 

[Brad]

Another related question. Now I have the same

I think I saw something somewhere that help. The problem
above seems to happen when the pictures and matching
paragraph are the first thing on a page. I went to the
end of the last paragraph on the previous page, added
a blank paragraph, marked it "page break before" and
aligning issues seem to go away (for now, at least).

In fact, a couple empty paragraphs before EVERY set of
pictures seems to help. Here's the sequence that might work...

For the first picture and paragraph on a page, add an empty
paragraph above, with "page break before" as I mentioned above.

After the end of each paragraph (or the last paragraph for
a single set of pictures), add a Text Wrapping Break,
then TWO blank paragraphs before the next pictures and text.